Crimes of the Powerful

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject analyses the crimes and harms of the powerful. It explores the types of harm and how these arise in society in the relationship between government and business. Various case studies of corporate and white-collar crime are explored such as complex financial fraud, industrial disasters, professional misconduct and tax avoidance. Examples are used to demonstrate the challenges associated with deciding whether harmful behaviour by the powerful should be defined as crime and the difficulties inherent in using criminal law to curb such activities. Students will explore a range of criminological theories that can help explain the harms perpetuated by the powerful as well as the techniques employed by the state in regulating white-collar and corporate misconduct.

• have an understanding of the problems of definition of the various forms of business, occupational or corporate criminality.
• have an appreciation of the importance of corporate criminality in the context of the social and political life.
• have an understanding of the forms of individual business or occupational crime, including such forms of financial crime as complex financial fraud.
• have learned some of the problems which concern the regulation of white collar crime, including the features of law which cause particular problems in the control of corporate misconduct.

A subject reader will be available for purchase from the University Bookshop.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• have highly developed cognitive, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• have an advanced understanding of complex concepts and the ability to express them lucidly in writing and orally.
• have sophisticated awareness of cultural, ethnic and gender diversities and their implications.
• have an ability to plan work and to use time effectively.