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Prerequisites
Language of instruction
Duration
LevelIntroduction to Psychology and Criminological Psychology (B-KUL-C02A5A)
Storms Gerrit (coordinator) |
Storms Gerrit |
Vervaeke Geert
Aims
Introduction to psychology
The course intends to provide essential insights into the scientific study of behavior through an introduction in the most important subareas of psychology and its methodology.
The course intends to demonstrate that findings observed in research settings can be made applicable and that they are relevant for future criminologists
Introduction to criminal psychology
The course intends to show students how psychology can help us to understand and explain criminal behaviour and the policy to deal with deviance and crime, focusing on both crime in general and specific types of crime. Students must learn to assess the contribution of psychology to criminology. They are expected to develop a critical and scientific attitude towards the classic schools of explanation of crime and deviance.
Previous knowledge
Students are expected to have a passive knowledge of English, observational, analytical, and interpretative skills, a positive attitude towards psychology as a scientific discipline, and a critical attitude.
Content
Introduction to psychology
The first chapter contains a brief history of psychology, a definition of its object, an overview of the most important theoretical views and a critical analysis of its research methods.
The following chapters describe theory and research regarding a number of important psychological processes and functions: perception, memory, learning and behavioral change, thinking and judgmental processes. Attention is also given to individual differences, especially with respect to intelligence.
Introduction to criminal psychology
Part: introduction into criminological psychology
Topic 1: what do we understand by criminological psychology?
Topic 2: psychoanalysis and crime
Topic 3: biological explanations and crime
Topic 4: crime and personality
Topic 5: intelligence, learning disabilities and crime
Topic 6: cognitions and criminal attitudes
Topic 7: learning, environment and crime
Topic 8: integrative models
Topic 9: classification of delinquents
Topic 10: prediction of recidivism
Topic 11: the efficiency of judicial interventions
Topic 12: desistance from crime
Course material
Text book
Articles and literature
Slides, transparencies, courseware
Toledo / e-platform
Activities
4.0 ects. Introduction to Psychology (B-KUL-C03C5a)
Content
The first chapter contains a brief history of psychology, a definition of its object, an overview of the most important theoretical views and a critical analysis of its research methods.
The following chapters describe theory and research regarding a number of important psychological processes and functions: perception, memory, learning and behavioral change, thinking and judgmental processes. Attention is also given to individual differences, especially with respect to intelligence.
Aims
The course intends to provide essential insights into the scientific study of behavior through an introduction in the most important subareas of psychology and its methodology.
The course intends to demonstrate that findings observed in research settings can be made applicable and that they are relevant for future criminologists.
6.0 ects. Criminological Psychology (B-KUL-C03C6a)
Content
Topic 1: what do we understand by criminological psychology?
Topic 2: psychoanalysis and crime
Topic 3: biological explanations and crime
Topic 4: crime and personality
Topic 5: intelligence, learning disabilities and crime
Topic 6: cognitions and criminal attitudes
Topic 7: learning, environment and crime
Topic 8: integrative models
Topic 9: classification of delinquents
Topic 10: prediction of recidivism
Topic 11: the efficiency of judicial interventions
Topic 12: desistance from crime
Aims
The course intends to show students how psychology can help us to understand and explain criminal behaviour and the policy to deal with deviance and crime, focusing on both crime in general and specific types of crime. Students must learn to assess the contribution of psychology to criminology. They are expected to develop a critical and scientific attitude towards the classic schools of explanation of crime and deviance.
Course material
- the book Psychologie en delinquentie: een inleiding in de criminologische psychologie, edited by Acco Leuven, is used
- slides are posted on Toledo
Evaluation
Evaluation: Introduction to psychology and Criminological Psychology (B-KUL-C22A5a)
Explanation
Evaluation (introduction to psychology)
A written exam with multiple choice questions and true-false statements. About half of the questions/statements require familiarity with the content of the course as such, whereas the other half are questions aimed at determining the extent to which the student has insight in and can apply the knowledge acquired.
Evaluation (introduction tot criminological psychology)
A written exam that measures knowledge and understanding of the content of the course, using general open questions, more detailed open questions, and a series of multiple choice questions.
Important comment regarding the evaluation of the course as a whole:
A students will not obtain a passing grade unless he passes for each of the two parts of the course (psychology + criminological psychology).
