| CODE | CRI2009 | ||||||
| TITLE | Sexual Offending | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Criminology | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit opens with a discussion on the difference between deviance and crime. It argues that deviance constitutes behaviour that tends to be condemned by society in an informal way. Conversely, crime evokes official sanctioning from society. Thus, only acts which violate the criminal code can be considered as crime. It can then be deduced that, only sexual acts that are listed as crimes in the criminal code can be considered as sex crimes. However, this area tends to be blurred, as society might tend to not differentiate between sex crimes and sexual deviancy. It is society (its representatives) that decides which acts get listed in the criminal code as crimes. And these representatives express the general will ... that is also animated by the dominant social culture which tends to be chronologically mutable. Thus, the study-unit proceeds with a brief historic-cultural overview of the Mediterranean region to facilitate students when it comes to understanding the idea of sex...the deviant and criminal type ... in the Mediterranean. Topics that will be discussed include: homosexuality, bestiality, sadomasochism, adultery, masturbation, pederasty, incest, rape, sodomy, pornography, sexting (or sextexting) and prostitution. This study-unit shows that, although sex can be an intimate expression of love, even if expressed in a fun/playful way, yet, when sex degenerates into abuse, especially of the vulnerable and voiceless, it clearly deserves its place in criminal codes. Study-unit Aims: To familiarize students with the concepts of: crime and deviancy in relation to sexual offending: - To explore how society decides what behaviour constitutes sex crime and what constitutes deviant sex; - To increase students' awareness of the different types of sexual offending/deviance and paraphilias. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the concepts of: deviance and crime; - Understand how the idea of sexual offending and deviant sex changes chronologically, geographically and culturally; - Explain the exploitative and predatory aspects of certain sex crimes; - Give a brief historical account of sex in the Mediterranean: how ideas/mentalities changed; - List and describe the various paraphilias discussed during the lectures. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Differentiate between deviancy and crime; - Differentiate between sexual crimes and sexual deviancy; - Discuss how the mentality/ideas on sexual behaviour changed over time in the Mediterranean. Main Text/s: Allison, J.A., and Wrightsman, L.S. (1993). Rape:The Misunderstood Crime. Sage: London. Holmes, S.T., and Holmes, R.M. (2009). Sex Crimes (3rd Ed.). Sage: London. Mezey, G.C., and King, M.B. (2000). Male Victims of Sexual Assault (2nd Ed.). Oxford University Press: UK. Naphy, W. ( 2002). Sex Crimes: From Renaissance to Enlightenment. Tempus: UK. Riedel, M. and Welsh, W. (2008). Criminal Violence: Patterns, Causes, and Prevention (2nd Ed.).Oxford University Press: UK. Salter, A. C. (2003). Predators, Pedophiles, Rapists, & Other Sex Offenders: Who they are, How they Operate, and How we can Protect Ourselves and Our Children. Basic Books: New York. Terry, K.J.(2006). Sexual Offenses and Offenders: Theory, Practice, and Policy. Wadsworth Cengage Learning: US. Supplementary Readings: - Baumeister , R. E. (1995) Psychology Today. An Inside Look at S&M. Retrieved 29th May, 2013 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199511/inside-look-sm - Fleming Fallon, L. (2002). Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Pedophilia. Retrieved 30th May, 2013 from http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Pedophilia.html - Frey, R. (2002) Retrieved 29th May, 2013 from http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/exhibitionism. - Griffiths, M. (2010). Rubbing Someone Up the Wrong Way: A Beginners Guide to Frotteurism. Retrieved 29th May, 2013 from http://drmarkgriffiths.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/rubbing-someone-up-the-wrong-way-a-beginners-guide-to-frotteurism/ - Hucker, S.J. (2012). Forensic Psychiatry.ca. Hypoxyphilia/Auto-erotic Asphyxia. Retrieved 29th April, 2013 from http://www.forensicpsychiatry.ca/paraphilia/aea.htm Lawson, T., and Heaton, T. (1999). Crime and Deviance. MacMillan: UK. - Mangion, D. (May 2013). Reality Bites. The Sunday Circle, p. 78-80. - McEachern, A.D., McEachern-Ciattoni, R.T., and Martin, F. (2011). Sexting: New Challenges for Schools and Professional School Counselors. Retrieved 29th May, 2013 from jsc.montana.edu/articles/V10n20.pdf. - Siegal, L.J. (2010). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies (10th Ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning: US. - The Maltese Criminal Code, Chapter 9, Title VII, Of Crimes Affecting the Good Order of Families www.examiner.com/article/paris-gay-marriage-opponents-demonstrators-take-to-the-streets-for-protest as accessed on 26th May, 2013. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Sandra Scicluna John Testa |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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