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2022/2023

Criminal Law (Crimes)

Code: 100460 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500257 Criminology OB 2 2

Contact

Name:
Maria Jose Rodriguez Puerta
Email:
mariajose.rodriguez.puerta@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Other comments on languages

Teaching will be in Catalan and one of the seminars in Spanish

Teachers

Margarita Bonet Esteva

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course. However, students will understand it more appropriately if they have already taken and passed the course on general criminal law.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The program of legal courses seeks to provide basic legal training suitable for criminology. The main objective of these courses is to work on legal norms, mostly on those related to the criminal justice system, both substantive and procedural.

Within the Degree in Criminology, the courses on criminal law are intended to offer knowledge on the legal framework of the phenomenon of crime. In this field, the course on Criminal Law – Special Part focuses on penal legal knowledge of violations most frequently observed in forensic practice.

The general aim of this course is set out as follows: "to familiarize both specialists and general society with responses to the problems of criminality and social conflict, which take into account the rights and the interests of all those involved, and that are based on the values of social pacification, social integration and prevention of new conflicts."

In this context, the course on Criminal Law – Special Part has the following objectives:

  1. To be knowledgeable with the rules of the special part of Criminal Law
  2. To be familiar with the elements of different types of crime
  3. To be able to make a critical assessment of judgements  judges and courts in the criminal field

Competences

  • Ability to analyse and summarise.
  • Clearly explaining and arguing a carried out analysis about a conflict or crime problem and its responses in front of specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Drawing up an academic text.
  • Identifying the most appropriate and effective penal intervention for each particular case.
  • Properly using the legal, psychological, pedagogical and sociological language.
  • Respectfully interacting with other people.
  • Students must demonstrate they know the legal framework and operating model of the crime control agents.
  • Students must demonstrate they know the legal/penal response framework to criminality (constitutional law, police law, procedural law and criminal law).
  • Using non-discriminatory and respectful language when referring to the several parties involved in conflict and criminality.
  • Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  • Working autonomously.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Ability to analyse and summarise.
  2. Applying effectiveness criteria when using law in the field of criminology.
  3. Applying the constitutional law in the criminological field.
  4. Arguing criminality arguments in a verbal and polite way and without bias.
  5. Arguing with accuracy legal concepts at a forum.
  6. Drawing up an academic text.
  7. Effectively communicating by using specific law terms.
  8. Respectfully interacting with other people.
  9. Using the legislation and its means of implementation to the criminal act.
  10. Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  11. Working autonomously.

Content

Unit 1. Crimes against human life. Homicide: concepts and structure. Abortion and euthanasia.

Unit 2. Assault and domestic violence

Unit 3. Kidnapping and other crimes against freedom of movement.

Unit 4. Sexual offences

Unit 5. Crimes against privacy 

Unit 6. Crimes against property I

Unit 7. Crimes against property II

Unit 8. Drug dealing   offences

Unit 9. Car traffic offences

Methodology

In order to achieve the competences of the  course, students must perform two types of activities.
1. Directed activities, which will be done in the classroom, consisting of:
Lectures given by the professor, in which the theoretical contents of the course will be examined
Seminars:  Following the lectures, seminars will be devoted to work on each of the topics of the course through activities consisting of discussing readings,  analyzing case law, performing mock trials and giving presentations.
2.- Autonomus activities. As a complement to the directed activities, students will work individually and in a group, through: 
a. Group work on the judgements and readings provided to students. The results of some of the group work will be presented in the seminars.
b. Individual work. Students must write 2 esasays on different topis proposed at the beginning of the course.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 18 0.72 3
Seminars 18 0.72 3, 5, 4, 7, 6, 8, 1, 10, 9
Type: Autonomous      
Individual and group work 109 4.36 3, 7, 6, 8, 1, 11

Assessment

1. Basis of the evaluation

Evaluation will be carried out continuously throughout the course. Late arrival and leaving the class before the schedule is not allowed.

Therefore, the regular attendance to the classes (80%) and the accomplishment of the activities detailed below is required.

  • Continuous evaluation of practical skills (50%):
    • Two individual activities: 2 activities to solve practical cases (40%). The first one will represents a 15% and the second one 25%.
    • Seminar group activities: In each seminar we will carry out either an activity to prepare beforehand or exercises that will be solved during the seminar. These activities will consist of reviewing of law cases, reading and understanding judgements and preparing a mock trial. In these seminars we will be also doing and resolving practical cases to practice the final evaluation tests. These activities will represent a (10%).
  • Final exam: multiple-choice exam (50%).

2. Requirement to pass

In order to pass the assessment, a grade of 5 (sum of continuous assessment and test marks) must be achieved. However, to be able to add up the marks for the continuous assessment and the test, it is necessary to have obtained at least a 2 out of 5 in the final multiple-choice exam If the grade in this exam is lower than 2, you will have to opportunity to resit the exam.

If the test mark is equal to or higher than 2 and the sum with the continuous assessment mark does not reach 5, a re-evaluation will have to be carried out, for which a case study and/or re-evaluation of the test will be proposed. If someone does not attend for any of the evaluation individual activities, this can only berecovered if theabsenceis justified.

In case of plagiarism in the drafting of papers, each case will be assessed. In the extreme case, the option of direct suspension without the option of resit will be considered.

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Group work 10% 0 0 2, 5, 4, 7, 8, 1, 10
Individual works 40% 3 0.12 2, 3, 7, 6, 8, 1, 11, 9
multiple choice 50% 2 0.08 3, 7, 1, 11

Bibliography

Mandatory readings
-In order to prepare the course, three manuals are recommended. It is mandatory to know the content of the handbbok to pass the course. Students are free to choose among one of the following three:
  • Muñoz Conde, F. (2019). Derecho penal. Parte especial. 22 ed. Tirant lo Blanch. 
  • Quintero Olivares, G. (dtor.) (2016). Comentarios a la parte especial del derecho penal. 6ª ed.Thompson
  • Silva Sánchez, J.M. (dir.) (2019). Lecciones de Derecho Penal. Parte especial. 6ª ed. Atelier

- To prepare the seminars, specific and complementary bibliography will be provided via Moodle.

Software

Westlaw