Subjects overview
This program can be completed in 2 years (6 semesters)
This program can be completed in 2 years (6 semesters)
Students must complete three (3) subjects plus the Beyond Bond Program.
In this subject, students will be introduced to critical thinking and clear expression. They will evaluate arguments, identify assumptions, judge patterns of inference, and recognise and apply various methods of reasoning. Students will learn how to clarify and visually represent their thinking to make better decisions, evaluate and use evidence, and communicate more effectively in their writing and speaking. Using these skills, students will structure and write an academic essay and deliver an oral presentation.
Read moreIntegrity, and the courage and capability to act on one’s sense of responsibility, are key components of a thriving life. Responsibility, Integrity and Civic Discourse fosters students’ lifelong commitment to responsible discourse and action in all spheres of human interaction, recognising the global aspect to contemporary citizenship. Students explore the complex relationship between character, responsible action, and creative critical thinking, learning how to reflect on and articulate their unique sense of global citizenship and responsibility. By accentuating the importance of justification and articulation of the reasons for our actions, students exercise their critical, communicative, and cooperative capabilities so that they can thrive with integrity in the multiple contexts of action they will face as private, civic, professional, and global citizens.
Read moreIn today's work and study environments, individuals often encounter complex, open-ended problems that necessitate collaboration in both physical and virtual realms and across sectors and specialisations. In Collaboration for Global Change, students engage collaboratively to craft genuine solutions for global issues. In this context, students link their endeavours to specific sustainable development goals, thus positioning their actions as contributions to global citizenship. As they learn to defend their ideas and perspectives, students apply critical thinking, design thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills within a problem-based learning environment. This comprehensive approach equips them with the necessary skills and mindset to excel in future work, academic pursuits, and global initiatives.
Read moreTo keep up with the ever-changing work landscape, we aim to help our students future-proof their careers by developing broader employability skills that are actively sought out by employers. Unique to our University, Beyond Bond is a compulsory professional development program with a practical, activity-based approach that is integrated into all undergraduate degrees.
Students must complete the following eighty credit points (80CP) of subjects.
This subject adopts a critical perspective on contemporary issues (pornography, stalking, prostitution, illicit drug use, capital punishment), examines the role of the justice system and some more recent alternatives (sentencing circles and family group conferencing), and explores profiles of offenders and offending (domestic violence, cults, white collar crime, Aboriginal violence).
Read moreThis subject considers the main institutions and agencies involved in criminal justice in Australia, namely police, courts and corrections. You will engage with descriptions and research data regarding these institutions and their procedures. You will develop personal and professional understanding of these agencies with reference to particular social groups and crime matters. The subject canvasses contemporary issues such as deaths in custody, the role of juries, mandatory sentencing, notification laws, forensic evidence and alternative justice procedures.
Read moreIn this subject you will learn to identify the main streams of criminological thought from psychological and sociological perspectives. You will study the key theories, concepts and explanations within their social, historical, cultural, and political contexts. You will develop your personal and professional skills to evaluate explanations at the micro, meso and macro level to interpret criminal motivations. You will be able to apply these to contemporary justice issues, crime problems and specific case studies.
Read moreThis subject introduces you to the policies and practice involved in criminal investigation. You will cover such issues as suspect identification, physical evidence, searches, crime scenes, rules of evidence, as well as general overviews of topical issues for criminal investigators. Additionally, you will gain an understanding of the documents generated during criminal investigations, as well as working with others involved in the criminal justice system, such as pathologists, legal professionals, scenes of crime officers and uniformed police.
Read moreLegal Foundations A is an introductory compulsory subject in the Bachelor of Laws program offered by the Faculty of Law. The subject examines the nature and sources of law, with a primary focus on legal problem solving. Emphasis is placed on the development of the following skills: legal research and reasoning, and legal writing and drafting.
Read moreLegal Foundations B is an introductory compulsory subject in the Bachelor of Laws program offered by the Faculty of Law. The subject examines a broad range of foundational topics, including legal history, legal theory, legal practice and procedure, and legal careers. Emphasis is placed on the development of the following skills: oral communication and advocacy, dispute resolution and collaboration, and legal ethics and professionalism.
Read moreFoundations of Public and Criminal Law is an introductory compulsory subject in the Bachelor of Laws program offered by the Faculty of Law. The subject introduces the aims, doctrines and institutions of public law and criminal law and procedure. It considers the separation of powers and constraints on the exercise of power, as well as accountability institutions. It introduces students to Public International Law and Rights and specifically considers rights in the criminal law context as well as general doctrines of criminal law. Emphasis is placed on the development of legal research and reasoning skills.
Read moreCriminal Law is a compulsory subject in the Bachelor of Laws program offered by the Faculty of Law. The subject examines criminal offences (including fatal and non-fatal offences against the person, and offences against property), criminal defences (including accident, mistake, self-defence, provocation and insanity), and criminal procedure (including preliminary examination, indictments, pre-trial applications, trial, verdicts, sentencing and appeal). Emphasis is placed on the development of the following skills: oral communication and advocacy, and legal ethics and professionalism.
Read moreStudents must choose seventy credit points (70CP) of subjects from the following options.
In this subject, you will receive formal academic training in managing ethical, legal and practical issues in professional settings. The curriculum incorporates a review of the APS Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines as applied to ethical dilemmas and covers relevant legislative requirements related to the practice of psychology, counselling, and criminology. The subject further provides you with in-depth coverage of selected ethical and professional issues that most affect the practice of psychology, counselling and criminology.
Read moreThis subject provides skills to assess the ways journalists and media organisations report and construct news about crime and criminal justice. It covers the relationship between police and journalists, media coverage of the courts, representations of prisons and prisoners, as well as laws relating to contempt and defamation. You will study empirical evidence from media criminology, investigative reporting, and the psychological and sociological issues relating to high profile crime reporting. You will develop personal and professional understandings of both legacy (newspapers and television) and new media (social media platforms), and the subject explores specific media such as podcasts, streamed fiction series, documentaries, movies, and gaming.
Read moreThis subject introduces you to the field of crime prevention, which differs significantly from crime control. You will study opportunity-reducing measures that (1) are directed at specific offence problems, (2) involve environmental design considerations, and (3) elevate the risk and reduce the rewards of offending. You will differentiate between the four main approaches, developed globally, that comprise situational, developmental, community/social and environmental design. You will engage with analytical approaches, sets of techniques and practical applications of these forms of crime prevention, and analyse discrete situations, environments or crime types. You will develop professional skills in crime prevention through research exercises, case studies and practical applications.
Read moreThis subject provides students with a comprehensive exploration of the experiences and challenges faced by crime victims. Drawing on empirical patterns, psychological perspectives, and real-world case studies, students will gain a deep understanding of various forms of victimisation. This subject covers essential topics such as the preparation of victimology, psychological aspects of victimity, and specific forms of victimisation including intimate partner violence, workplace and school violence, victims of homicide, sexual violence, and the experiences of victims within the criminal justice system.
Read moreIn this subject you will examine the role of technology in crime and investigate the motivations, methodology and victims of cybercrime. You will study past and current cyber threats, and examine these new type of offences. The expansion of victimisation will be looked at and you will evaluate the effectiveness of institutional and investigative responses to cyber threats.
Read moreMany tools are available to assist with the investigation and adjudication of crime. Crime analysis is an important tool in many aspects of criminal justice and allows police to better direct their limited resources. However, crime analysis is a broad term and there are many different types of crime analysis practiced by many professionals. Social scientists have a lot to offer in this regard too through the use of tools such as Applied Crime Analysis and Criminal Profiling, with the latter being one type of crime analysis. The purpose of this subject is to introduce students to the different basic concepts of logic and reasoning, the role of physical evidence, victimology and the crime scene, and the overall process of crime analysis from the social scientist’s perspective. The similarities and differences between ACA and criminal profiling will also be addressed.
Read moreWhile there is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of trials produce justified convictions or acquittals, there have been a number of high profile cases where the conclusions are questionable or where decisions have been overturned. This subject examines some of those high profile cases to decipher the systemic causes of such failures through an understanding of the processes involved in the criminal justice system. This subject also addresses the roles of investigators, the media, forensic science, expert witnesses, lawyers, juries, eyewitness testimony and the appeals process to determine how these may impact on cases of injustice. On completion of this subject you will have a thorough understanding of the main causal factors for miscarriages of justice worldwide and will be apprised of the possible remedies. Contemporary responses to miscarriages of justice is also covered, such as the Innocence Project in the US and the UK Criminal Case Review Commission.
Read moreChild abuse and neglect have wide-reaching social, psychological and emotional, physical, and policy and procedure implications. This subject examines the social, political, organisational, cultural, and individual contexts for child protection and youth justice. This is achieved by examining specific issues relating to child abuse and neglect including the different types of child abuse, the psychological and physical costs of child abuse. The subject evaluates the link between domestic violence and child abuse, the rights of the child, and mandatory reporting legislation and practices.
Read moreFaculty of Society & Design Internships are specifically designed to develop practical knowledge of the working environment and are available to high achieving students who have completed the required pre-requisites together with major studies in a discipline area.
Read moreThe ability to find, read, interpret and learn from data has become critical in determining the future of all human endeavours. This subject introduces you to principles and applications of research methodology. You will explore research purposes, methods and tools for data selection, interpretation and analysis. You will also learn how to present your findings and visualise data in ways that address the needs of diverse educational and industry contexts. This subject will equip you with lifelong skills to design, execute and present research of integrity in their current studies and future professions.
Read moreInternational Criminal Law is an elective subject in undergraduate programs offered by the Faculty of Law. In this subject students will examine a range of contemporary issues relating to: the use of criminal law to sanction breaches of internationally recognised human rights and of international standards for the initiation and conduct of war; domestic and international prosecutions and the development of international criminal tribunals (from the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials to the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia), other hybrid tribunals and the International Criminal Court. The subject focuses on the crimes articulated in the Rome Statute, specifically the crimes of aggression, war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It examines topics such as: alternatives to international criminal prosecution, e.g. Truth and Reconciliation Commissions; responses to international problems such as terrorism; the relationship between international and domestic criminal jurisdiction; and issues of investigation, prosecution and punishment of international crimes.
Read moreStudents must choose sixty credit points (60CP) of elective subjects. Either the Psychology or Law elective specialisations listed below are recommended, as is choosing any remaining criminology subjects as general elective options.
Students may choose from all Undergraduate subjects across the University that are available as general electives.
Students choose four (4) Psychology subjects from the following list of options plus two (2) general electives.
Students choose four (4) Law subjects from the following list of options plus two (2) general electives.
Oops, something went wrong.
Take the guess work out of planning your study schedule. Your program's study plan has been carefully curated to provide a clear guide on the sequential subjects to be studied in each semester of your program. Your study plan is designed around connected subject themes to equip you with the fundamental knowledge required as you progress through your course.