AP/CRIM 3660 6.00

Crime and Development

Pre-requisite: AP/SOSC1650 9.00 with a grade of at least B, AP/SOSC1650 6.00 or AP/SOSC2800 6.00

Crime and Development is an interdisciplinary course that examines the interlinkages between criminality and development in the Global South. It begins with an overview of a variety of theoretical perspectives on the crime-development nexus followed by an application of these theories to understand the impact of social change on crime as well as the effects of criminality on development. 

From a theoretical perspective, the course seeks to integrate development theories such as modernization and neo-Marxist dependency with criminology and critical approaches related to the crime-development nexus within the context of social change. At the empirical level, topics will examine: the impact of structural and cultural transformations on crime (e.g., urbanization, industrialization, migration, economic growth); the effects of neoliberal policies on social conditions that induce crime; the social and economic costs of criminality; the relationship between development and organized/transnational crimes (such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, drug and human trafficking, piracy, illicit resource flows). Analyses of crime-related costs include not only the loss of much-needed resources for development but also the expenses needed to support the criminal justice system. Bringing together students in both CRIM and IDS majors, this course also endeavours to build the critical analytical skills needed to identify and understand the complex relationship between crime and development in the Global South. The case studies will be particularly useful for students who are interested in the experiences of non-western societies in terms of the nature of crimes, their criminal justice systems, and development challenges.