The Assignment Brief

Critical Report, 2000 words, 50%

The purpose of this task is for students to provide an in-depth report on a topic from the course covered in weeks 2-12, but NOT addressed by the student in Assessment 1A or 1B.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Critically analyse how 2-4 different documents frame this ‘reality of crime’, and how these approaches may be improved. These sources should engage with different kinds of research methods/focuses. Documents must be publicly available, and address more than one of these types of publications:
  • Journal articles, book chapters, produced by academics
  • Government or non-government research reports
  • News media articles on research
  1. Write a report analysing the topic. In your report, you should address the following:
    • How do these different documents ‘frame’ the issue?
      • Where are they sourcing their information?
      • Is it qualitative/quantitative, local/international, rigorous/opinion?
    • What are they advocating through their findings?
      • How do they frame a solution?
    • What impacts does this framing have on responses to the issue?
      • How might it shape policy, or public opinion?
      • How might this have a positive/negative impact?
    • How might these research methods and reports be improved?
      • Based on your course to date, what would you recommend to improve/enhance/change research focus?

Assessment Criteria

This assessment covers CLO 3, 4. You will be assessed on the following:

  • Has the student demonstrated research and analytical skills?
  • Has the student demonstrated the benefits and limitations of research approaches?
  • Has the student conceptualised how research may be changed in order to address key issues?

Students will be assessed according to the following rubric, and it is strongly encouraged that students consult it throughout the assessment process: Contemporary Criminology Assignment 2 Marking Criteria.docx

Week 7 Overview & Readings

Key Concepts

Homelessness; Urban Space; Public Space; Criminalisation; Hostile Architecture

Required Readings

These four readings should be completed before the lectorial

Young, A., & Petty, J. (2017) Visible Homelessness: A Study in the Melbourne CBD and City of Yarra A Report Prepared for Justice Connect Melbourne Australia: University of Melbourne. Available here as a PDF: Visible Homelessness Justice Connect Report 2017.pdf

Young, A., & Petty, J. (2018). On visible homelessness and the micro-aesthetics of public space. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology. Available here as a PDF: Young & Petty On Visible Homelessness.pdf

Kawash, S. (1998) The Homeless Body. Public Culture 10.2: 319-339. Available here as a PDF: Homeless Body Kawash 1998.pdf

Petty, J. (2017) Ban On Sleeping Rough Does Nothing To Fix The Problems of Homelessness The Conversation. Available here

Readings Questions

Young, A., & Petty, J. (2017) Visible Homelessness: A Study in the Melbourne CBD and City of Yarra A Report Prepared for Justice Connect Melbourne Australia: University of Melbourne.

  1. What is ‘visible homelessness’ and how does it differ from other definitions of ‘homelessness’?
  2. What did the report find is the impact of homelessness on business?

Young, A., & Petty, J. (2018). On visible homelessness and the micro-aesthetics of public space. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology

  1. What do Young and Petty mean by ‘indirect criminalisation’? How does it apply to homelessness?
  2. What is ‘welfarist prohibitionism’? How does it apply to homelessness?

Kawash, S. (1998) “The Homeless Body.” Public Culture 10.2: 319-339.

  1. Kawash (1998: 32) argues that “the ‘homeless problem’ as it appears today in the dominant discourse of media and politics is not seen as a problem of the economy or the society that produces homelessness; instead, it is viewed as the problem that the homeless create for the economy and the society in which they live”.  What does she mean by this? (try putting it into your own words)
  1. Do you agree with her description above of how homelessness is viewed/framed? Why/why not?

Petty, J. (2017) Ban On Sleeping Rough Does Nothing To Fix The Problems of Homelessness The Conversation. 

  1. What was the proposed ‘ban’?
  2. Why does Petty argue that it is problematic?
  3. Why wouldn’t the ban ‘fix’ homelessness?

Week 10 Overview & Reading Materials

Online Image-Based Abuse

Content Note:

This weeks materials include discussion of sexual abuse, similar to that experienced by many of the people you may end up encountering if you have a career in criminal justice. If you have concerns and/or feel unable to engage with this material, please don’t hesitate to contact me (Bec) and I can confidentially assist you.

If you would like to get assistance, talk to someone, or report something either anonymously or to the Police here are some links that may be of use: 

Key Concepts

Image-Based Abuse; ‘Revenge Porn’; Sexual Abuse; Gender and violence; Online Crime; Victims; Offenders; Research; Policy; Law Reform

Required Readings

These two readings should be completed before the lectorial:

McGlynn, C., Rackley, E., & Houghton, R. (2017). Beyond ‘Revenge Porn’: The Continuum of Image-Based Sexual Abuse. Feminist Legal Studies, 25(1), 25-46 PDF available here: McGlynn Rackley Houghton.pdf

Henry, N., Powell, A., & Flynn, A. (2018) AI can now create fake porn, making revenge porn even more complicated The Conversation Available here.