Class Victimology

This curricular unit aims to develop knowledge about victimology as an area of knowledge, exploring its historical, conceptual and epistemological evolution and the role of the victim as its object of study. It aims to address particular types of victimization, providing insight into their epidemiology, abusive dynamics and their impact on the victim. It is still objective to address (new) types of victimization, proceeding to a brief theoretical and empirical contextualization. At the end of curricular unit, the students should be able to understand the emergence and paradigmatic evolution of victimology; understand and reflect on the victim's role in crime, their experience, the associated impact and position on the formal and informal systems; understand the main types of victimization and their specific dynamics; recognize other types of victimization that have recently been part of the discussion and research spaces in this field.  

Not applicable

PC1. Historical, theoretical and epistemological approach to victimology 1.1. Emergence and evolution of victimology as an area of knowledge 1.2. Historical development of victimology, ideological and political transformations 1.3. Explanatory theories of victimization PC2. Conceptual framework and characterization of the main types of victimization 2.1. Victimization in adulthood 2.1.1. Violence in intimate relationships 2.1.2. Sexual violence 2.1.3. Stalking 2.1.4. Violence against the elderly 2.2. Childhood/adolescence victimization 2.2.1. Abuse and neglect 2.2.2. Sexual abuse 2.2.3. Bullying/Cyberbullying PC3. Conceptual framework of 'new' victimization phenomena PC4. Ethical-deontological issues in the articulation between the victim and the justice system and in the victim’s research 

The program contents will be taught using a variety of methods, namely TM1: Oral presentation with the support of audiovisual materials; TM2: Interactive dialogue; TM3: Active techniques as classroom application exercises; TM4: Peer feedback; TM5: Feedback by Professor. The interactive dialogue will always aim to promote critical reflection in students, seeking for them to pose hypotheses, resolve contradictions, argue and communicate their point of view. Another pedagogical methodology will consist of collaborative learning using the “jigsaw” method, with students being divided into small groups and each group will analyze a specific content (a specific phenomenon of victimization), becoming a group of 'experts' in that field and, subsequently, will share the knowledge acquired with the remaining members of the broader group.

Clevenger, S., Navarro, J., Marcum, C., & Higgins, G. (2024). Understanding Victimology: An Active-learning Approach. Routledge.   Daigle, L. (2018). Victimology (Second Edition). Sage Publications.  Korbin, J. E., Krugman, R. (Eds.) (2022). Handbook of Child Maltreatment. Springer.  Kirchengast, T. (2016). Victims and the criminal trial. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Machado, C. (2010). Novas formas de vitimação criminal. Braga: Psiquilibrios Edições  Machado, C. (2010). Vitimologia: das novas abordagens teóricas às novas práticas de intervenção. Braga: Psiquilibrios Edições.