39982 - Social Research and Criminal Investigation Methods

Learning outcomes

Social and Criminological Research Methodology

The course provides an introduction to the most important methodological problems students of sociology and criminology have to tackle constantly, focusing on the most relevant research methods of data collection and data analysis.
Students have to deal with basic topics concerning the preparation of social research and data collection designs, their use, the preparation of information for analysis and data analysis, as well as the skills needed for using and critically evaluating empirical studies performed by others.

Course contents

Student will be guided through the logical progression of the research process. The course proposes an in-depht itinerary as follows:

The first part of the course begins with a study of the concepts of method, methodology, techniques, philosophy of science and continues with the analysis of key tools of knowledge: concepts, assertions, explanations.

The second part concerns tools and techniques (qualitative and quantitative) that are commonly applied in empirical studies, as well as the logic of criminological enquiry, mapping the intellectual terrain of research problems with which criminologists are routinely confronted. During the course, moreover, students will be introduced to data analysis by means of dedicated statistical analysis software.

The third part is focused on a critical understanding of social and criminological research methodology and application, exploring inter-relationships between theory, research, policy and practice.

Readings/Bibliography

The course is based on the study of the following texts, the knowledge of which will be tested during the exam.

Bibliographical references for the first part of the exam:

-        Babbie E. (2010), Ricerca sociale, Apogeo, Milano.

-        Vettori B. (2010), Le statistiche sulla criminalità in ambito internazionale, europeo e nazionale. Fonti e tecniche di analisi con SPSS, LED, Milano.

For what concerns the second part, students have to choose from the following two propositions:

a) A. Dal Lago e E. Quadrelli, La città e le ombre. Crimini, criminali, cittadini, Feltrinelli, Milano, 2003.

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b) Santangelo, F. (2017), La violenza nelle relazioni intime, Milano, Franco Angeli, pp. 198.

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c) Torrente, G. (2016), “Saper farsi la galera”. Pratiche di resistenza (e di sopravvivenza) degli immigrati detenuti, in Sociologia del Diritto, n.1/2016, pp. 109-133.

Signori, R. (2016). Autorità e identità in carcere. Le risposte ai cambiamenti organizzativi del personale di polizia penitenziaria. Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa, 9 (2), 249-266.

Vatrella, S. (2016). Corpi docili e pratiche resilienti. Le carriere detentive dei migranti. Rassegna italiana di Sociologia, 2, 293-320.

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d) Banks, J. (2013). Edging your bets: Advantage play, gambling, crime and victimisation. Crime, media, culture, 9(2), 171-187.

Hing, N., Russell, A. M., Gainsbury, S. M., & Nuske, E. (2016). The public stigma of problem gambling: Its nature and relative intensity compared to other health conditions. Journal of Gambling Studies, 32(3), 847-864.

Leonzi, S., Ciofalo, G., Di Stefano, A., & Barricella, S. (2016). giochi (d’azzardo) e gli spot. La pubblicizzazione televisiva del gambling in Italia. SOCIOLOGIA E RICERCA SOCIALE.

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e) Ostanel, E. (2013), Via Anelli a Padova: l'ambivalenza di vivere ai margini, in Mondi Migranti, n.2/2013, pp.107-122.

Sbraccia, A. (2015), Ombre visibili: migranti africani e mercati della droga in Italia, in Sociologia del Diritto, n.1/2015, pp.65-87.

Scandurra, G. (2016), Cosa sarà della Bolognina? Territori in trasformazione, in Archivio di Studi Urbani e Regionali, XLVII, 117, 2016, pp. 51-71.

Teaching methods

Classroom lessons, with possible additional lessons on single topics.

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed in two steps: first, students must sit a written test based on basic topics concerning the preparation of social research and data collection designs; only those students who pass the written test will be admitted to the second step of oral examination which concern the rest of the programme.

Teaching tools

PC and software for statistical analysis software

Office hours

See the website of Nicola De Luigi