Crime & the Life Course

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to the study of crime and deviance within a life course framework. We will examine how involvement in crime develops and changes from childhood into adulthood (and between generations), and we will apply prominent criminological theories to different stages of life to examine how these perspectives help us understand crime over the life course. Topics covered in this course include the role of parents and peers in the progression of delinquency, the transition to adulthood, and the role of turning points (such as marriage and employment) in redirecting one’s criminal trajectory.