SOC291: CRIMINOLOGY
Module 3—Social Structure and Social Process Theories
OVERVIEW th As the 20 Century dawned, immense changes to our society were about to get underway. The rise of astonishing technology in communications, transportation, manufacturing, commerce, and the conduct of warfare brought about rapid and social change – vastly increased urban populations and the massing of people to carry out these new missions and inventions. Along with these changes the extent and nature of th crime changed as well. It did not take long to realize that in addition to the explanations of the 19 Century concerning legal fairness, biological and psychological criminal explanations, there was also a social aspect to criminal behavior that emerged to the forefront, both in terms of conventional “street” crime and also “suite” crime – political and business corruption. Continue to read Module 3 Summary .
TOPICS Module 3 covers the following topics: ● Social structure and social disorganization ● Social strain and anomie, relative deprivation ● Differential association, learning, and neutralization ● Social control and containment theory ● Labeling and differential enforcement
OBJECTIVES After successfully completing the learning activities for Module 3, you should be able to: ● MO3.1 Explain how the organization and structure of society may contribute to criminality. (CO3, CO4) ● MO3.2 Identify the role that cultural differences play in crime causation. (CO4) ● MO3.3 Discuss modernday social policy that reflects the social structure approach. (CO5) ● MO3.4 Assess the shortcomings of the social structure approach. (CO4, CO5) ● MO3.5 Recognize how the process of social interaction between people contributes to criminal behavior. (CO3, CO4) ● MO3.6 Identify and distinguish among social process and social development perspectives. (CO4, CO5) Copyright © 2015 by Thomas Edison State College. All rights reserved.