Program Overview

CRIMINOLOGY PROGRAM

Overview

The objective of the Criminology course is to provide knowledge about the nature of criminology and to foster reflection on how such knowledge can be applied in professional contexts. Criminology is understood as the result of applying contributions from various disciplines within the social sciences to a hetero-defined object—the offender.

Aims and Content

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the criminology interdisciplinary nature and its hetero-definition
• Knowledge of the main approaches (psychological and sociological) to the sector, as well as their evolution starting from the origin of the discipline
• Knowledge of the main problems of prevention and criminological treatment

Aims and Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be familiar with the content of the major psychological and sociological theories on crime. They should be able to critically analyze the fascination with criminology that has developed in the postmodern era in relation to current social issues. Additionally, they should be able to analyze offenders' narratives through the lens of psychosocial theory.

Teaching Methods

The course will be based on traditional lectures supported by digital materials retrieved from online sources. Students will actively engage in the narrative analysis of texts authored by offenders, aimed at enriching their understanding of the subject matter through experiential learning.

Syllabus/Content

• Common Part (For All Students): General part - the development and the contexts of criminological research; recorded crime and dark number; the criminal personality; family context and criminality; migration and criminality; prevention, treatment, and control of criminality. Special part: narrative criminology.
• For Students of the "Magistrale" in Psychology: Forensic psychopathology and psychology; psychology and law; the psychiatric expertise on the criminal; the psychological evaluation of the victims of crime.

Recommended Reading/Bibliography

• For Frequenting Students:
  • Gadd D., Jefferson T.: Psychosocial Criminology: An Introduction, Sage Publications, London, 2007.
  • Binik O.: The Fascination with Violence in Contemporary Society: When Crime is Sublime, Palgrave McMillan, London, 2020.
  • Adshead, G., Horne, E.: The Devil You Know, Encounters in Forensic Psychiatry, Faber & Faber, London, 2022.
• For Not Frequenting Students:
  • Bandini T. e coll.: vol I, Giuffré, Milano, 2003: cap.1, 2, 3, 4, 7.
  • Gadd D., Jefferson T.: Psychosocial Criminology: An Introduction, Sage Publications, London, 2007.
  • Binik O.: The Fascination with Violence in Contemporary Society: When Crime is Sublime, Palgrave McMillan, London, 2020.
  • Adshead, G., Horne, E.: The Devil You Know, Encounters in Forensic Psychiatry, Faber & Faber, London, 2022.
• For Students of the M.A. in Psychology:
  • Bandini T., Rocca G.: Fondamenti di psicopatologia forense, Giuffré, Milano, 2010: cap.1,2,3,6,9,10.

Teachers and Exam Board

• Professor: Alfredo Stefano Maria Verde
• Exam Board:
  • Alfredo Stefano Maria Verde (President)
  • David Giofre'

Lessons

• Lessons Start: Tuesday, September 16, 2025, every Tue/Fri 8.00 - 10.00
• Class Schedule: CRIMINOLOGY

Exams

Exam Description

Students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge, reflective abilities, and their capacity to analyze offender narratives in response to two or three open-ended questions.

Assessment Methods

The final exam will be conducted in written form. However, the Professor is available to administer the exam orally upon motivated request by the student.

Exam Schedule

Further Information

Students coming from different courses, and from the laurea triennale in Scienze e Tecniche Psicologiche, are requested to prepare the exam on the texts assigned to the students of Laurea Magistrale in Psychology. Foreign students are requested to prepare all the texts assigned. The Professor is available to accommodate specific learning needs upon request. Students with specific learning disabilities, or other kinds of disability, are also requested to contact the Professor in order to address their specific problems.