Cursos / 1º Ciclo / Faculty of Law :: Criminology

QUESTÕES APROFUNDADAS DO COMPORTAMENTO DESVIANTE - 2025/2026

1º curricular year
Semestralidade: 2nd semester
ECTS: 6

Teachers

Leading Teacher: Prof. Doutor Samuel Moreira
Assistant Professor: Prof. Doutor Teste

Class type and School hours

Orientação Tutorial : 1 Horas
Teórico-prática : 2 Horas

Teaching Language

Portuguese

Main Aims/Objectives

To know the contribution of social sciences to the understanding of deviance, having as background the main sociological perspectives, framed in their conditions of emergence.

Specific Aims/Objectives

- To understand the main socio-criminological contributions on deviance and social reaction;
- To reflect on the implications of different sociological theories for explaining deviant behavior.

Skills to be acquired

At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge regarding the main sociological theories aimed at understanding deviant behavior;
- Explain deviant behavior in relation to specific contexts and behaviors, based on the theories analyzed
- Apply the theories analyzed to explain contemporary cases of deviance.

Teaching Procedures

A combination of the expositive and interrogative methods is used, promoting the students´ involvement in the discussion and reflection on the exposed contents.
Theoretical- practical classes, combining the exposition of the contents with practical exercises of consolidation of the acquired knowledge.
Tutorial classes are mostly dedicated to monitoring and guiding students in the preparation of a
written assignment.

Programme

1. Key concepts of sociological thinking
1.1. Comte and Durkheim
1.2. Functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and ethnomethodology

2. Sociological perspectives: psychosocial and sociological approaches of deviance and delinquency
2.1. Chicago School:
i) Park´s ecological theory
ii) Burgess´s concentric zones theory
iii) Shaw and McKay´s juvenile delinquency theories
2.2. Merton´s anomie theory
2.3. Cohen´s subcultural theory
2.4. Cloward and Ohlin´s opportunities theory
2.5. Deviance and social processes
i) Social learning theories
ii) Sutherland´s differential association theory
iii. Matza´s drift theory and neutralization techniques
2.6. Interactionism and social reaction theories (Becker and Goffman)
2.7. Social control theories
i) Hirschi´s social bonds theory
ii) Gottfredson and Hirschi´s self-control theory

Evaluation Type

- Continuous Evaluation: 2 tests and 1 written assignment and its oral presentation and defense (the written assignment involves analyzing a contemporary case of deviance in light of the theories addressed).
- Final Evaluation: Exam.

Teaching Resources

Audiovisual resources
Scientific publications
Practical exercises

Sustainability Objectives

Keywords

Sociological perspectives on deviance
Deviant behavior
Delinquency
Social control

Main Bibliography

Complementary Bibliography