DEPT. OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE & POLITICAL SCIENCE

NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY FARGO, ND

Past Theory/Methods Comprehensive Exams

January 2006

Section A. Choose 1 of these 2 questions:

A1. One of the primary goals of Criminology is to advance theories of criminal behavior. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to theory building, such as Invention, Elaboration, and Integration. Compare each of these to the idea that theories should be subjected to “competition.” After discussing each approach, present an example of each. Given your opinion about the single most important criteria of a “good theory,” which approach and theory offers the best foundation for future theory development?

A2. In a recent presidential address to the ASC, John Laub discussed the life course of criminology and crucial turning points in theory development. Using the same logic, trace the life course of criminological theory and identify five turning points in the direction of theory development. Explain the impact of each turning point you choose, why each is important, and the impact of each on the current state of the discipline.

Section B. Choose 1 of these 2 questions:

B1. Assume that you are to deliver the presidential address at the next meeting of the American Society of Criminology. The title of your address is: “The Origins and Future of Scientific Criminology.” The focus of your address is on scientific research about criminal/delinquent behavior. Provide a draft of your address in which you review and analyze the major behavioral research developments of this research inventory as of the early 21^st century and your assessment of the shortcomings of this research along with your recommendations for future research to address these shortcomings.

B2. Comment on the following statement: “Self-reports and victimization studies have added little to our knowledge of delinquency that we did not already know from the use of official statistics.” Whether you agree or disagree with the statement, 1) be specific about the details of your reaction, 2) cite relevant studies and/or authors you think support your arguments, and 3) draw a major conclusion about the relative utility of the three types of data.

Section C. Choose 2 of these 4 questions:

C1. Historically, Classical School and Positive approaches to crime were based on distinct assumptions about free will, rationality, and crime “causation.” Trace the main ideas of these approaches and discuss, in some detail, how rational choice/perceptual deterrence theories have blended these traditions with a focus on “bounded rationality” and the determinants of decision-making.

C2. The crime rate in the United States has continued to drop since 1992. Identify a pair of theories that would best explain the crime drop in America. Be sure to justify your response by identifying appropriate literature and research (both past and present).

C3. In a recent article in Criminology, Haynie et al (2005) set out to test the idea that a romantic partner might have implications for the probability of delinquency and adult crime. Several theories in criminology are capable of considering this association. Discuss three theories in criminology that in your view attempt to facilitate an explanation between romantic involvement and delinquency/crime. Be specific regarding whether and how the romantic partner might contribute to delinquency/crime.

C4. “Control” has been a persistent theme throughout criminological theorizing. Citing the empirical evidence, compare and contrast the role of “control” in deterrence, social disorganization, social control, and conflict/feminist theories.

August 2004

Group A – Answer one of the two questions in this Group.

1. Assuming that one of our goals is to advance theories of criminal behavior, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of "invention", "elaboration" and "integration" as techniques of theory building.  Contrast each of these with the position that theories should be subjected to "competition." After explaining each of these approaches, discuss an example of each.  Given your opinion about the single most important criteria of a "good theory", which approach and theory offers the best foundation for future theory development.

2. Criminological theories that link micro and macro levels of analysis are relatively rare in the field. How do you explain their rarity? Do you think that these kinds of approaches improve on more traditional theories? Why not or how so? Finally, give an example of one theory that has attempted to link micro and macro levels of analysis and evaluate its contribution to the field.

Group B – Answer three of the six questions in this group.

1. The empirical outcomes for both deterrence theory and labeling theory appear to provide support for each theory. Explain why this is so and assess the contributions of reintegrative shaming and/or defiance theories to this argument. Review the empirical evidence for each of these positions, including a discussion of the methods used to generate support. Then, construct and briefly discuss a research design that would sufficiently allow us to assess the relative empirical merit of these theories.

2. The feminist critique of criminological theorizing claims that extant theory is male-centered and generally does not account for female experiences (including participation in crime and delinquency). Briefly summarize the main points of the critique; assess the empirical evidence around these claims; identify and evaluate a “new” theory that purports to account for gender differences in crime and/or delinquency. What are the implications of your findings for future theory and research?

3. Some theories of crime are very general in that they attempt to explain all kinds of crime; others are more specific, explaining only certain kinds of crime or types of offenders. Are there multiple routes to delinquency? Within the framework of general vs. specific theories, assess the dynamic model of crime causation by discussing theories that account for early and late starters and for changes over the life course. What are the merits of the dynamic approach and what does the empirical literature have to say about its viability (in either general or specific form)?

4. Social class has been one of the central variables in criminology for 75 years. Discuss two theories (Group A) that are distinctly class-based theories of crime and delinquency and two theories (Group B) that do not need to employ social class as an important component of the theory. Select and defend the role of social class in either Group A or B based on the empirical status of social class in the criminology literature.

5. James Q. Wilson has been critical of criminology over the years because he contends that the facts of crime do not readily lend themselves to policy action. Select five known correlates of crime. Critique Wilson’s statement by discussing the role of mediators in assisting us to understand how each correlate might explain crime and delinquency. Describe how the correlate-mediator nexus might help produce policies that will effectively reduce crime?

6. Akers and his colleagues have contended that social learning theories are compatible with all major sociological theories and that social learning theory can be employed to integrate extant formulations to achieve more comprehensive explanations of crime and deviance. Outline the major features of social learning theory and evaluate the social learning theorists’ claims by discussing the relation between social learning theory and other perspectives.