Communities and Crime

Catalog description

In this course you will learn about how crime levels vary across different types of neighborhoods and about the role of different socioeconomic, demographic, spatial, and informal social control aspects of neighborhoods in promoting or buffering crime. We will address the patterns, concepts, theories, methods, and policies related to communities and crime. We will critically assess theory and research on the effects of neighborhood structure and social organization on crime, focusing in particular on the classic and contemporary thinking on poverty, social disorganization, disorder, collective efficacy, institutional trust, cultural heterogeneity, segregation, immigration and how they affect criminal behavior and victimization. Through readings, class discussions, and activities, writing projects, and presentations, you will be given the opportunity to reflect on what you are learning and to apply the theoretical concepts to real-life examples and to new contexts in and out of the class.