Criminology, Law and Society Ph.D. Learning Outcomes

PLO 1. Core Knowledge

Students should know the:

• Multiple intellectual roots and contemporary expressions of the law and society field
• Development of criminological theory from its precursors to its present
• Implications of criminological and socio-legal theories for social action and public policy
• Issues related to the etiology of crime, the impacts of crime on society, and the social and cultural context of law
• Relationship between social regulations and the civil justice system
• Relationships and interactions between law, social structure, and cultural practices

PLO 2. Research Methods and Analysis

Students should be able to:

• Frame an empirical research question guided by theory
• Be familiar with the range of research methodologies used by social scientists, including inductive and deductive methods
• Examine the strengths and limitations of different research methodologies
• Carry out methodologically sound research
• Understand and follow research ethics

PLO 3. Independent Research

Students should be able to:

• Develop area or areas of research specialization
• Produce scholarship that will typically be comparable in scope and format to articles that appear in leading journals within the field of criminology, and law and society 
• Develop their own research, in accordance with the standards of rigor in the field 
• Work collaboratively with other researchers and interlocutors 
• Supervise research assistants or student research projects 

PLO 4. Pedagogy

Students should be able to:

• Draw on a range of pedagogical techniques, including, where appropriateon-line teaching
• Address common classroom challenges 
• Design lessons and assignments o Lead discussions o Respond to diverse student learning needs 
• Effectively assess student work 
• Teach collaboratively
• Mentor students

PLO 5. Scholarly Communication

Students should be able to:

• Produce writing appropriate for scholarly publication
• Structure an argument 
• Review and cogently summarize relevant literatures 
• Adopt an individual, authorial voice 
• Organize and present research orally
• Use visual aids effectively during presentations

PLO 6. Professionalism

Students should be able to:

• Contribute to the profession, department, and university through service 
• Publish their work 
• Communicate with policy audiences 
• Develop professional networks
• Present their work publicly 
• Carry out research responsibly
• Collaborate with others 
• Participate in conferences
• Edit and evaluate others’ work 
• Secure an academic or non-academic position in the profession 
• Understand and adhere to appropriate norms of academic collegiality

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