ATS3866 · Crimes of the powerful

Overview

In this unit, you will examine crimes and social harms committed by state, corporate, and other elite actors. You will interrogate conceptual models for making sense of criminal and harmful behaviours on the part of these actors, ranging from crimes of aggression and war profiteering to police killings, environmental crime, violations of workplace safety, fraud and embezzlement. In doing so, you will be equipped to locate the nexus of power that makes these crimes and harmful behaviours possible. You will also consider how legal institutions, civil society, people’s movements, and trade unions respond to the behaviours in question. Key questions will include: • What is the extent of crimes of the powerful, and what are their impacts? • How do we determine intent and culpability where the behaviours of powerful agents are criminal or cause social harm? • How are these behaviours policed or regulated and prosecuted? • How do people resist, challenge, and try to change criminal and harmful behaviours on the part of powerful actors?

Offerings

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. evaluate and apply conceptual models for understanding crimes of the powerful;
2. compare and contrast perspectives within theoretical debates about the classification of certain actions as crime;
3. explain the social harms and experiences of victimisation that flow from crimes of the powerful;
4. identify some of the challenges associated with documenting and researching crimes of the powerful;
5. evaluate the difficulties involved in regulation and prosecution of crimes by powerful actors and suggest possible solutions;
6. communicate effectively in written, academic, oral, and media formats.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester 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.