Teaching Catastrophic Criminology: Theory and Methods

• In Event: Innovations in Teaching - 2

Abstract

Catastrophic criminology is the study of crimes that surpass the daily criminal activity seen around the world; it looks at crimes that have disastrous results, long reaching consequences and change public perceptions. These are crimes that permanently impact a location, an ethnic group, in a way similar to how a forest fire or extreme drought leaves its mark on the rings of a tree. While these crimes: terrorism, genocide, mass, serial, and spree murders, as well as criminal responses to natural and manmade disasters are interesting to students, their rarity and scope can be difficult to address in the classroom. Catastrophic Criminology as a theory and as a methodology can provide a variety of tools that improve student accessibility to the scholarly examination of these events, as well as their place in history, culture and society.

Author

• Clairissa D. Breen, Cazenovia College