Soc 8300 (Criminological Theory)

Soc 8300 (Criminological Theory) Week 1: Understanding and Evaluation Theory

Questions:

1. Describe Akers and Sellers’ (2004) criteria for evaluating theory. Rank the criteria in order of importance and explain/justify your ranking.

2. Describe the three ideologies outlined by Cullen and Gilbert (1982). Where do you place yourself (explain)?

Other Stuff:

 What are the necessary criteria to establish causation in the social sciences?  Form an opinion about Felson’s (2002) “fallacies.” Which do you think are the most accurate? Which are most important for the study of crime? Are there any that you disagree with?  Technically, what is a “theory?”  What is the difference between “scope” and “parsimony?”  Is the “usefulness of policy implications” a fair criterion for judging theories of crime? Is a sound, accurate theory not “good” if it has “mushy” or untenable policy implications?