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 different 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.

CP1. Historical, theoretical and epistemological approach to victimology

1.1. Emergence and evolution of victimology as an area of knowledge

1.2. The victim as an object of study

1.3. Explanatory theories of victimization

1.4. Guidelines and challenges of the current victimology

CP2. The victim and the justice system

2.1. The victim and his rights in the justice system

2.2. The victim and the system: from childhood and adolescence to adulthood

CP3. Conceptual framework and characterization of the main types of victimization

3.1. Childhood/adolescence victimization

3.2.1. Abuse and Neglect

3.2.2. Sexual abuse

3.2. Victimization in adulthood

3.1.1. Violence in intimate relationships

3.1.2. Sexual violence

3.1.3. Stalking

3.3. Other types of victimization (e.g., human trafficking, violence in juvenile intimate relationships, bullying)

Theoretical-practical component, with analysis and discussion of case studies. 

Exercises at the end of each class.

Analysis of articles in small groups and subsequent discussion in class.

• Cuevas, C., & Rennison, C. (2016). Handbook on the Psychology of Violence. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Cunningham, H., & Berry, W. (2012). Handbook on the Psychology of Violence. Nova Science Publishers.
• Daigle, L. E. (2018). Victimology - A Text Reader. Sage.
• Machado, C. (2010). Vitimologia: das novas abordagens teóricas às novas práticas de intervenção. Psiquilibrios Edições.
• Machado, C. (2010). Novas formas de vitimação criminal. Psiquilibrios Edições.