Sem01 (2026-2027) Simulating Crime and Justice

Course details

• Practical information

  Academic year
  2026-2027

  Semester
  1

  Period
  2, 3

  Day(s)
  Monday evenings and one full Wednesday (9 December, fieldtrip)

  Time
  Mondays: 18:00 - 20:30
  Wednesday fieldtrip: 9.00 - 20.00

  Number of meetings
  11

  • 10 seminars of 2,5 hours on Monday evenings
  • 1 day field trip

  Dates of all meetings

  26 October
  2, 9, 16, 23, 30 November
  7, 9  December
  4, 11, 18 January 2027

  Locations

  • Seminars will generally take place at VU, but exceptions may exist
  • The field trip will take place outside the VU

  Room
  tbd

  Credits
  6

  Course coordinator
  Joris van Wijk, Professor Criminology of Conflict-related Crimes and Post-conflict Justice

  Lecturers
  Still have to be confirmed

• Learning objectives

  Upon completion of the course students have a comprehensive understanding of certain crime types, crime policies and elements of (international) criminal justice. They have acquired theoretical and practical knowledge in the domains of criminology, crime prevention and criminal law responses, as well as analytical tools to act as professionals in this field.

  By the conclusion of the course, students:

  • Have knowledge of and insight into the roles, responsibilities, limits and powers of various actors within the criminal justice system.
  • Are capable of analyzing real-world scenarios using theories and research methods from criminology or associated fields such as law and security studies.
  • Show evidence of having an independent, critical attitude regarding existing approaches to crime and crime control.
  • Are equipped to deal with ethical and legal dilemmas commonly faced in the field and consider competing principles such as justice, accountability, rights, and harm reduction.
  • Have become familiar with scenario-based roleplay as pedagogical tool. They practiced collaboration and presentation skills in an immersive environment.

• Working formats & structure

  The course combines interactive seminars with group assignments. The course promotes group dynamics and social learning activities. A field trip is part of the course.

• Assessment methods

  This is a pass/fail course; no grades are given. Students are expected to work in groups, but also to deliver individual contributions (50% of the grade). The course is evaluated by means of:

  • A media production (15%)
  • Different types of presentations (30%)
  • Written products (55%)

  Fraud and Plagiarism
  With regard to fraud and plagiarism, the VU Student Charter (Chapter 10) and the rules and regulations of the Examination Board of the faculty that offers the course, apply. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board will be informed.

• Attendance expectations

  Be present at all lectures and work groups. Make sure to inform your teacher as soon as possible if you cannot attend a class due to special circumstances. If you are absent for two lectures and/or work groups, or over 15 % of all meetings, the teacher can assign an additional task or deny further participation.

  Active participation in the seminars and class discussions plays a crucial role in student learning in the course, and in the student’s ability to reach the course objectives: attendance, preparation, and active in-class participation will therefore form part of the course assessment.

• Study materials

  In preparation of and during the course students are required to read relevant academic literature that is either in the VU library or online available.