This course provides an overview of major criminological theories including biological, psychological, sociological, and developmental theories of delinquency and crime. Another focus of the course is the application of these theories to predict and explain criminal activities mostly commonly observed in the contemporary societies of Macao and mainland China.

CILO-1: Identify the key concepts related to criminological theory. CILO-2: Summarize the main propositions of major criminological theories. CILO-3: Describe what constitutes a scientific theory and assess the state of the empirical evidence for each type of theory. CILO-4: Compare and critique differing theoretical perspectives. CILO-5: Apply criminological theory to predict and explain delinquent and criminal behavior.