The University of Hong Kong

Department of Sociology

SOCI2071 – Criminology, Second Semester 2023-2024

Course Outline

Lecturer: Professor Karen Joe Laidler

Office: 9.18 Jockey Club Tower
Phone: 3917-2059
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours – Wednesdays 2:30-3:30 and by appointment

Tutors:
Ms Kylie Lui
Office: 8/F Hub Jockey Club Tower
Email : [email protected]

Ms Corrina Leung
Office: 9.10 Jockey Club Tower
Email : [email protected]

Lecture Venue : CPD LG-01

Lecture Time: Wed, 10:30 to 12:20

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to the discipline of criminology. While criminology is a multi-
disciplinary field, incorporating a range of disciplines from sociology to biology, psychology,
politics, social work, health, and law – our main emphasis in this course will largely be
sociological. A sociological approach to crime adopts the view that we must question our
common sense understanding about crime and its control and look at the complexities of crime at
many levels. At one level, there is the immediate behaviour, and we may ask “why does s/he do
it?” Or we might ask, why do certain groups of people do it? This might point to various social
forces that shape individuals’ and groups’ behaviour. Yet we can, at another level, ask why we
define this behaviour as a “problem” for which we have decided, as a collective, to deem it a
legal “problem” (i.e., a crime). Do we construct law based on “nature?” Or based on our moral
values? But whose moral values are reflected in the law?

Does the legal definition – crime - necessarily mean that the behaviour is “really” beyond the
boundaries of normalcy? That is, why are some behaviours considered “normal” at one time and
place but defined as a “crime” in another? The consumption of opium was legal in Hong Kong
and around the world at one point in time but later became a crime. What does this tell us about
society and its values, politics, and economy? Crime, then, must be understood, in its historical,
cultural, and social contexts.

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The first section of the course introduces students to ways of thinking about crime and control
(the criminological imagination, what statistics and other forms of data do and don’t tell us, how
the media use these data, and their impact on the public’s understanding about crime and
criminals. The second section of the course is devoted to looking at types of crime in relation to
some key criminological concepts. The last section of the course turns to look at reactions and
efforts to control crime or redress social injustice via the state or through other emergent forms
(e.g., role of new media as individuals and collectives seek justice) and concludes with a
discussion on what role criminologists play in addressing crime, control and justice.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Illustrate knowledge of how to think sociologically about the problem of crime and its
control.
2. Relate theories and concepts to daily experience.
3. Apply knowledge to analysis of current events locally, regionally, and internationally.
4. Produce original assessments of topics/issues in criminology.
5. Develop presentation and collaboration skills through group-based work.

LECTURE AND TUTORIAL SCHEDULES

Week Date Lecture Notes
1 Jan 17 Introduction
2 Jan 24 What is crime and criminology?
3 Jan 31 Researching Crime and Its Control
4 Feb 7 The Digital World and Crime
Feb 14 Lunar New Year
5 Feb 21 Violence and Emotions
6 Feb 28 Property Crimes – Rational Choice or
Edgework
Mar 6 Reading Week
7 Mar 13 Economic Crimes and Social Harm – Fraud HK Association of Certified
Fraud Examiners
1st short essay due
8 Mar 20 Drugs and Drug Policy: From Pleasure to
Crime to Public Health
9 Mar 27 Controlling Crime – Penal Populism:
Examples from Asia
10 Apr 3 The Pursuit of Justice
11 Apr 10 Managing Risk: A Corporate Perspective HK Jockey Club Guest Lecture
Group project tutorial
presentation
12 Apr 17 Public Criminology Group project tutorial
presentation
13 Apr 24 Conclusion Group project tutorial
presentation
May 1 Assignments due 2nd short essay due
Write up for group project

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Tutorial Tutorial Meetings Class Time Class
Groups
Venue
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
001 (Mon) Jan 29 Feb 26 Mar 11 Mar 25 Apr 15 09:30-11:20 MBG07

002 (Mon) Feb 5 Feb 19 Mar 18 Apr 8 Apr 22 09:30-11:20 CJT-701

CPD-
003 &004
Jan 29 Feb 26 Mar 11 Mar 25 Apr 15 11:30-13:20 LG.21 &
(Mon)
CPD-1.20
005 (Wed) Jan 31 Feb 21 Mar 20 Apr 3 Apr 17 12:30-14:20 CPD 2.45

006 (Wed) Jan 31 Feb 21 Mar 20 Apr 3 Apr 17 14:30-16:20 CPD 3.22

007 (Wed) Jan 31 Feb 21 Mar 20 Apr 3 Apr 17 16:30-18:20 CPD 3.27

008 (Wed) Feb 7 Feb 28 Mar 27 Apr 10 Apr 24 14:30-16:20 CPD 3.22

009 (Wed) Feb 7 Feb 28 Mar 27 Apr 10 Apr 24 16:30-18:20 CPD 3.27

010 (Fri) Feb 9 Mar 1 Mar 22 Apr 12 Apr 26 09:30-11:20 MB135

011 (Fri) Feb 2 Feb 23 Mar 15 Apr 5 Apr 19 09:30-11:20 MB135

012 (Fri) Feb 9 Mar 1 Mar 22 Apr 12 Apr 26 11:30-13:20 MB135

013 (Fri) Feb 2 Feb 23 Mar 15 Apr 5 Apr 19 11:30-13:20 MB 135

COURSE ASSESSMENT
1. Coursework (60%)
- 30% - 2 short essays (1,500-2,000 words each, 15% x 2)
- 30% - Tutorial participation, discussion, and project presentation
2. Exam (40%)

The course is assessed by: 1) an end-term exam (40%) and 2) coursework (60%). The
coursework includes two short essays (at 15% for total of 30%) and tutorial work (30%).

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Short Essays (15% x 2)
Students have two writing assignments, which are due at the midpoint (Mar 13th) and one week
after the end of lectures (May 1st). Students should integrate their thoughts and ideas in relation
to the class lectures, discussions, and readings. Each writing assignment should be appropriately
referenced, typed with double spacing, pagination, 12 font size). Please remember to include a
full bibliography (see the appendix for examples of proper citation and referencing and consult
the section below on plagiarism). Each essay should be ideally between 1,500 – 2,000 words.
All assignments must be turned in through Turnitin on the Moodle site. Students can submit the
paper early through Turnitin to view an originality report and make modifications, if necessary,
up until the final due date. The assignments are due at 23:59, allow sufficient time to upload your
work through Turnitin. Please refer to late policies below for further details.

First Short Essay Topics (DUE Mar 13th)

Select ONE question to answer. Be sure your answer includes reference to relevant
readings and lectures from the course.

1. What can official data tell us about crime and punishment? According to Quetelet, crime
statistics – the ability to classify and analyse categories of crime and punishment– provide a
moral barometer on the state of society and a means to monitor control efforts. What can we
learn from official data on a category of crime (e.g., murder, robbery, wounding, sexual assault,
triad membership, drugs) OR different forms of punishment (e.g., hard labour, prison, etc.) over
time (in other pick one crime or punishment to look at)? To answer this question, you will need
to go to HKUL Digital Initiatives – Go to HK Government Reports Online (1842-1941) – to look
at historical reports – (e.g., search words might include police, annual goal reports, colonial
surgeon’s report). Examine how these official reports are presented and whether there is any
narrative associated with the crime category. Then compare this with current reports on the
category of crime or punishment. What narrative is being presented in later periods? Discuss
changes you see in the trends and in the narratives (if any). What are the strengths and
weaknesses of these official data? Would you agree that despite its weaknesses, official data are
a moral barometer of the state of society?

2. Visit Kowloon Walled City Park (https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/tc/parks/kwcp/index.html). Before

embarking on your visit, it’s important to understand its historical significance. Although it
became notorious as a place of crime and disorder (one journalist described it as the ‘cancer of
Kowloon’) it has also been described as a site with its own form of social order, surveillance, and
control. To learn more about the walled city, crime, and disorder, read one of the following:

Fraser, A., & Schliehe, A. (2021). The carceral city: confinement and order in Hong Kong’s
forbidden enclave. The British Journal of Criminology, 61(3), 587-606.

Fraser, A., & Li, E. C. Y. (2017). The second life of Kowloon Walled City: Crime, media, and
cultural memory. Crime, Media, Culture, 13(2), 217-234.

Lau, L. K. P., Lai, W. C. L., & Ho, C. W. D. (2018). Quality of life in a “high-rise lawless slum”:
A study of the “Kowloon Walled City”. Land Use Policy, 76, 157-165.

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You may also want to read some of the South China Morning Post news clips on life in the
walled city (Go to HKU lib – ProQuest historical newspapers SCMP (1903-2001), using key
word searches like: Kowloon Walled City, crime, disorder, police, control, see for example,
“Police Concern as Walled City Crime Rockets”, SCMP, 25 Nov. 1985, p. 17). After doing the
background research, visit the park, then discuss your understanding of crime, order, and control
in Kowloon Walled City. Do you think it was the “cancer of Kowloon” or a place with a sense of
order and community? You are strongly encouraged to take/include photo(s) from your visit, if
appropriate, to support/enhance your discussion.

3. Visit either the Hong Kong Police Museum

(http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/01_about_us/pm.html) OR the Hong Kong Correctional
Services Museum (http://www.csd.gov.hk/emuseum/index.html#ad-image-0). During your visit,
your task is to identify one type/pattern of crime (drugs, economic, triads, etc.) OR control
(policing or treatment/rehabilitation/punishment), and to trace how it has changed over time from
its early colonial days to the present. What has been the continuity and change in that type of
crime or control? How might you explain the continuity and change? You are strongly
encouraged to take/include photo(s) from your visit, if appropriate, to support/enhance your
discussion.

Second Short Essay (DUE May 1st)

You may select ONE of the following exercises to do:

1) Watch one of the following videos or podcasts and then answer the questions below. Be sure
that your answer includes reference to relevant readings and/or lectures from the course:
i. Bit Conned (2023) (Netflix)
ii. Skandal: Bringing Down Wirecard (2022) (Netflix)
iii. Painkiller (2023) (Netflix)
iv. McMillions (2020) (HBO)
v. The Crime of the Century (2021) (HBO)
vi. The Inventor (2019) (HBO)
vii. The Retrievals (Five-part podcast episodes from Serial Productions)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/podcasts/serial-the-retrievals-yale-fertility-
clinic.html

Briefly summarize the film and the main issues it is trying to convey. Then discuss:
a) whether there is a crime problem (state your definition of crime),
b) what harms arise from the behaviour,
c) Whether and why the behaviour and problems are better understood from the vantage
point of “crime” and/or “social harm” (see Hillyard and Tombs 2007, week 7 reading).
d) what is the best way to address the issues identified in the film?

OR

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2) Listen or watch one of the following documentaries or podcasts:
i. The Tinder Swindler (2022) (Netflix)
ii. Chasing Cosby (2020) (Five-part podcast episodes from LA Times).
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-01-07/new-podcast-
chasing-cosby-chronicles-the-rise-and-fall-of-bill-cosby
iii. Jane Doe (2023) (This American Life) https://www.thisamericanlife.org/800/jane-
doe
iv. Five Women (2018) (This American Life)
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women

Briefly summarize the case heard from your selected podcast and the main issues it is
trying to underscore. Review and integrate relevant readings from the course, especially
Week 11 on the pursuit of justice, and then discuss the podcast in relation to:
a) Does the story and way in which it is told try to convey a particular message? Do you
think it its message is an attempt to uncover “the truth” and to pursue social justice?
b) What do you think is the role of social media in the pursuit of justice?
c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media’s role in uncovering “the
truth” and in seeking justice?
d) What ethical issues might arise from social media’s involvement in seeking justice?

Tutorial Work (30%)

There are five tutorials throughout the term (in two-hour blocks). During tutorials, students are
expected to come to class having read the required readings for those weeks and be prepared for
reading-based presentation and group discussion in the first hour of the two-hour block. During
the second hour, students will work in groups of 3 to 4 persons, and work on a group project on
one of the following areas related to Digital Criminology (follow the steps below):

1) Carefully read the two articles on digital criminology (Week 4 assigned readings). From
this, you will recognize that there are many ways in which the digital world and crime
intersect with purpose as well as with unintended consequences. Hayward and Maas
(2020) suggest two main areas of criminological interest – AI by criminals (crimes with
AI, crimes against AI, and crimes by AI) AND the use/role of AI in crime control (via
prediction and prevention). Stratton, Powell, and Cameron (2017) make similar
observations but in a broader context of technology intersecting with the commission of
crime, victimization, and justice, and identify key areas for criminological investigation
including digital spectatorship, digital engagement, digital investigation and evidence,
digital justice and “digilantism,” digital surveillance, digital space and embodied harms
and digital social inequalities.
2) Select one of the two areas to investigate, technology and the commission of crime OR
crime control. Think about how your topic fits within one of areas identified within either
reading. Then narrow down the topic to a specific example from within that area (e.g.,
online romance scams, crypto-currency scams, surveillance cameras, predictive

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 sentencing apps, etc.). Try to be specific so it’s easier to start your investigations (you
could focus on the local, regional, or international scene)
3) Your job as a team is to address the following:
a) What is the extent and nature of the issue?
b) What are the challenges/controversies associated with the issue?
c) Given those challenges, how do we balance privacy, safety, and justice?

Groups will prepare an 11 x 14 poster (A1 size paper) and give a brief presentation of their
findings in the last tutorial session (T5) and submit on May 1st (along with an acknowledgement
of individual contributions).

TUTORIAL SESSIONS SIGN UP

Students must sign up for tutorials via the HKU Portal eLearning Tab in the Student Information
System (SIS). Tutorials are compulsory. There are 13 spaces in each tutorial only. Tutorial sign
up opened on 24th January at 1pm and closed on the 28th January at 11:59pm. Should you have
any problems with registration please contact your tutor. Tutorials commence 29th January,
please check the schedule to see when your specific tutorial starts. Tutorials will be held on
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

COURSE POLICIES Attendance – Students should, want to, and are expected to attend class.
The lecturer provides a lecture outline for each session, but it is students’ responsibility to know
what transpired in class. Attendance in tutorials is mandatory as the group project is dependent
on every member’s participation. This will be considered in marking the group projects.

Late submissions - This course includes all relevant due dates and hence late submissions are not
acceptable except in medical emergencies or family bereavement, for which written evidence is
required. Unless evidence of the above is supplied, late assignments will be docked 10% per day
for a maximum of three days, after which the grade will be 0 (“F”). Technical difficulties are not
acceptable reasons for lateness.

Plagiarism – Plagiarism results when students present the work of others as their own, including
paraphrasing others’ ideas without appropriate referencing and acknowledgement. Plagiarism is
an offense in the University. Please refer to the sociology department website at:
http://www.sociodep.hku.hk/html/teach_under.html for details and guidance on writing. Please
note that Wikipedia can be useful as a way to begin your inquiries but is neither always reliable
nor complete, and is therefore, not acceptable as a source for citation. All assignments in this
course must be submitted through the Moodle Turnitin site. Plagiarism of others and own work
will result in failure in that component of the work and may be reported to the University
Disciplinary Committee.

AI Policy- Intellectual honesty is an ethic central to scholarship. In fairness to all students, and in
accordance with HKU's regulations, all work submitted for this course must be your own. While
you may use AI tools, including ChatGPT, in the course, its' use should be only to
facilitate brainstorming assignments or to revise existing work you have written. It is your
responsibility that all submitted work is your own, to ensure academic integrity, and avoid

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plagiarism. Any use of AI-generated text must be acknowledge and referenced with a citation
(see referencing section on method).
Be aware that the accuracy or quality of AI generated content may not meet the standards of this
course, even if you only incorporate such content partially and after substantial paraphrasing,
modification and/or editing. Also keep in mind that AI generated content may not provide
appropriate or clear attribution to the author(s) of the original sources, while course assignments
require you to include relevant scholarly publications. The course will use AI-based plagiarism
detection tools to check for originality, proper attribution of sources in evaluating your work, and
will impose penalties. (Adopted
from: Xiongyi Liu, https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/teachingandlearning/chapter/statements/
Student Well-being - If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, lost, anxious, depressed or are
struggling with personal issues, do not hesitate to call or visit Counselling and Psychological
Services (CoPE). These services are free and completely confidential. CoPE is located at Room
301-323, 3/F, Main Building. They can also be reached by calling +852 3917 8388 or by
emailing [email protected]. More details are also available at
https://www.cedars.hku.hk/cope/cps/appointment

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READINGS
All required readings for this course are available on Moodle under the lecture topic week. For
some weeks, supplemental/suggested readings are provided for those interested in learning more
about that topic (also available on the Moodle site). At the bottom of the Moodle lecture topics
section, I have also included various international and local reports and general statistics.

LECTURE TOPICS
Week 1 Jan 17th
Introduction. Course overview. Is crime all around us? How safe are we? Do we need more
protection (e.g., surveillance cameras, etc.)? What is the price for being safe and living in a “safe
city”?

Readings:
Chiu, S. W., & Siu, K. Y. (2022). Hong Kong as the Safest Place in the World? From Gangland
to Copland to Disneyland. In Hong Kong Society (pp. 287-327). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Shi, C., & Xu, J. (2024). Surveillance Cameras and Resistance: A Case Study of a Middle School
in China. The British Journal of Criminology, azad078.

Week 2 Jan 24th

What is crime? Is crime a violation of the law? Or is it something more than this? Does it reflect
the moral values of a society – a reflection of our collective being? Is it a social construct,
created through social interactions and variable in definition across cultures and time? Is it
behaviour involving different levels of social harm? Can crime be defined in relation to all of
these?

Readings:
Morrison, W. (2013) What is Crime? Contrasting Definitions and Perspectives. In Hale, C. et al.,
(eds). Criminology. NY: Oxford University Press. P. 3-22.

Cheung, N. (2017) Defining Crime. In Chui, WH and Lo, TW. (eds.) Understanding Criminal
Justice in Hong Kong. Oxon: Routledge. P. 23-37.

Week 3 Jan 31st

Researching Crime and Its Control. How do criminologists investigate crime and punishment?
What are the different methods? What are the challenges of different methods? What role does
culture play in the research process? What are the international trends in crime and punishment?

Readings:
Fraser, A. (2017) Researching Crime and Justice. In Chui, WH and Lo, TW. (eds.)
Understanding Criminal Justice in Hong Kong. Oxon: Routledge. P. 118-133.

Zhang, L. (2017) Crime Data and Criminological Research in Contemporary China. In Cao, L,
Sun, I, and Hebenton, B. (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Criminology. P. 171-179.

Suggested Further Reading:

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Cheung, Y. W., & Cheung, N. W. (2009). Counting crime in Hong Kong. Introduction to crime,
law and justice in Hong Kong, 35-53.

He, P. (2014) The Politics of Numbers: Crime Statistics in China. In Cao, L, Sun, I, and
Hebenton, B. (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Criminology. P. 147-159.

Week 4 Feb 7th

The Digital World and Crime. The digital world is transforming the way we interact in all
spheres of life from dining to banking, socializing, networking, etc. It has also led to new and
ever-changing opportunities to engage in crime and to prevent, control and mete out justice. This
week we look at criminologists’ attempts to explore the interconnections between technology
and crime.

Readings:
Hayward, K. J., & Maas, M. M. (2021). Artificial intelligence and crime: A primer for
criminologists. Crime, Media, Culture, 17(2), 209-233.

Stratton, G., Powell, A., & Cameron, R. (2017). Crime and justice in digital society: Towards a
‘digital criminology’? International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 6(2), 17.

Suggested further readings:

Goldsmith, A., & Wall, D. S. (2022). The seductions of cybercrime: Adolescence and the thrills
of digital transgression. European Journal of Criminology, 19(1), 98-117.

Feb 14th - Lunar New Year

Week 5 Feb 21st

Violence and Emotions. What is violence? Is violence committed in the “heat of the moment”
(passion, rage, shame) or is it a rational response to a situation or environment? Or is it both?
Why is violence more prevalent among men than women?

Readings:
Collins, R. (2015). Emotional dynamics of violent situations. In Framing excessive violence (pp.
17-36). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Katz, J. (2013). Seductions and repulsions of crime. Criminological Perspectives: Essential

Readings, London: Sage.

Suggested Further Readings:

Pease, B. (2021). Gendering Violence: theorising the links between men, masculinities and
violence. In Violence, Gender and Affect (pp. 71-90). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

De Haan, W. J. M., Strang, H., Karstedt, S., & Loader, I. (2011). Making sense of ‘senseless
violence’. Emotions, Crime and Justice, 37-54.

Katz, J. (1988) Righteous Slaughter. Chapter 1. Seductions of Crime. NY: Basic Books. P. 12-51.

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Week 6 Feb 28th
Property Crimes – Rational Choice or Edgework? Why do people commit property crimes? Is it
for the money? Is it the opportunity? Or is it for the thrill? Although property crime is among the
most common types of crime committed, research on the motivations and reasons for committing
this type of crime have been relatively limited. We look at some classic works on property crime
and offender decision-making.

Readings:
Walsh, D. (2017). Victim selection procedures among economic criminals: The rational choice
perspective. In The reasoning criminal (pp. 39-52). Routledge.

Jacobs, B. A., & Cherbonneau, M. (2019). Reconciling emotion and rational choice: Negativistic
auto theft, consequence irrelevance, and the seduction of destruction. Journal of Research in
Crime and Delinquency, 56(6), 783-815.

Taylor, E. (2017) On the Edge of Reason? Armed Robbery, Affective Transgression and
Bounded Rationality. Deviant Behavior 38(8): 928-940.

Suggested Further Readings:

Halsey, M. (2008) Narrating the Chase: Edgework and Young People’s Experiences of Crime. In
Anthony, T. and Cunneen, C. (eds.) The Critical Criminology Companion. New South Wales:
Hawkins Press. P. 105-117.

Katz, J. (1988) Sneaky Thrills in Seductions of Crime. Basic Books. As reproduced extract in
Walsh, A. and Hemmens, C. (eds.) Introduction to Criminology (2nd edition). LA: Sage. P. 447-
453.

Mar 6th – Reading Week

Week 7 Mar 13th

Economic Crimes and Social Harm. What are economic crimes? How are they defined?
Investigated? What is online fraud? How does it work? What can social harms approach offer
criminology? What are the harms related to economic crimes, particularly online fraud?

Readings:
Hillyard, P. and Tombs, S. (2007) From ‘Crime’ to Social Harm? Crime, Law and Social Change
48:9-25.

Cross, C. (2018). (Mis) Understanding the impact of online fraud: Implications for victim
assistance schemes. Victims & Offenders, 13(6), 757-776.

Suggested Further Readings:

Carter, E. (2021). Distort, extort, deceive and exploit: exploring the inner workings of a romance
fraud. The British Journal of Criminology, 61(2), 283-302.

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Lavorgna, A., Ugwudike, P., & Sanchez-Benitez, Y. (2022). Harms of digital capital: social
harm analysis of online public resistance and information pollution. Justice, Power and
Resistance, 5(3), 249-269.

Week 8 Mar 20th

Drugs and Drug Policy: From Pleasure to Crime to Public Health. Throughout history, we have
consumed a range of mind/body altering substances, and pleasure has been central to that
experience across time and culture. This week we look at the shifts in public attitudes and
policies towards (il)legal drugs and the resulting shift towards its criminalization and more
recently on public health. Hong Kong’s intimate history with opiates provides an ideal starting
point for observing these shifts and turns.

Readings:
Laidler, K. J. (2017). Criminological Perspectives. The SAGE Handbook of Drug & Alcohol
Studies: Social Science Approaches, 85.

Lenton, S., & Single, E. (1998). The definition of harm reduction. Drug and alcohol
review, 17(2), 213-219.

Keane, H. (2003). Critiques of harm reduction, morality and the promise of human
rights. International Journal of Drug Policy, 14(3), 227-232.

Suggested Further Readings:

O’Malley, P., & Valverde, M. (2004). Pleasure, freedom and drugs: The uses of ‘pleasure’ in
liberal governance of drug and alcohol consumption. Sociology, 38 (1), 25-42.

Coomber, R. et al., (2018). The burgeoning recognition and accommodation of the social supply
of drugs in international criminal justice systems: An eleven-nation comparative
overview. International Journal of Drug Policy, 58, 93-103.

Week 9 Mar 27th

Controlling Crime – Penal Populism: Examples from Asia. This last section of the course asks
you to think about how, we as a community, think and respond to crime and justice as citizens
and as criminologists. This week we look at the idea of penal populism: What is it? How does it
work? In the Asian context, it is often referenced as a driving force for the death penalty for drug
trafficking. Is this due to Asian values or the pursuit of order and control under the guise of penal
populism? What are the current debates about penal populism?

Readings:
Li, E. (2015). The cultural idiosyncrasy of penal populism: The case of contemporary
China. British Journal of Criminology, 55(1), 146-163.

Lasco, G. (2020). Drugs and drug wars as populist tropes in Asia: Illustrative examples and
implications for drug policy. International Journal of Drug Policy, 77, 102668.

Suggested Further Readings:

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Kenny, P. D. (2018). Populism and the War on Drugs in Southeast Asia. Brown J. World
Affairs, 25, 121.

Loader, I., & Sparks, R. (2017). Penal populism and epistemic crime control. The Oxford
handbook of criminology, 98-115.

Week 10 Apr 3rd

The Pursuit of Justice. This week we look at collective reactions and efforts to address
injustice– through informal and formal channels. How do individuals and groups in society
respond to injustices (individual as well as corporate crimes)? As Evans (2003) points out, when
does vigilance become vigilantism?

This week we pay special attention to the various methods adopted by individuals and collectives
in the pursuit for social justice, including traditional forms of protest to social media.

Readings:
Chang, L. Y., & Poon, R. (2017). Internet vigilantism: Attitudes and experiences of university
students toward cyber crowdsourcing in Hong Kong. International journal of offender therapy
and comparative criminology, 61(16), 1912-1932.

Loveluck, B. (2020). The many shades of digital vigilantism. A typology of online self-
justice. Global Crime, 21(3-4), 213-241.

Zeng, J. (2019). You say# MeToo, I say# MiTu: China’s online campaigns against sexual
abuse. # MeToo and the politics of social change, 71-83.

Further Suggested Readings:

Evans, J. (2003). Vigilance and vigilantes: thinking psychoanalytically about anti-pedophile
action. Theoretical Criminology, 7(2): 163-189.

Fileborn, B. (2017). Justice 2.0: Street harassment victims’ use of social media and online
activism as sites of informal justice. British journal of criminology, 57(6), 1482-1501.

Pâquet, L. (2021). Seeking Justice Elsewhere: Informal and formal justice in the true crime
podcasts Trace and The Teacher’s Pet. Crime, Media, Culture, 17(3), 421-437.

Week 11 Apr 10th

Managing Risks: A Corporate Perspective. This week the Securities and Integrity Unit of the
Hong Kong Jockey Club will share their experiences of the financial crime risks faced in many
sectors of Hong Kong’s economy, and the strategies being adopted to address these risks. How
do we understand these risks in the broader context of a “risk society”?

Readings:
Anderson, L., & Brown, M. (2010). Expanding horizons of risk in criminology. Sociology
Compass, 4(8), 544-554.

13
Further Suggested Readings:
Tiwari, M., Gepp, A., & Kumar, K. (2020). A review of money laundering literature: the state of
research in key areas. Pacific Accounting Review, 32(2), 271-303.

Week 12 Apr 17th

Public Criminology. We conclude with a discussion of the emergent debates for criminologists to
“fight for the truth.” What is the role of criminologists in crime, control and social justice?
Readings:
Ruggiero, V. (2012). How Public is Public Criminology? Crime, Media, Culture, 8(2), 151-160.

Turner, E. (2013). Beyond ‘Facts’ and ‘Values’ Rethinking Some Recent Debates about the
Public Role of Criminology. The British Journal of Criminology, 53(1), 149-166.

Xu, J. and Liu, W. (2020) Public Criminology in China. In Henne, K. and Shah, R. (eds.)
Routledge Handbook of Public Criminologies. London: Routledge. P. 152-162.

Week 13 Apr 24th

Conclusion

GENERAL REFERENCES FOR THE COURSE

The required readings for this course are available on the Moodle course site. The readings
below include several general references - books and journals – that may be useful for further
reading and interests. In addition, it has proven very effective in relation to exam preparation to
read at least one or two of the following suggested readings. You are not required to read them
all – these are recommended readings only. Some are general textbooks, while others deal with
specialized topics.

Resources – Classics and specialist books/edited collections

Understanding criminal justice in Hong Kong (Chui and Lo, 2017) offers a good foundation for
the local scene. Vold’s Theoretical Criminology (2016, in its 7th edition) by Bernard et al. has
been a long-standing classic introducing theories of crime. Michel Foucault's Discipline and
Punish (1979) is an important text for those interested in the philosophy and history of crime
control. Chesney- Lind and Morash’s (2017) edited collection provides excellent coverage of the
key theoretical and practical concerns for understanding gender and crime. Miethe and Lu (2005)
and Garland (1994, 2018) are recommended for those who are interested in learning more about
punishment and society.

Suggested Further Readings

Adorjan, M., & Chui, W. H. (2014). Responding to youth crime in Hong Kong: Penal elitism,
legitimacy and citizenship (Vol. 7). Routledge.
Abadinsky, H. (2016) Organized crime. 11th edition. Cengage.
Bernard, T. J., Snipes, J. B., & Gerould, A. L. (2016). Vold's theoretical criminology. OUP.
Carrabine, E. et al. (2020) Criminology. A sociological introduction, 4th edition, Routledge.
Cohen, S. (1994) Visions of social control. Polity Press.
Chesney-Lind, M. and Morash, M. (eds.) (2017) Feminist theories of crime. Routledge.

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Chui, E. W. H., & Lo, T. W. (Eds.). (2016). Understanding criminal justice in Hong Kong.
Taylor & Francis.
Christie, N. (2000) Crime Control as Industry. Routledge.
Downes, D. and Rock, P. (2011) (6th edition) Understanding Deviance, OUP.
Findlay, M. (1999) The Globalization of Crime, Cambridge University Press.
Foucault, M. (1979) Discipline and Punish. The Birth of the Prison, Vintage.
Garland, D. (1994) Punishment and Modern Society, Clarendon.
Garland, D. (2018) Punishment and Welfare: A History of Penal Strategies. Quid Pro Books.
Goode, E. and Ben-Yehuda, N. (1994) Moral Panics. The social construction of deviance.
Blackwell.
Jones, C. with Vagg, J. (2007) Criminal Justice in Hong Kong. Routledge.
Liebling, A., Maruna, S., and McAra, L. (2017) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Sixth
edition. Oxford Press.
Liu, J., Hebenton, B., & Jou, S. (2013). Handbook of Asian criminology. New York: Springer.
Miethe, T. and Hong Lu (2005) Punishment: A Comparative Historical Perspective, Cambridge
University.
McLaughlin, E. and Muncie, J. (2013) Criminological Perspectives: Essential Readings. 3rd
edition. Sage.
Walklate, S. (2018) Handbook of Victims and Victimology. 2nd edition. Routledge.

The libraries special collection on Hong Kong is an extremely important source of information
on local activities and problems. The principal materials are mainly statistical, but the annual
reports of the Police and Correctional Services are well worth consulting. In addition, there is the
Hong Kong Annual that has a chapter devoted to "Public Order" (see Chapter 18) and the Hong
Kong, Annual Digest of Statistics (see sections on health, social welfare and Law and Order). A
very useful statistical work is the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department's Crime and Its
Victims in Hong Kong which contains crime victim survey results from the most recent survey
and the trends from past surveys. Also, the annual reports of the HKP, CSD, ICAC contain
useful information all of which can found in the libraries special collection you can also visit
these agencies’ websites which contain some information about these organisations. See also the
list of useful Internet sites that are available at the end of this section.

Selected Academic Journals

Asian Journal of Criminology
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology
British Journal of Criminology Crime and Justice
Crime and Delinquency
Crime, Media and Culture
Criminology
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Deviant Behavior
Feminist Criminology
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency

15
Social Problems
Theoretical Criminology
Trauma, Violence and Abuse
The Prison Journal
Punishment and Society

Websites
There are a large number of web sites devoted to criminological topics; these are just a few to
start with:

http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/: This is the HK Police website which contains up to date

crime and arrest figures in Hong Kong, and includes some country crime rate comparisons.

http://www.csd.gov.hk/english/home/home.html: This is the HK Correctional Services website

which contains current figures on admissions and one day prisoner population counts. It also
contains historical materials on the development of prisons and corrections in Hong Kong.

http://www.hku.hk/crime: This is the official site of the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for
Criminology and the HK Society of Criminology.

http://www.ncjrs.org/: a site linking most of the US government sources on crime including

access to data on crime in the US and other countries.

http://www.justinfo.net: World Justice Information Network, administered by the Rule of Law

Foundation, http://www.rol.org, with support from the National Institute of Justice of the United
States Department of Justice, and the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs of the United States Department of State.

http://www.aic.gov.au: numerous electronic reports and studies available from the site of the
Australian Institute of Criminology and it also connect to other relevant sites.

http://www.victimology.nl: IVW provides access to information on a wide range of topics related

to victimology and criminology.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/: UK Home Office website relating to the criminal justice system

in the UK -- an excellent site for accessing current research in the UK.

Appendix
Standard citation and referencing styles include APA and Harvard. So long as students are
consistent in their referencing style, either approach is acceptable.
See for example:
http://lib.hku.hk/endnote/7_citation.pdf

http://lib.hku.hk/general/research/guides/citation_styles.html#websites

Citations in the body of an essay

16
Deviance was conceived as a statistical aberration given a normally distributed orderly society
(Best 2004, 7). Fuller and Myers (1941) defined social problems as “an actual or imagined
deviation from some social norm cherished by a considerable number of persons” (p. 25).

OR

Deviance was conceived as a statistical aberration (Best 2004:7) given a normally distributed
orderly society. Fuller and Myers (1941) defined social problems as “an actual or imagined
deviation from some social norm cherished by a considerable number of persons” (p. 25).

Use quotations only for exact reproductions of original text and presentation. Paraphrased
passages (where you write/summarize in your own words what an author wrote) do not require
quotations but still require citation and referencing You do not need quotes but should cite
paraphrased summations (as in the first citation for ‘Best 2004, 7’). 16

Please avoid androcentric (male centred) generic nouns/pronouns: Chairman, policeman, “in
general an individual in society wants to feel normal. He will often act in a way to complete this
self-perception.” Instead use chairperson, police officer, and he/she or she/he or s/he.

Referencing for a bibliography

1) Journal

Wrong, Dennis H., “The Over Socialized Conception of Man in Modern Sociology”, American
Sociological Review, 26, 2, April 1961, 183-193.

OR

Wrong, Dennis H. April 1961. “The Over Socialized Conception of Man in Modern Sociology.”
American Sociological Review 26, 2:183-193.

2) Book
Spector, Malcolm and John Kitsuse, Constructing Social Problems, Cummings Publishing
Company, Menlo Park, 1977.

OR

Spector, Malcolm and John Kitsuse. 1977. Constructing Social Problems. Menlo Park,
Cummings Publishing Company.

3) Newer forms of multimedia have a variety of ways to be referenced. As long as the

reader/marker can find the source if it is online, that it includes the title of the online article if
applicable, the author of the online article if applicable, and that you include the date you
accessed the source that will be sufficient for this course. Indenting the second line may cause
interference with the URL that is listed. Indenting is thus not necessary for online sources.

Kiss, Jemima. “Should Students Be Banned from Google and Wikipedia?”

17
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/digitalcontent/2008/01/should_students_be_banned_from.html.
Accessed on April 2 2008.

4) How about a movie? Same general principle – include the name of the movie, the year, and
also the director. No need to list actors/actresses. www.imdb.com is a good source.

Fight Club. 2000. Directed by David Fincher.

5) A television show? If possible, include season and episode information. www.tv.com is a

useful source.

Breaking Bad. “Blood Money.” Season 5, Episode 9. Directed by Bryan Cranston.

2) AI

Basic format for Software:

Title of Software: (version or year), Publisher Name. Accessed: Date (when applicable). [Type of
Medium]. Available: URL

Example:
[1] ChatGPT (2023), OpenAI. Accessed January 1, 2024. [Online]. Available:
https://chat.openai.com/

18
GRADE DESCRIPTORS
Grade (+) A (-) (+) B (-) (+) C (-) (+) D F
Grade Point 4.3 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0
Mark 70+ 60 - 69 50 - 59 40 - 49 39 and below
● Excellent, ● Good to very ● Satisfactory to ● Pass: Barely ● Fail:
outstanding good reasonably satisfactory Unsatisfactory
performance performance good performance, performance
with full with good performance with limited ● Question /
coverage of the coverage of the with coverage Task possibly
topic topic reasonable ● Meets only misunderstood
● Meets all basic ● Meets all basic coverage of basic goals ● Key aspects of
and higher order and most higher topic ● Only basic topic neglected
goals order goals ● Meets all basic level of skills ● Basic goals not
Content
● Very high level ● High level of and some (interpretation, met
of skills skills higher order application, ● Basic skills not
(interpretation, (interpretation, goals analysis, demonstrated
application, application, ● Satisfactory to evaluation)
analysis, analysis, reasonably
evaluation) evaluation) high level of
skills
(interpretation,
application,
analysis,
evaluation)
● Concepts very ● Concepts ● Concepts ● Basic ● Many concepts
clearly clearly understood understanding not understood
understood understood ● Logic of of concepts ● Illogical
● Argument ● Argument argument is ● Argument is argument
Logic &
always logical generally satisfactory weak but can ● Assignment
Coherence ● Assignment logical despite some be followed rambles &
follows highly ● Assignment minor ● Some lacks structure
logical follows weaknesses problems with
structure and logical ● Only minor structure or
development structure and problems with development
development structure or of assignment
development of
assignment
● Wide, ● Well aware of ● Sound ● Some ● Little or no
supportive relevant awareness of awareness of evidence of
reading of literature relevant relevant reading
relevant ● A high level literature literature ● Uncritical
literature of reflective ● Evidence of ● Basic acceptance of
Reading &
● Good critical understanding reflective understanding others’ views
Research
understanding ● Referencing understanding but limited ● Referencing
● Referencing clear & ● Referencing reflection inadequate
very clear & appropriate satisfactory ● Some
appropriate problems with
referencing
● Expresses ● Expresses ● Expresses ● Expression of ● Meaning often
meaning very meaning meaning meaning is unclear
Language clearly clearly satisfactorily acceptable, ● Unacceptable
● Highly fluent ● Fluent and ● Satisfactory to although: grammar
and accurate accurate use quite good ● Some and/or

19
 use of of grammar level of confusion vocabulary use
grammar and and grammar and caused by
vocabulary vocabulary vocabulary use grammatical
errors and/or
inappropriate
vocabulary
● Very high ● Good standard ● Generally good ● Acceptable ● Poor
standard of of standard of despite some presentation
presentation presentation presentation weaknesses in ● Unacceptable
Presentation ● Format ● Format ● Format presentation format
requirements requirements requirements ● Format
fully met met mostly met requirements
partially met

20