ATS3084 · Justice in practice: Interdisciplinary approaches to criminology and criminal law

Overview

In this interdisciplinary unit, you will engage with students and academic staff from Criminology and Criminal Law to critically examine the legal, social, and institutional dimensions of contemporary criminal justice issues. Responding to the growing demand for cross-disciplinary and globally-aware legal education and crime prevention, the unit prepares you not only to understand the legal framework of the criminal justice system but also to evaluate its broader construction, application and reform potential through both local and international lenses. Criminal justice problems cannot be adequately understood or addressed from a single disciplinary lens. You will explore key topics that connect theory and practice. Law students bring doctrinal knowledge, statutory interpretation skills, and familiarity with legal reasoning; Criminology students contribute theoretical insights, empirical research methods, and a sociological understanding of criminalisation and justice processes. Together, these perspectives foster a rich, dialogical learning environment in which students are encouraged to interrogate disciplinary assumptions and build collaborative, practice-informed understandings of justice. This unit will be based at Monash Prato campus and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiative, developed in partnership with an Italian university. You will work directly with Italian peers on shared learning activities, discussions, and group projects. This international collaboration enables comparative and intercultural engagement with diverse legal traditions and social responses to criminal justice and legal challenges. It will enhance your global perspective, teamwork skills, and cultural competencies, essential attributes for future legal and justice professionals operating in an increasingly interconnected world.

Areas of study: Criminology

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. analyse how criminal justice processes are shaped by legal principles, social structures, and institutional practices in both domestic and international contexts, using an interdisciplinary lens;
2. critically evaluate legal doctrines, criminological theories and crime prevention strategies related to key criminal justice issues by drawing on diverse scholarly traditions and global case studies;
3. integrate and apply theoretical frameworks to assess the normative and practical dimensions of criminal justice policy and reform in both Australia and comparative European settings;
4. analyse and reflect on the social, legal, and ethical implications of criminal justice practices across different demographic groups, particularly those affected by structural inequalities;
5. demonstrate critical reflection, intercultural awareness, and professional self-awareness through structured engagement with interdisciplinary group work, lived experience narratives, and collaborative international learning activities.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours for a 6 credit point unit typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.