Criminology: Criminal Careers and Life Course Perspectives

The aim of the course is for the student to acquire deeper theoretical and methodological knowledge of special interest to be able to understand the development of individual and deviant life courses. Integrated perspectives that address risks and causes of crime and antisocial behaviour in order to sustain positive health and behaviour over the life course are specifically addressed. An additional aim of the course is for the student to acquire knowledge on how the life course perspective can be used to design interventions, treatment and care strategies.



The course addresses criminological research on developmental paths of criminal careers. In the course, explanatory models of differential paths of general antisocial behaviour and of specific types of crimes in national and international contexts are presented. The course also addresses how life course perspective is used within criminology, and other research areas, as well as how different factors occurring at separate points in time under a life course effects the development of antisocial behaviour and ill health. Further, how the life course perspective can be used to design interventions, treatment and care strategies is discussed.

Syllabus autumn 2024

Earlier syllabuses

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).