CRIMJ 012: Theories of Crime and Delinquency

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Sample Syllabus

Sample Lesson

Introduction

Thought-Provoking Exercise

Reading Assignments

What Is Theory?

Theoretical Building Blocks

Five Criteria of Evaluating Theories

Causation As It Relates to the Study of Crime

A Historical Perspective of Theories in Crime and Delinquency

Major Theoretical Schools of Thought

Summary

Theoretical Building Blocks

Theories consist of basic components. You should be able to understand these theoretical building blocks and apply them to the theories to which you will be introduced in subsequent lessons.

• Major premise: the statement the theory is making about crime causation (or delinquency, or deviant behavior).

• Propositions: a series of statements about the relationship between two or more variables or social phenomena.

• Concepts: those terms within the major propositions that will be operationalized in such a way that will allow them to be observed (measured).

As stated above, think carefully about these theoretical building blocks as you read about a new theory. Can you talk about the theory in terms of its major premise, propositions, and concepts? If you can, you have a comprehensive understanding of the theory.

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