sociology of crime dissertation topics

Sociology of Crime Research Paper Topics

The sociology of crime (criminology) is the study of the making, breaking, and enforcing of criminal laws. Its aim is to understand empirically and to develop and test theories explaining criminal behavior, the formation and enforcement of laws, and the operation of  criminal justice  system.

60 Sociology of Crime Research Paper Topics

• Age and crime
• Alcohol and crime
• Biosocial theories of crime
• Broken windows theory of crime
• Childhood sexual abuse
• Class and crime
• Collective efficacy and crime
• Conflict theory and crime and delinquency
• Corporate crime
• Corrections
• Court systems and law
• Crime and masculinities
• Crime hotspots
• Criminal and delinquent subcultures
• Criminal justice system
• Criminal sanctions
• Criminology research methods
• Cultural criminology
• Delinquent gangs
• Drugs and the law
• Environmental criminology
• Hate crimes
• Index Crime
• Juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime
• Life course theory of crime
• Measuring crime
• Organized crime
• Political crime
• Probation and parole
• Property crime
• Psychological theories of crime
• Public order crime
• Race and crime
• Race and the criminal justice system
• Radical/Marxist theories of crime
• Rape/sexual assault as crime
• Rational choice theory: a crime related perspective
• Schools and crime
• Sex and crime
• Sexual violence and exploitation
• Sexual violence and rape
• Social control theory of crime
• Social learning theory of crime
• Social support and crime
• Theories of juvenile delinquency
• Urban crime and violence
• Victimization
• Violent crime
• What is crime?
• White collar crime
• Zimbardo prison experiment

The roots of modern criminology can be found in the writings of social philosophers, who addressed Hobbes’s question: “How is society possible?” Locke and Rousseau believed that humans are endowed with free will and are self-interested. If this is so, the very existence of society is problematic. If we are all free to maximize our own self-interest we cannot live together. Those who want more and are powerful can simply take from the less powerful. The question then, as now, focuses on how is it possible for us to live together. Criminologists are concerned with discovering answers to this basic question.

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Locke and Rousseau, philosophers who are not considered criminologists, argued that society is possible because we all enter into a “social contract” in which we choose to give up some of our freedom to act in our own self-interest for the privilege of living in society. What happens though to those who do not make, or choose to break, this covenant? Societies enforce the contract by punishing those who violate it. Early societies punished violations of the social contract by removing the privilege of living in society through banishment or death. In the event of minor violations, sanctions such as ostracism or limited participation in the community for a time were administered. The history of sanctions clearly demonstrates the extreme and frequently arbitrary and capricious nature of sanctions (Foucault 1979).

The Classical School of criminology (Beccaria 1764; Bentham 1765) began as an attempt to bring order and reasonableness to the enforcement of the social contract. Beccaria in On Crimes and Punishments (1768) made an appeal for a system of ”justice” that would define the appropriate amount of punishment for a violation as just that much that was needed to counter the pleasure and benefit from the wrong. In contemporary terms, this would shift the balance in a cost/benefit calculation, and would perhaps deter some crime. Bentham’s writings (1765) provided the philosophical foundation for the penitentiary movement that introduced a new and divisible form of sanction: incarceration. With the capacity to finally decide which punishment fits which crime, classical school criminologists believed that deterrence could be maximized and the cost to societal legitimacy of harsh, capricious, and excessive punishment could be avoided. In their tracts calling for reforms in how society sanctions rule-violators, we see the earliest attempts to explain two focal questions of criminology: Why do people commit crimes? How do societies try to control crime? The “classical school” of criminology’s answer to the first question is that individuals act rationally, and when the benefits to violating the laws outweigh the cost then they are likely to choose to violate those laws. Their answer to the second question is deterrence. The use of sanctions was meant to discourage criminals from committing future crimes and at the same time send the message to noncriminals that crime does not pay. Beccaria and Bentham believed that a “just desserts” model of criminal justice would fix specific punishments for specific crimes.

In the mid-nineteenth century the early “scientific study” of human behavior turned to the question of why some people violate the  law . The positivists, those who believed that the scientific means was the preeminent method of answering this and other questions, also believed that human behavior was not a product of choice nor individual free will. Instead they argued that human behavior was “determined behavior,” that is, the product of forces simply not in the control of the individual. The earliest positivistic criminologists believed that much crime could be traced to biological sources. Gall (Leek 1970), referred to by some as the “father of the bumps and grunts school of criminology,” studied convicts and concluded that observable physical features, such as cranial deformities and protuberances, could be used to identify “born criminals.” Lombroso (1876) and his students, Ferri and Garofalo, also embraced the notion that some were born with criminal constitutions, but they also advanced the idea that social forces were an additional source of criminal causation. These early positivists were critics of the Classical School. They did not go so far as to argue that punishment should not be used to respond to crime, but they did advance the notion that punishment was insufficient to prevent crime. Simply raising the cost of crime will not prevent violations if individuals are not freely choosing their behavior. The early positivists believed that effective crime control would have to confront the root causes of violations, be they biological or social in nature.

Around 1900, Ferri gave a series of lectures critiquing social control policies derived from classical and neo-classical theory. What is most remarkable about those lectures is that, considered from the vantage point of scholars at the end of the twentieth century, the arguments then were little different from public debates today about what are the most effective means of controlling crime.

Then, as now, the main alternatives were ”get tough” deterrence strategies that assumed that potential criminals could be frightened into compliance with the law, versus strategies that would reduce the number of offenses by addressing the root causes of crime. We know far more about crime and criminals today than criminologists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century knew, yet we continue the same debate, little changed from the one in which Ferri participated in.

The debates today pit those espousing rational choice theories of crime (control and deterrence theories being the most popular versions) against what still might best be called positivistic theories. To be sure, contemporary positivistic criminology is considerably different from the theories of Gall and Lombroso. Modern criminologists do not explain law-violating behavior using the shapes of heads and body forms. Yet there are still those who argue that biological traits can explain criminal behavior (Wilson and Herrenstein 1985; Mednick 1977), and still others who focus on psychological characteristics. But most modern criminologists are sociologists who focus on how social structures and  culture  explain criminal behavior. What all of these modern positivists have in common with their predecessors Gall, Lombroso, and company, is that they share a belief that human behavior, including crime, is not simply a consequence of individual choices. Behavior, they argue, is ”determined” at least in part by biological, psychological, or social forces. The goal of modern positivist criminologists is to unravel the combination of forces that make some people more likely than others to commit crimes.

Today the research of sociological criminologists focuses on three questions: What is the nature of crime? How do we explain crime? What are the effects of societies’ attempts to control crime? Approaches to answering these questions vary greatly, as do the answers offered by criminologists. For example the first question, what is the nature of crime, can be answered by detailing the characteristics of people who commit crimes. Alternatively, one can challenge the very definition of what crime, and consequently criminals, are. In an attempt to answer this question, some criminologists focus on how much crime there is. But of course, even this is a difficult question to answer because there are many ways to count crime, with each type offering different and sometimes seemingly conflicting answers.

Theories of Crime

Most accounts of the rise of criminological inquiry indicate that it had its beginnings in mid-nineteenth- century developments in Europe, including the work of Cesare Lombroso, an Italian prison physician, who argued that many criminals are atavists, that is, biological throwbacks to a human type, homo delinquens , that allegedly existed prior to the appearance of homo sapiens. Since the time of Lombroso and other early figures in criminology, the field has grown markedly, both in terms of the variety of scholars who have tried to uncover the causes of crime and also in terms of the diverse theories that have been produced by these persons (Gibbons 1994). Currently legal theorists, psychologists, economists, geographers, and representatives of other scholarly fields engage in criminological theorizing and research. There has also been renewed interest in sociobiological theorizing and investigation regarding criminality. Even so, the largest share of work has been and continues to be carried on by sociologists. Thus, criminology is frequently identified as a subfield of sociology (Gibbons 1979, 1994).

Although a few scholars have argued that crime should be defined as consisting of violations of basic human rights or for some other ‘‘social’’ conception, most criminologists opt for the legalistic view that crime and criminal behavior are identified by the criminal laws of nations, states, and local jurisdictions. Acts that are not prohibited or required by the criminal law are not crimes, however much they may offend some members of the community. Also, the reach of the criminal law in modern societies is very broad, involving a wide range of behavioral acts that vary not only in form but in severity as well. The criminal laws of various states and nations prohibit morally repugnant acts such as murder or incest, but they also prohibit less serious offenses such as vandalism, petty theft, and myriad other acts. Parenthetically, there is considerable controversy in modern America, both among criminologists and among members of the general public, as to whether certain kinds of behavior, such as marijuana use, various consensual sex acts between adults, or abortion, ought to be expunged from or brought into the criminal codes.

Persons of all ages violate criminal laws, although a number of forms of criminality are most frequent among persons in their teens or early twenties. Except for ‘‘status offense’’ violations such as running away, truancy, and the like, which apply only to juveniles (usually defined as persons under eighteen years of age), juvenile delinquency and adult criminality are defined by the same body of criminal statutes. However, criminologists have often constructed theories about delinquency separate from explanations of adult criminality. Although many theories of delinquency closely resemble those dealing with adult crime, some of the former are not paralleled by theories of adult criminality. In the discussion to follow, most attention is upon explanatory arguments about adult lawbreaking, but some mention is also made of causal arguments about juvenile crime.

Criminological Questions and Causal Theories

Given the broad compass of the criminal law, and given the variety of different perspectives from which the phenomenon of crime has been addressed, it is little wonder that there are many theories of crime. Most of these theories center on the explanation of crime patterns and crime rates, or what might be termed ‘‘crime in the aggregate,’’ or are pitched at the individual level and endeavor to identify factors that account for the involvement of specific individuals in lawbreaking conduct (Cressey 1951; Gibbons 1992, pp. 35–39)

These are related but analytically separate questions about the causes of crime. As Donald Cressey (1951) argued many years ago, an adequate account of criminality should contain two distinct but consistent aspects: First, a statement that explains the statistical distribution of criminal behavior in time and space (epidemiology), and second, a statement that identifies the process or processes by which persons come to engage in criminal behavior. Statistical distributions of criminal behavior in time and space are usually presented in the form of crime rates of one kind or another. One of the most familiar of these is the index crime rate reported annually for cities, states, and other jurisdictions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The index crime rate is comprised of the number of reported cases of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, auto theft, and arson per jurisdiction, expressed as a rate per 100,000 persons in that jurisdiction’s population.

Many crime rate patterns are well known, including relatively high rates of violence in the United States as compared to other nations, state-by-state variations in forcible rape rates, regional variations in homicide and other crimes within the United States, and so forth. However, criminological scholars continue to be hampered in their efforts to account for variations in crime across various nations in the world by the lack of detailed data about lawbreaking in nations and regions other than the United States (although see van Dijk, Mayhew, and Killias 1990).

Criminologists have developed a number of theories or explanations for many crime rate variations. One case in point is Larry Baron and Murray Straus’s (1987) investigation of rape rates for the fifty American states, in which they hypothesized that state-to-state variations in gender inequality, social disorganization (high divorce rates, low church attendance, and the like), pornography readership, and ‘‘cultural spillover’’ (authorized paddling of school children, etc.) are major influences on forcible rape. Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld’s (1994) institutional anomie theory is another example of theorizing that focuses on crime rate variations. They argued that in present-day America, cultural pressures to accumulate money and other forms of wealth are joined to weak social controls arising from noneconomic elements of the social structure, principally the political system, along with religion, education, and family patterns. According to Messner and Rosenfeld, this pronounced emphasis on the accumulation of wealth and weak social restraints promotes high rates of instrumental criminal activity such as robbery, burglary, larceny, and auto theft.

Crime rates are important social indicators that reflect the quality of life in different regions, states, or areas. Additionally, theories that link various social factors to those rates provide considerable insight into the causes of lawbreaking. But, it is well to keep in mind that crime rates are the summary expression of illegal acts of individuals. Much of the time, the precise number of offenders who have carried out the reported offenses is unknown because individual law violators engage in varying numbers of crimes per year. Even so, crime rates summarize the illegal actions of individuals. Accordingly, theories of crime must ultimately deal with the processes by which these specific persons come to exhibit criminal behavior.

In practice, criminological theories that focus on crime rates and patterns often have had relatively little to say about the causes of individual behavior. For example, variations in income inequality from one place to another have been identified by criminologists as being related to rates of predatory property crime such as burglary, automobile theft, and larceny. Many of the studies that have reported this finding have had little to say about how income inequality, defined as the unequal distribution of income among an entire population of an area or locale, affects individuals. In short, explanations of crime rate variations often have failed to indicate how the explanatory variables they identify ‘‘get inside the heads of offenders,’’ so to speak.

Although criminological theories about crime rates and crime patterns have often been developed independently of theories related to the processes by which specific persons come to exhibit criminal conduct, valid theories of these processes ought to have implications for the task of understanding the realities of individual criminal conduct. For example, if variations in gender inequality and levels of pornography are related to rates of forcible rape, it may be that males who carry out sexual assaults are also the individuals who most strongly approve of discrimination against women and who are avid consumers of pornography. In the same way, if income inequality bears a consistent relationship to rates of predatory crime, it may be that individual predators express strong feelings of ‘‘relative deprivation,’’ that is, perceptions that they are economically disadvantaged and distressed about their situation. However, some additional factors may also have to be identified that determine which of the persons who oppose women’s rights or who feel relatively deprived become involved in illegal conduct and which do not.

Perspectives, Theories, and Hypotheses

A number of arguments about crime patterns and the processes through which individuals get involved in lawbreaking are examined below. Before moving to these specific theories, however, two other general observations are in order. First, in criminology, as in sociology more generally, there is considerable disagreement regarding the nature of perspectives, theories, and hypotheses (as well as paradigms, frameworks, and other theoretical constructions). Even so, perspectives are often identified as broad and relatively unsystematic arguments; while theories are often described as sets of concepts, along with interconnected propositions that link the concepts together into an ‘‘explanatory package’’; and hypotheses are specific research propositions derived from theories. In practice, however, many causal explanations that have been described as theories have been incomplete and also conceptually imprecise. Jack Gibbs (1985) has labeled such ‘‘theories’’ as being in ‘‘the discursive mode’’ rather than as formal theories. Discursive arguments are stated in everyday language and their underlying logic is often difficult to identify. According to Gibbs, because many criminological theories are discursive, precise predictions cannot be deduced from them, nor is it possible to subject predictions to empirical test, that is, to validation through research.

Many criminological theories involve relatively vague concepts, faulty underlying logic, and other problems. At the same time, it is possible to identify a number of general theoretical perspectives in criminology and to differentiate these from relatively formalized and precise theories. For example, many criminologists contend that American society is criminogenic because it involves social and economic features that appear to contribute heavily to criminality. However, this is a general perspective rather than a theory of crime in that it does not identify the full range of factors that contribute to lawbreaking, and it also lacks a set of explicit and interrelated propositions. By contrast, the income inequality argument more clearly qualifies as a causal theory, as does the formulation that links gender inequality, pornography readership, and certain other influences to forcible rape.

A few other comments are in order on theoretical perspectives in criminology. During most of the developmental history of criminology in the United States, from the early 1900s to the present, sociological criminologists voiced support for the criminogenic culture thesis that directs attention to social-structural factors thought to be responsible for criminality. Thus, this view might also be referred to as ‘‘mainstream criminology.’’ Most criminologists have linked lawbreaking to major ‘‘rents and tears’’ in societal structure at the same time that most of them have assumed that these crime-producing features can be remedied or lessened through social and economic reforms of one kind or another (Gibbons 1992, 1994; Currie 1985).

In the 1970s, a markedly different perspective competed for attention. Often referred to as ‘‘radical- Marxist’’ or ‘‘critical’’ criminology, it asserted that the causes of crime arise out of societal characteristics that are inherent in corporate capitalism (Gibbons 1992, pp.122–130; Chambliss 1975; Quinney 1974, 1977). According to radical-Marxist criminologists, criminal laws serve the interests of the capitalist ruling class. In turn, the system of corporate capitalism over which the ruling class presides depends for its survival on the exploitation of the resources and people of other countries and the economic oppression of citizens within capitalist nations. These conditions create economic strains for many persons, contribute to the deterioration of family life, and drive many individuals into desperate acts of lawbreaking.

The radical-Marxist perspective received considerable attention in the 1970s. Those who criticized it claimed that it presented a one-dimensional, oversimplified account of the social sources of criminality. For example, while some criminal laws favor the interests of the owners of capital, many others serve broader social interests. Similarly, while some forms of crime may be related to economic problems, others are not.

A number of other alternative perspectives began to appear in criminology in the 1980s and 1990s, so that theorizing about crime and criminality has become even more diversified. These ‘‘new criminologies’’ (Gibbons 1994, pp. 151–175) include postmodernist viewpoints, feminist arguments, and a number of other strains of thought, all of which differ in a number of ways from ‘‘mainstream’’ criminology.

Although broad theorizing has continued to proliferate in criminology, another major trend in recent years has taken criminology in a different direction, toward relatively detailed theories specific to one or another form of crime and toward research investigations of those theories. Baron and Straus’s (1987) formulation that links gender inequality, pornography, and specific flaws in the social control system is a case in point, as is Kenneth Polk’s (1994) theorizing and research regarding the various ‘‘scenarios’’ of social interaction that culminate in lethal violence. Indeed, contemporary criminology has a rich accumulation of empirical evidence that can be drawn upon by those who seek to understand the nature and causes of criminality in modern societies.

Forms of Crime and Types of Offenders

The legal codes of the various states and of the federal government include hundreds of specific offenses, but the explanatory task is to develop a relatively small set of theories that make sense of this diverse collection of illegal activities.

In their response to this task, Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi (1990) have argued that virtually all forms of criminal activity, and many kinds of deviant behavior as well, share certain features in common: they are spontaneous, unplanned actions requiring little or no skill for their commission. Further, Gottfredson and Hirschi have claimed that lawbreakers rarely specialize in specific acts of criminality. They concluded that virtually all of these varying criminal and deviant acts can be accounted for by a single, general theory that asserts they are the work of persons who are characterized by low self-control. Accordingly, in their view, there is no need for schemes that classify types of crime or kinds of offenders or for separate theories to account for them.

However, many criminologists contend that there are relatively distinct forms of crime that differ from each other and also that the behavior of many criminals is relatively patterned. For example, some offenders concentrate their efforts upon larcenous acts while others of them are mainly involved in acts of violence.

A number of criminologists have tried to sort the diverse collection of illegal activities into a smaller number of sociologically meaningful groupings or crime forms (Farr and Gibbons 1990; Gibbons 1994). Some have singled out crude property crime, consisting of larceny, burglary, robbery, and kindred offenses, as one type of crime; others have placed homicide and assaultive acts into another crime type; while still others have treated forcible rape and other sexual offenses as yet another broad form of lawbreaking. Then, too, ‘‘white-collar’’ or organizational crime has often been singled out as a crime pattern (Sutherland 1949; Schrager and Short 1978; Coleman 1987), consisting in large part of criminal acts such as antitrust violations, financial fraud, and the like, carried on by corporations and other large organizations. ‘‘Organized crime’’ is still another type that has received a good deal of criminological attention. Some persons have also pointed to a collection of offenses that receive little visibility in the mass media and elsewhere and have termed these ‘‘folk crimes’’ (Ross 1960–1961, 1973) or ‘‘mundane crimes’’ (Gibbons 1983). Finally, ‘‘political crime’’ has been identified as a major pattern of lawbreaking (Turk 1982).

Although these groupings identify forms of lawbreaking that may differ from each other in important ways, it is also true that they are relatively crude in form in that the underlying dimensions or variables on which they are based have not been spelled out. Further, there is disagreement among criminologists as to the specific crimes that should be identified as instances of white-collar crime, mundane crime, or some other category.

Criminologists have also developed systems for sorting individual offenders into behavioral types (Gibbons 1965). Although related to crime classification efforts, categorization of lawbreakers into types is a separate activity. While it may be possible to identify groupings such as predatory property crime, it many not be true that individual offenders specialize in that form of crime, hence it may be incorrect to speak of ‘‘predatory offenders’’ as a type of criminal. Most offender classification systems have been deficient in one respect or another (Gibbons 1985), but the most serious flaw is that they are oversimplified. Researchers have discovered that many offenders engage in a fairly diverse collection of offenses over their criminal ‘‘careers’’ rather than being crime specialists such as ‘‘burglars,’’ ‘‘robbers,’’ or ‘‘drug dealers’’ (Chaiken and Chaiken 1982).

The number of theories regarding particular forms of crime is extensive, thus they cannot all be reviewed here (for a review of many of them, see Gibbons 1994). Additional to those theories mentioned previously, a sampling of the more important ones would include the routine activities explanation of predatory property crime. Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson (1979) contend that predatory property crime involves three major elements: the supply of motivated offenders, the supply of suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardians. In other words, these crimes are carried out by persons with criminal motives, but the incidence of such offenses also depends upon the number of opportunities to burglarize homes or to rob persons. Also, the number of burglaries from one community to another is influenced by the degree to which residents in local areas act as guardians by maintaining surveillance over homes in their neighborhoods or by taking other crime-control steps. This theory takes note of the fact that criminal opportunities have increased in the United States in recent decades at the same time that capable guardianship has declined, due principally to changes in employment patterns. In particular, the number of families in which both adult members work during the day has grown markedly, as has the number of employed, single-parent families. Research evidence lends considerable support to this theory (Cohen and Felson 1979).

Research evidence also indicates that income inequality is related to predatory property crime (Braithwaite 1979; Carroll and Jackson 1983). Further, Leo Carroll and Pamela Jackson (1983) argue that the routine activities and income inequality arguments are interrelated. They suggest that the labor market trends identified in the former have led to increased crime opportunities, declines in guardianship, and heightened levels of income inequality.

Theories of Criminal Behavior

While theories about crime patterns and rates have been developed principally by sociological criminologists, representatives of a number of disciplines have endeavored to identify factors and processes that explain the involvement or noninvolvement of specific individuals in lawbreaking. Three basic approaches can be noted: the biogenicsociobiogenic, psychogenic, and sociogenic orientations. Biogenic-sociobiogenic views attribute the genesis or causes of lawbreaking, entirely or in part, to constitutional and hereditary factors, while psychogenic perspectives often contend that lawbreakers exhibit personality problems to which their illegal conduct is a response. By contrast, sociologists have most often advanced sociological theories, arguing that criminal behavior is learned in a socialization process by individuals who are neither biologically nor psychologically flawed. Also, some persons have constructed theories that combine or integrate elements of these three approaches, one case being James Wilson and Richard Herrnstein’s (1985) argument that the behavior of criminals has genetic and constitutional roots and that offenders tend to be more mesomorphic in body build, less intelligent, and more burdened with personality defects than their noncriminal peers. Wilson and Herrnstein also contend that various social factors such as unemployment, community influences, and the like play some part in criminality.

Three generalizations can be made about biological theories: First, conclusive evidence supporting these arguments has not yet been produced; second, biological factors cannot be ruled out on the basis of the empirical evidence currently on hand; and third, if biological factors are involved in criminality, they are probably intertwined with social and psychological influences (Trasler 1987; Fishbein 1990).

In the first half of the twentieth century, psychological arguments about criminals centered on claims that these persons were feebleminded, or somewhat later, that many of them were suffering from serious mental pathology of one sort or another. However, a number of reviews of the evidence, particularly that having to do with the alleged role of low intelligence or personality defects in criminality, turned up little or no support for such claims (Schuessler and Cressey 1950; Waldo and Dinitz 1967; Tennenbaum 1977).

Even so, there is a lingering suspicion among a number of criminologists that the criminal acts of at least some lawbreakers, including certain kinds of sexual offenders, can be attributed to faulty socialization and abberant personality patterns (Gibbons 1994). Additionally, some psychologists have argued that even though the broad theory that criminality is due to marked personality defects on the part of lawbreakers lacks support, it is nonetheless true that individual differences in the form of personality patterns must be incorporated into criminological theories (Andrews and Wormith 1989; Blackburn 1993; Andrews and Bonta 1998). Moreover, in the opinion of a number of sociological criminologists, the argument that individual differences make a difference, both in accounting for criminality and for conformity, is persuasive (Gibbons 1989, 1994). Personality dynamics play a part in the behavior patterns that individuals exhibit, thus such concepts as role and status are often not entirely adequate to account for the behavior of individuals. Lawbreaking is quite probably related to the psychic needs of individuals as well as social and economic influences that play upon them. On this point, Jack Katz (1988) has explored the personal meanings of homicidal acts, shoplifting, and a number of other kinds of criminality to the persons who have engaged in these acts.

Sutherland’s theory of differential association (Sutherland, Cressey, and Luckenbill 1992, pp.88– 90) has been one of the most influential sociological theories about the processes through which persons come to engage in criminality. Sutherland maintained that criminal behavior, including techniques of committing crime and conduct definitions favorable to lawbreaking activity, is learned in association with other persons. Many of the associations of persons involve face-to-face contact, but conduct definitions favoring criminality can be acquired indirectly from reference groups, that is, from persons who are important to individuals but with whom they do not directly associate. Sutherland also contended that associations vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity (the personal meaning or significance to individuals of particular social ties).

A very different theory, directed mainly at the explanation of juvenile delinquency, is that if, through faulty socialization, individuals fail to become bonded or connected to others (that is, if they do not develop positive attachments to adult persons such as parents or teachers), they will then be unlikely to refrain from misbehavior (Hirschi 1969). The emphasis in this argument is on the failure to acquire prosocial, nondelinquent sentiments rather than on the learning of antisocial ones. In this view, delinquency is the result of defective socialization rather than of socialization patterns through which criminal attitudes are learned. A more recent but related version of this argument, noted earlier in this essay, is that of Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), who have claimed that criminality and other forms of deviance are most often engaged in by persons who are low on self-control.

Theoretical Integration

Clearly, there is a wealth of differing arguments about the causes of crime and individual lawbreaking now in existence. Not surprisingly, then, a number of scholars have begun to ask whether it might be possible to amalgamate some or all of these varied lines of explanation into an integrated theory and thereby to develop a more powerful causal argument. Some criminologists have suggested that biological, psychological, and sociological contentions about crime all have some part to play in explaining crime and that, therefore, they should be integrated (Barak 1998). Others have proposed more limited forms of integration in which, for example, several sociological arguments might be merged into a single formulation (e.g., Tittle 1995; Braithwaite 1989) or in which psychological claims about lawbreaking might be linked or integrated with sociological ones. But to date, criminological investigators have not moved very far in the direction of sophisticated theoretical integrations. Further research on the interconnections between biological, psychological, and social factors in crime and criminal conduct will probably be required if integrative efforts are to bear fruit.

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• Hirschi, Travis 1969 Causes of Delinquency. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Katz, Jack 1988 Seductions of Crime. New York: Basic Books.
• Messner, Steven F., and Richard Rosenfeld 1994 Crime and the American Dream. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth.
• Polk, Kenneth 1994 When Men Kill. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press.
• Quinney, Richard 1974 Critique of Legal Order. Boston: Little, Brown.
• Quinney, Richard 1977 Class, State, and Crime. New York: McKay.
• Ross, H. Laurence 1960-61 ‘‘Traffic Law Violation: A Folk Crime.’’ Social Problems 9:231–241.
• Ross, H. Laurence 1973 ‘‘Folk Crime Revisited.’’ Criminology 11:41–85.
• Schrager, Laura Shill, and James F. Short, Jr. 1978 ‘‘Toward a Sociology of Organizational Crime.’’ Social Problems 25:407–419.
• Schuessler, Karl F., and Donald R. Cressey 1950 ‘‘Personality Characteristicsof Criminals.’’ American Journal of Sociology 55:476–484.
• Sutherland, Edwin H. 1949 White Collar Crime. New York: Dryden.
• Sutherland, Edwin H., Donald R. Cressey, and David F. Luckenbill 1992 Principles of Criminology, 11th ed. Dix Hills, N.Y.: General Hall.
• Tennenbaum, D. J. 1977 ‘‘Personality and Criminality: A Summary and Implications of the Literature.’’ Journal of Criminal Justice 5:225–235.
• Tittle, Charles R. 1995 Control Balance. Boulder, Colo.: Westview.
• Trasler, Gordon 1987 ‘‘Biogenetic Factors.’’ In Herbert C. Quay, ed., Handbook of Juvenile Delinquency. New York: Wiley.
• Turk, Austin T. 1982 Political Criminality. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage.
• van Dijk, Jan J., Pat Mayhew, and Martin Killias 1990 Experiences of Crime Across the World. Deventer, The Netherlands: Kluwer Law and Taxation Publishers.

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Sociology Dissertation Topics For 2024

Published by Alvin Nicolas at January 10th, 2023 , Revised On April 16, 2024

Introduction

Sociology is the study of society, social patterns, social relationships, etc. Essentially, it studies how human society functions and operates. Sociology also examines the process of human interaction, how it is preserved and what causes it to evolve. As a sociology student, you will gain in-depth knowledge and understanding regarding human interactions and social relationships. Still, you will also learn about crime, social classes, religions, cultures, and more.

As part of your degree programme, you may have to submit a dissertation. The topic that you choose for your sociology dissertation should be trending and relevant. It should discuss an issue that is prevailing in society.

To help you get started with brainstorming for sociology topic ideas, we have developed a list of the latest topics that can be used for writing your history dissertation.

These topics have been developed by PhD qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question ,  aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation examples  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of  dissertation topics for here.

2024 Sociology Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: the sociology of new work from home employment model- an exploratory analysis determining the sociological effects of work from home during covid-19 in the uk.

Research Aim: This research aims to determine the sociological effects of the new work from home (WFH) employment model adopted by organizations during COVID-19 in the UK. It will identify how WFH affected the social and personal lives of employees. Moreover, it will see how these sociological effects translated into their work efficacy. And whether organizations are aware of these effects and what were their human resource (HR) policies to improve their employees’ social lives?

Topic 2: What are the Sociological Determinants of the Gender Pay Gap in Western Society? A Case Study of Multinational Corporations in the USA, UK, Canada, and Germany

Research Aim: This study will find the sociological determinants of the gender pay gap in western society. It will assess the individuals working in multinational organizations in the USA, UK, Canada, and Germany to see whether their cultures, norms, and traditions impact gender pay in these countries. Furthermore, how do these organizations address the issue of the gender pay gap and their findings on this issue?

Topic 3: Is it Bad to be a Transgender in South Asia? Impact of Transgender Stigmatization on the Transgender Suicide Rate in the India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

Research Aim: This research will analyze the impact of transgender stigmatization on the transgender suicide rate in South Asia. It will assess India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as case studies to find how being a transgender person there and how does it affect their lives and what social factors force them to commit suicide? Moreover, it will identify the steps taken by their local governments to make society more transgender-inclusive and what difference these policies made in the lives of transgender people.

Topic 4: Does Religion Act Differently in Rural and Urban Settings? A Study to Find the Differential Effects of Islam on the Social Fabric of Rural and Urban Societies in Pakistan

Research Aim: This study will find the differential effects of Islam on the social fabric of rural and urban societies in Pakistan. It will determine the factors such as education level, general awareness, usage of technology, etc., that make a difference in how individuals follow religion in Pakistan’s rural and urban settings. Moreover, it will show how these factors play a mediating role between religion and the social fabric of rural and urban societies in Pakistan.

Topic 5: A Critical Examination of Religious Institutions in the UK and their Influence on Social Structure

Research Aim: This research intends to critically examine the role of religious institutions in shaping the social structures in the UK. It will identify the channels through which these religious institutions affect the individuals, transforming their social networks through changes in their family structures, parenting, religious beliefs, etc. Moreover, it will identify which religion has more effect on the lives of individuals in the UK and whether it is affecting their social and professional lives as well?

Covid-19 Sociology Research Topics

Topic 1: the effects of coronavirus on sociology.

Research Aim: The sociological aspects of societies during coronavirus pandemic. The study will highlight all elements thoroughly.

Topic 2: Sociological opportunities and resources during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will review the sociological opportunities and resources during COVID-19

Topic 3: Global sociology and COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will highlight the challenges faced by global sociologist and their contribution to combatting COVID-19.

Topic 4: COVID-19 and the future of society

Research Aim: This study will assess the current situations and damages caused due to COVID-19 and predict society’s future after COVID-19 associating it with social distancing and fears created by the pandemic.

More Sociology Dissertation Topics for 2024

Topic 1: impacts of ethnic discrimination.

Research Aim: This research aims to study the impacts of ethnic discrimination on society

Topic 2: Types of discrimination in workplaces

Research Aim: This research aims to study discrimination in workplaces and suggest possible ways to solve them.

Topic 3: Dress codes and their impact on equality

Research Aim: This research aims to address the issues relevant to the imposition of dress codes in workplaces and institutions. It will also identify how far dress code ensures equality among the staff and what issues and challenges people face due to their religious and cultural backgrounds.

Topic 4: Oldage homes Vs. orphanages

Research Aim: This study will conduct a comparative study on old age homes and orphanages and suggest innovative solutions to improve their conditions and introduce various activities to provide them with a healthy and productive environment.

Sociology Dissertation Topics for 2023

Topic 1: the impact of race, real estate markets, and neighbourhood dynamics on evictions..

Research Aim: Using quantitative research techniques, the research looks to examine social stratification and inequality in neighbourhoods of the United States with the highest crime rates. The research will examine how various factors may impact social segregation and social mobility.

Topic 2: Is terrorism a social construct?

Research Aim: The research paper will use document analysis as the research technique to identify the extent to which terrorism is socially constructed. The paper will analyze the varying definitions of terrorism and the difficulties that surround it. It will examine events that are labelled terrorist acts based on traditional, legal, and academic definitions.

Topic 3: Analysing the perceptions and responses to female child sex offenders

Research Aim: The research will use qualitative research techniques to understand and explain the perceptions of female child sex offenders and responses to such in the criminal justice system, the media, the public, and social welfare professionals. The purpose of the research will be to bring to the forefront a different perspective by which to analyze expectations towards gender and its effect on gender’s criminological representations.

Topic 4: Stratification in labour markets of the UK after the great recession 2007-2009

Research Aim: Using quantitative techniques for a research method, the study will use theories and techniques used for understanding patterns and sources of income inequality to investigate employment inequality. The Great Recession’s consequences of employment inequality will be analysed using race, ethnicity, and gender.

Topic 5: Athletic privilege & lack of conviction

Research Aim: This research will analyse the arrest and conviction of athletes in sexual assault cases between athletes and non-athletes from 200 to 2017. There is a great lack of study of sexual assault arrest and conviction rates among male collegiate and professional athletes. The study will determine if and why athletes receive privileged treatment by the criminal justice system, specifically when accused of felony sexual assault against women.

Topic 6: Predisposition of America’s law enforcement towards racial stereotyping, discrimination, and profiling.

Research Aim: The study will examine law enforcement officers in the United States and the reasons why there is rampant racial bias against African Americans. There has been a surge of police brutality against African American citizens, making it imperative to examine the reasons behind the surge to improve police and community relationships.

Topic 7: The religious perspective of the role and importance of women in modern society: Islam versus Christianity

Research Aim: The main purpose of this study will be to identify the roles and importance of women in the modern world while undertaking the religious perspective. In this study, the researcher will identify the role of women while focusing on the role of women in Islam and how it differs from the role of women in Christianity.

Topic 8: Assessing the impact of cultural differences on organisational communication in MNC’s: case study of developed countries.

Research Aim: This study will identify the importance of communication in MNCs and the influence of cultural differences that may hinder or increase the level of effective communication within multinational organisations. The researcher will identify major cultural barriers and their relationship with communication within multinational organisations of developed countries.

Topic 9: To explore the significance of having a strong association between religious teaching and academic teaching

Research Aim: The main purpose of the research will be to identify the importance of preaching academic and religious knowledge to the students while focusing on the major challenges that can be faced by teachers while combining these two approaches.

Sociology of Gender Dissertation Topics

This has become one of the most prominent areas of sociology in recent times. Over the past five to six decades, an increasing part of public discourse and academic literature has been dedicated to gender equality. However, most of the work in this area of sociology has been done with reference to underdeveloped countries where complex gender issues prevail in societies. Some interesting topics in this area of sociology are suggested below for you to base your dissertation on.

Topic 1: Investigating changing gender roles in society and the effect of media

Research Aim: This research will talk about the changing gender roles in society and evaluate the role of media.

Topic 2: To study the reasons as to why women have been historically excluded from education

Research Aim: This study will talk about the various reasons why women have been excluded from education over the past years.

Topic 3: Studying gender policies in large and diversified multinational companies in the UK with a focus on the role of those policies in eliminating gender discrimination at the workplace

Research Aim: This research will help understand the gender issues in MNCs and will also evaluate the role of gender discrimination policies at workplaces.

Topic 4: To investigate the possible social aspects that could affect societal gender relationships

Research Aim: This research will help evaluate the role of social aspects that impact societal gender relationships.

Topic 5: To study the possible reasons as to why the role of females in society is influenced by the power politics of a society

Research Aim: This research will help in understanding the reasons why power politics influence females in society.

Topic 6: Do women in developing countries have a greater role to play in income-generating business activities?

Research Aim: This research will focus on women’s work in developing countries. It will evaluate whether they have a more significant role in generating income through different business activities.

Topic 7: The impact of religion in determining the optimum role of females in a society

Research Aim: This research will help evaluate the impact of religion in determining females’ best role in society.

Topic 8: Investigating possible reasons as to why women are discriminated against at work

Research Aim: This research will help investigate the various reasons why women are discriminated against at different workplaces.

Topic 9: To study societal behaviour that shapes gender relations

Research Aim: This research will help study social behaviour, which helps develop gender relations.

Topic 10: Analysing the increasing participation of women in politics and its impact on society

Research Aim: This research will help analyse the increasing participation of women in politics and its impact on society.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Industrial Sociology Dissertation Topics

Industrial Sociology can be defined as the study of behaviours and motivations of employees in a work environment. Most descriptions in this sociology area are anthropological as if an external observer is commenting on the office’s social environment. Some topics are suggested below if you intend to base your dissertation on this sub-field of sociology .

Topic 1: Studying the most critical aspect of modern industrial societies in the UK

Research Aim: This research will focus on the most essential and critical aspects of modern industrial societies in the UK.

Topic 2: Do societal beliefs and values really influence the role of corporate social responsibility?

Research Aim: This study will talk about various beliefs and values that impact corporate social responsibility.

Topic 3: The sociology of work: From industrial sociology to work, employment and the economy

Research Aim: This research will aim to investigate the sociology of work, i.e. industrial sociology, employment, an+d economy,

Topic 4: Organisational goals or social requirements – what should a worker-supervisor relationship bias be base on?

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand organisational goals or social requirements. The focus of the study will be to study the worker-supervisor relationship.

Topic 5: To investigate the social dimensions of communication in a large and diversified business organisation

Research Aim: This study will investigate the social dimensions of communication in a large and diversified business organisation.

Topic 6: To establish and critically analyse the relationship between work productivity and motivation

Research Aim: This research will talk about the relationship between productivity and motivation. The ties will be critically analysed.

Topic 7: How society is responding to automation in workplaces on workers?

Research Aim: This research will study the impact automation at workplaces has on employees.

Topic 8: To study strategies to ensure management of cultural diversity and cultural harmony in an organisation

Research Aim: This research will study strategies implemented to manage cultural diversity and harmony at workplaces.

Topic 9: How can the fluctuating trends influence employees' social well-being in the role of trade unions?

Research Aim: This research will investigate how employees’ social well-being is impacted by fluctuating trends in the role of trade unions.

Topic 10: To critically analyse the social structure of a multinational firm operating in the UK

Research Aim: This research will analyse the social structure of a multinational operating in the UK.

Economic Sociology Dissertation Topics

Economic sociology can precisely describe as studying the social cause and effect of various economic phenomena. This sub-field of sociology is further divided into a “contemporary” period and a “classical” one.

Economic sociology views the economy as a social institute that deals with the consumption, production, and distribution of products and services. Below are suggested some intriguing economic sociology dissertation topics for you to base your dissertation on:

Topic 1: To investigate the intra-household economic relationships of UK families with a particular focus on ethnic groups

Research Aim: This research will investigate UK families’ intra-household economic relationships. The study will base a particular focus on ethnic groups in these families.

Topic 2: To investigate the potentially detrimental effects of the recent economic slump in the social status of members from the secondary labour market

Research Aim: This study will aim to understand the detrimental impacts of the recent economic slump on secondary labourers’ social status.

Topic 3: To identify and study the most prominent sociological dimensions of socio-economic development

Research Aim: This research will identify and study the most prominent sociological dimensions of socio-economic development.

Topic 4: Can socio-economic development be ensured through an informal economy?

Research Aim: This study will explore whether socio-economic development is ensured through the informal economy

Topic 5: To determine whether the communism model can succeed in the UK society

Research Aim: This study will find out whether the communist model in the UK can succeed or not.

Topic 6: To critically review communism and capitalism economic models

Research Aim: This study will critically examine and review communism and capitalism economic models.

Topic 7: To study the extent to which international labour migration is affecting the UK’s society

Research Aim: This study will analyse the extent to which international labour migration impacts UK society.

Topic 8: To investigate the economy of the UK in terms of Marx’s criticism of capitalism

Research Aim: This study will investigate the UK economy to view Marx’s capitalism criticism.

Topic 9: Exploring the fundamental principles of economic sociology

Research Aim: This research will explore and examine economic sociology’s fundamental principles.

Topic 10: A critical analysis on the role of gender in the economy of the UK

Research Aim: This research will critically analyze gender roles in the UK economy.

Political Sociology Dissertation Topics

Political sociology primarily deals with the relationship between states and societies. This sub-field of sociology further considers power politics, political conflicts, and micro and macro components of sociology and political science. Here are some intriguing topics about political sociology.

Topic 1: A critical review of the concept of political sociology related to direct democracy

Research Aim: This research will deal with the concept of political sociology concerning direct democracy.

Topic 2: E-governance and the politics of identification: Unique identities, citizenship, and state in contemporary India

Research Aim: This research will discuss a relatively new concept, i.e. e-governance for politics of identification. The main focus of this dissertation will be exploring unique identities, states, and citizenship in India.

Topic 3: Analyzing elite theory in political sociology

Research Aim: Elite theory explores power relationships in contemporary society. This research will analyse this critical theory of political sociology.

Topic 4: Evaluating the role of social forces in power politics in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss and evaluate social forces’ role in power politics in the United Kingdom.

Topic 5: To determine the extent to which the democratic political model can influence a capitalist society

Research Aim: This research will aim to determine the extent to which a democratic political model can impact a capitalist society.

Topic 6: To study and compare rational-legal and leadership models with respect to the British society

Research Aim: This research will compare relational-legal and various leadership models about British society.

Topic 7: The importance and influence of ethnic minorities in British power politics Ethnic minorities hold huge power in British politics.

Research Aim: This research will explore the importance and influence of all such ethnic minorities in Britain.

Topic 8: Assessing modern politics and the role of globalisation

Research Aim: This research will talk about globalisation and how it impacts and influences modern politics.

Topic 9: Examining the British welfare state system: How does it impact individuals

Research Aim: This research will study and examine the British welfare state system. Furthermore, the study will also learn how this system impacts individuals.

Topic 10: A critical analysis of the Islamic welfare state system

Research Aim: This research will explore the Islamic welfare state system, how it operates, and its impact on society.

Also Read: Psychology Dissertation Topics

Sociology of Culture Dissertation Topics

Cultural sociology is an exciting area of sociology. The cultural norms, beliefs, values, and material and non-material aspects of culture are discussed in detail under this sociology sub-field. Here are some interesting cultural sociology dissertation topics you can choose from:

Topic 1: To study the validity and application of Marx’s conflict theory in British society

Research Aim: This research will discuss the conflict theory presented by Marx and examine its validity and application in British Society.

Topic 2: Investigating how the British native beliefs, norms and values have been influenced by cultural invasion from immigrants

Research Aim: This research will understand how immigrants influence British native beliefs, norms, and values.

Topic 3: Identifying and analysing the scope and dimensions of cultural shock an Asian foreigner can expect to face in the UK

Research Aim: This research will assess and examine how an Asian foreigner can sustain a cultural shock in the UK.

Topic 4: Are there any cultural lags in British society – A literature review from the past 10 years?

Research Aim: This will be an exciting study as it will explore cultural lags in British society—all the evidence from the past ten years assessed under this topic.

Topic 5: Importance of social interactions among cultures – Exploring the good and bad aspects of social interaction among sub-cultures in British society

Research Aim: This research will discuss the various social interactions among different cultures and explore the good and bad social interaction factors among subcultures in British society.

Topic 6: To critically analyse various subcultures in the UK with reference to geography

Research Aim: This research will analyse the different subcultures operating and living in the US regarding geography.

Topic 7: Evaluating the fluctuating principles of counterculture in Britain

Research Aim: This research will understand the principles of counterculture in the United States.

Topic 8: Comparing norms and values of modern British society to the culture 20 years ago

Research Aim: This will be a comparative study. The dissertation will compare and contrast the norms and values of modern British society with that of the culture prevalent 20 years ago.

Topic 9: To what extent has the popular culture of the UK transformed over the last few decades?

Research Aim: This research will understand how popular UK culture has changed over the past few years.

Topic 10: Examining culture and globalisation from the perspective of sociology

Research Aim: This research will assess and examine culture and globalisation from the perspective of sociology.

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Education Sociology Dissertation Topics

The sociology of education can be described as how individual experiences and educational institutions can affect education and its outcomes. This sociology area primarily deals with the schooling systems with a focus on adult, higher, and continuing education. Some interesting topics in this field of sociology are suggested below:

Topic 1: Examining the causes of education restriction of females in developing countries

Research Aim: This research will assess and evaluate the underlying causes that restrict females from gaining an education in developing countries.

Topic 2: To investigate the relationship between student performance and teacher behaviour – A study of the hurdles while acquiring education

Research Aim: This research will understand the relationship between student performance and teacher behaviour. The study’s primary focus will be to understand the hurdles that students come across while acquiring education.

Topic 3: A comparison of the facilities provided in private and public sector schools

Research Aim: This research will compare and contrast the facilities provided by private schools to public schools.

Topic 4: A historical review of sociology policies employed by the UK following the second world war

Research Aim: This research will be a historical review that will study the UK’s policies following the second world war.

Topic 5: Assessing the extent to which the education structure in the UK has changed due to the social exclusion of youth in educational institutes

Research Aim: This research will study the extent to which the UK’s education structure has changed due to the social exclusion of youth in educational institutes.

Topic 6: Evaluating the importance of social supervision and support in British elementary schools

Research Aim: This research will assess and evaluate the importance of social supervision and support in British elementary schools.

Topic 7: The impact of school background on how children perceive the society

Research Aim: This research will focus on a critical issue, i.e. the impact of school education and background and how it shapes a child’s perception of their society.

Topic 8: The role of British education curriculum in terms of economic and sociological result

Research Aim: This research will understand the British curriculum’s role concerning economic and sociological results.

Topic 9: Investigating the extent to which UK’s public schools and colleges have been able to establish inter-faith associations among pupils

Research Aim: This research will evaluate the extent to which UK public schools and colleges establish inter-faith associations among students.

Topic 10: Examining UK’s public school system to identify probable opportunities through which the education gap can be reduced for neglected groups

Research Aim: This research will investigate an important issue, i.e. identify gaps that can be worked on and reduced to include and provide education to neglected groups.

Sociology of Religion Dissertation Topics

Sociology of religion considers religious values and practices concerning sociological theories and methods. Issues covered by this area of sociology include but are not limited to the effect of religion on society and the impact of various social elements such as politics, media, and social interaction on religion.

Contemporary issues such as the role of stereotyping, inequality, and gender in religion will be discussed under the sociology of religion. Here are some interesting topics of this subfield of sociology

Topic 1: To establish the relationship between UK’s educational institutes and religion

Research Aim: This research will discuss the relationship between religion and educational institutes operating in the UK.

Topic 2: The role of religions in marriages in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss various religions and their relationship with marriages in the UK.

Topic 3: To determine whether religion plays a role in UK power politics

Research Aim: This research will aim to determine whether religion plays a role in UK power politics or not.

Topic 4: Exploring religious guidelines to help counsel social aspects

Research Aim: This research will outline religious guidelines and regulations that help counsel and direct social aspects in the right direction. Social aspects that will be explored include education, economics and gender.

Topic 5: Limitations that influence society as a single individual or as a whole

Research Aim: This research will aim to discuss the limitations that impact society as a whole as well as individuals.

Topic 6: Assessing the extent to which religious beliefs influence political behaviour in the UK

Research Aim: This research will examine how religious beliefs influence political behaviour in the UK.

Topic 7: Assessing the impact of religious organisations on British social culture

Research Aim: This research will understand how religious organisations impact the British social culture and how culture and religion are interrelated.

Topic 8: Examining the relationship between social change and religion

Research Aim: This research will study the relationship between religion and social change.

Topic 9: Religious diffusion results from social interaction between people from different religions – The case of the UK

Research Aim: This research will assess the various religious diffusion results from social interaction between people belonging to various religions in the UK

Topic 10: Comparing cross-religious values and theories in British society

Research Aim: This will be comparative research based on cross-religious values and theories in British society.

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Comparative Sociology Dissertation Topics

This area of sociology mainly deals with different models of civilisation, including state capitalism, welfare capitalism, socialism, capitalism, and communism. It further incorporates comparisons of social problems such as gender, ethnicity, and race and the comparisons of social institutions such as economy, religion, health, family, and education. Some interesting dissertation topics are suggested below.

Topic 1: Similarities and differences between a welfare state and a capitalist state

Research Aim: This research will explore the differences and similarities between a capitalist and a welfare state.

Topic 2: A comparison of the totalitarian system vs democracy in terms of social progress

Research Aim: This will be a comparative study between the totalitarian system and democracy concerning social progress.

Topic 3: To compare the education systems of America and Britain – How are these systems playing a key role in influencing societal standards?

Research Aim: This research will compare Britain and America’s educational systems and assess how they are influencing societal standards.

Topic 4: To identify and discuss the similarities and differences between the British and American labour markets

Research Aim: This research will assess the similarities and differences between the American and British labour markets.

Topic 5: Cultural diffusion and immigration – Has the UK been able to preserve its culture over the last few decades?

Research Aim: This research will discuss whether or not the UK has preserved its culture despite immigration and cultural diffusion.

Topic 6: A Comparison of the family structure in Indian and UK societies

Research Aim: This research will compare the family structure of India with that of the UK.

Topic 7: Comparison of the effect of religion in determining Muslim society and Jewish society in the UK

Research Aim: This research will compare religion’s impact to help determine the Muslim and Jewish society in the UK.

Topic 8: Social inequalities associated with communism and capitalism

Research Aim: This research will examine the social inequalities that are associated with capitalism and communism.

Topic 9: To identify and critically analyse the pivotal gender issues in Chinese society and Russian society

Research Aim: This research will assess the various religious diffusion results from social interaction between people belonging to different religions in the UK

Topic 10: To compare marriage as a social institution in Britain and India

Research Aim: This study will compare marriage as a social institution in the UK and India

Also Read: Science Dissertation Topics

Sociology of Family and Marriage Dissertation Topics

Family and marriage systems of society are significant aspects of this type of sociology. The most prominent topics of discussion within the field of sociology of family and marriage systems include post-marriage social interactions, classes, and dynamics of marriage and associated rituals, marriage system, the impact of social change on families, external and internal social interaction of family, gender dynamics within a family and parent-child relationships. Here are some interesting dissertation topics related to this area:

Topic 1: Analysing the basic structure and size of the UK family from a historical perspective

Research Aim: This research will understand the basic size and structure of a UK family.

Topic 2: The Evolution of UK family structure over the years – A study of the periodic social change

Research Aim: This research will study the evolution of UK family structure and examine periodic social change.

Topic 3: Examining the extent to which domestic violence in Britain has effected children

Research Aim: This study will assess the extent to which domestic violence in Britain has impacted children.

Topic 4: To determine the causes of increasing domestic violence in UK’s society

Research Aim: This research will help determine the underlying reasons for increasing domestic violence in the UK.

Topic 5: The impact of changing UK’s residential trends on the practices and beliefs of society

Research Aim: This study will examine the impact of changing UK residential trends based on society’s beliefs and practices.

Topic 6: Examining the causes of the increasing divorce rate in the UK

Research Aim: This research will understand the reasons for the increasing divorce rate in the UK.

Topic 7: Assessing the different parenting types and the impact it has on children

Research Aim : This research will discuss and understand the different types of parenting and the impact it has on children

Topic 8: To compare marriages in different subcultures of the British society

Research Aim: This research will compare marriages in different sub-cultures of British society.

Topic 9: Assessing the gender roles in family – Have they changed over the past five years?

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand why they have caused a change in the gender roles in a family.

Topic 10: Analysing the pros and cons of an extended family system and a nuclear family system

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the benefits and drawbacks of an extended family system and a nuclear family system.

Sociology of Crimes Dissertation Topics

Sociology of criminology or crimes is another exciting area of sociology that investigates the causes, extent, and nature of crimes, focusing on control strategies at societal and individual levels. It should be noted that the term “Crime” is defined as any act that is a direct violation of state law.

Topic 1: Determining the probable causes of increasing street crimes in London

Research Aim: This research aims to understand why they have caused an increase in street crimes in London.

Topic 2: To establish the relationship between increasing domestic violence and alcohol consumption

Research Aim: This research will assess the relationship between increasing domestic violence and alcohol consumption.

Topic 3: Determining the reasons as to why stabbing crime in the UK has steadily increased and its implications for British society

Research Aim: This research will help understand the reasons behind the increasing rate of stabbing in the UK.

Topic 4: Is the UK government providing accurate crime statistics – A review of the crime data collection techniques employed in the UK?

Research Aim: This research will examine the data collection techniques employed by the UK government and will assess whether accurate crime statistics are provided or not.

Topic 5: Is there a link between street crimes and alcohol consumption?

Research Aim: This research will determine whether street crimes and alcohol consumption are related or not.

Topic 6: A Critical analysis of the evolution of criminological theories

Research Aim: This research will critically analyse the evolution of criminological theories.

Topic 7: To establish the relationship between criminal behaviour and personality type

Research Aim: This research will assess whether a relationship exists between criminal behaviour or different personality types.

Topic 8: The role of social inequality towards increasing street crimes in the UK

Research Aim: This research will help us understand the role of social inequality concerning increasing street crimes in the UK.

Topic 9: To present avenues of crime prevention with a focus on alternatives to physical punishment

Research Aim: This research will discuss crime prevention with a particular focus on physical punishment alternatives.

Topic 10: A critical review of the UK government’s crime prevention strategies and policies – Are they delivering the desired outcomes?

Research Aim: This research will present a critical review of the various crime prevention strategies and whether they are delivering desirable results or not.

Important Notes:

As a student of sociology dissertation looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing sociology dissertation theories – i.e., to add value and interest in your research topic.

The sociology dissertation field is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like human rights , philosophy , religion & theology and more. That is why it is imperative to create a sociology dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your fundamental research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your case wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the very initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

Keeping our advice in mind while developing a research topic will allow you to pick one of the best sociology dissertation topics that fulfill your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalising your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample sociology dissertation topics to get an idea for your dissertation.

How to Structure your Sociology Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic, and binding terms can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs , charts , and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter, and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to draw a linkage between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : This should be completed following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sociology of crime'

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Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Sociology of crime.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.

Rostami, Amir. "Criminal Organizing : Studies in the sociology of organized crime." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Sociologiska institutionen, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-128362.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 5: Manuscript.

Papadopoulos, Maria. ""Crime Strikes Again..."." Thesis, Stockholm University, Department of Sociology, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-42885.

The researcher’s interest regarding criminality has increased and there were many studies focusing on what may influence an individual to commit crime. There were even articles stating that family bonds have the strongest impact in influencing a child when it comes to developing future criminal behavior.  In this qualitative study the stories are told by real individuals who have shared their experiences from childhood and adolescence to help identify the insecurities that made them commit a crime.  Setting existing theories aside, the study showed that it was not the structural background that mostly impacted future criminal behavior but the individual background factors weighted the most. Individuals seemed to be more impacted by factors such as thrill seeking or bad economy.  This study reflects the individual’s real stories and all included information is believed to be genuine.

Quist, Theron Macay 1960. "Homelessness, crime, and the police: Crime and order maintenance on the street." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/282097.

Hope, Trina Louise 1968. "Crime, criminality, and gangs." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/288718.

Shollenberger, Tracey Lynn. "Essays on Schools, Crime, and Punishment." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17465320.

Bowers, Kate Bowers. "Crimes against non-residential properties : patterns of victimisation, impact upon urban areas and crime prevention strategies." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.366729.

Scott, Alesia. "Differential perceptions of crime among the elderly." DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, 1986. http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/2371.

Painter, Kathleen. "An evaluation of the impact of street lighting on crime, fear of crime and quality of life." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1995. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/272156.

Kashary, I. A.-H. "The contribution of foreign workers to crime in Saudi Arabia, with special reference to theft crime in Jeddah." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.376403.

Phipps, Alan J. "Criminal victimisation, crime control and political action." Thesis, Middlesex University, 1987. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/13570/.

Williams, Kristin N. "Neighborhoods and Crime: An Examination of Social Disorganization and Extra-Community Crime in St. Louis." NCSU, 2008. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-02082008-213439/.

Rafeedie, Sonia Issa. "Hate Crime: The Unidentified Evil." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 1999. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1002131699.

Uzoaba, J. H. E. "Organized crime and political economy : A comparative study." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.375580.

Breed, C. Kathleen. "Fear, censure and crime : social aspects of modernity." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1992. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/272390.

Myers, Lindsey P. Myers. "Crime and Punishment: An Empirical Test of Institutional-Anomie Theory." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503049000260017.

Cahill, Meagan Elizabeth. "Geographies of urban crime: An intraurban study of crime in Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; and Tucson, Arizona." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/290024.

Leclerc, Priscillia. "Le crime organisé: Nouvelle législation, nouvelle représentation?" Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28224.

Chu, Yiu Kong Vin. "Hong Kong triads : and economic analysis of organised crime." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.337674.

McAuley, Robert William. "Ghost town : social exclusion, 'youth' and crime in Woodland." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2001. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/272326.

Larsson, Daniel. "Exposure to crime as a consequence of poverty : five investigations about relative deprivation, poverty and exposure to crime." Doctoral thesis, Umeå : Department of Sociology, Umeå University, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-832.

Ramos, Jose Gabriel. "Estimating the effect of poverty on violent crime." Thesis, The University of North Dakota, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1567103.

I examine the effect of poverty on violent crime in the United States during the years between 2000 and 2012. My analysis contributes to the literature by utilizing state-level poverty rates as the main variable of interest, and directly studying its effect on violent crime rates. I use panel data and a group (state) and time fixed effects estimation method in the study. The results confirm prior research that concludes that poverty does not have a significant effect on violent crime.

Rodenstedt, Ann. "Safety aspects in Rinkeby and Jakomäki : a comparative study of reputations, insecurity and crime preventive measures." Thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Social and Economic Geography, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-106135.

Li, Yuh-Yuh. "Social structure, social control, and crime in rural communities a test of social disorganization theory /." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1237993548.

Salvador, Eric Kowalski Gregory S. "Perceptions of crime and punishment an analysis of the effect on juvenile delinquency /." Auburn, Ala, 2008. http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/EtdRoot/2008/SPRING/Sociology/Thesis/Salvador_Eric_35.pdf.

Gotlieb, Jennifer Joy. "The violent crime rate decline: Towards an explanation." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/6225.

Hamilton-Smith, Niall. "Safer cities? : a contextual analysis of a crime prevention programme." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.302522.

Westwood, David. "An examination of the relationship between social stress and crime." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.290534.

Kern, Leesa J. "Gottfredson and Hirschi's A General Theory of Crime : testing the complete model /." The Ohio State University, 1999. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1488191667180078.

Gustafsson, Karin. "Är brottsoffret ett subjekt eller ett objekt? : En diskursanalys av brottsofferbegreppet." Thesis, Örebro University, Department of Social and Political Sciences, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-1625.

The purpose of this essay is to define the meaning of the concept of crime victim and how the crime victim as a concept is constructed. The question is answered through an investigation of the discourse that constructs and reproduces the crime victim. Furthermore the purpose is to open a theoretical discussion which aims to clarify whether or not the crime victim is a subject or an object through an examination of how the individual is constructed as a crime victim by the crime victim discourse.

The essay takes a theoretical point of view based on a mixture of Michel Foucault’s and Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffe’s discourse theories. The method used to organize the research – regarding the meaning of the concept of crime victim – is Laclau & Mouffe’s discourse analysis which is an extension and a part of the theory mentioned above.

The discourse analysis creates a model of the crime victim discourse which answers the question of how the concept of crime victim is constructed, and how this concept should be understood. By observing the construction closely – of the individual as a crime victim – a discussion concerning the crime victim as a subject or an object is elaborated upon. Throughout the discussion the view of the subject as a construction is questioned and another theoretical complementary addition is being made – to the discourse theory – to solve the questions that otherwise would have been left unsolved. The theory which is brought in to complement the discourse theory at this point is Emma Engdahl’s theory about the elementary forms of social life.

The essay ends in five conclusions which together answer the essays questions in order to fulfil its purpose. The conclusions are: (1) The concept of crime victim is defined by two statements: (a) A crime victim is a person who has been subjected to a crime and has suffered pain. (b) All crime victims are in need of redress. (2) A crime victim who has been constructed exactly like the pattern of the concept of crime victim is an object. (3) The crime victim is a construction of an individual with innate capability to create a subject. (4) The discourse of the crime victim is trying to construct an object of a subject. (5) Whether the crime victim is a subject or an object depends on how the individual chooses to conduct himself in relation to the concept of crime victim used in the discourse.

Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på vad brottsofferbegreppet innebär, och hur brottsofferbegreppet är konstruerat. Frågan besvaras genom en kartläggning av den diskurs som har konstruerat och reproducerar brottsoffret. Vidare syftar studien till att öppna en teoretisk diskussion som har för avsikt att klargöra om brottsoffret är ett subjekt eller ett objekt genom att titta på hur brottsofferdiskursen konstruerar individen till ett brottsoffer.

Studien har tagit utgångspunkt i både Michel Foucaults och Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffes diskursteorier. Den arbetsmetod som används i studien är Laclau & Mouffes diskursanalys vilken bör ses som en förlängning och en del av den teoretiska utgångspunkten som nämnts ovan.

Den diskursanalys som genomförs i studien målar upp en modell av brottsofferdiskursen vilken svarar på frågan om hur brottsofferbegreppet konstrueras och hur begreppet ska förstås. Genom att titta på hur individen konstrueras som ett brottsoffer utvecklas en diskussion kring brottsoffret som ett subjekt eller ett objekt. I diskussionen uppkommer en kritisk hållning till att se subjektet som en konstruktion och ytterligare en teoretisk komplettering till diskursteorin görs för att lösa de frågor som annars skulle ha lämnats obesvarade. Den teori som här förs in i diskussionen och förenas med diskursteorin är Emma Engdahls teori om det sociala livets elementära former.

Uppsatsen mynnar ut i fem slutsatser som tillsammans svarar på studiens frågeställningar och uppfyller dess syfte. Dessa slutsatser är: (1) Definitionen av brottsofferbegreppet är tvådelad: (a) Den individ är ett brottsoffer som utsatts för ett brott och därav oskyldigt lidit skada. (b) Alla brottsoffer är i behov av upprättelse. (2) Ett brottsoffer som är helt konstruerat efter brottsofferbegreppets mönster är ett objekt. (3) Brottsoffret är en konstruktion av en individ med medfödda förmågor att skapa ett subjekt. (4) Brottsofferdiskursen försöker att göra ett objekt av ett subjekt. (5) Om brottsoffret är ett subjekt eller ett objekt beror på hur individen väljer att – i brottsofferdiskursen – positionera sig till begreppet brottsoffer.

Chapple, Constance Lee. "Testing the boundaries: Dating violence and the General Theory of Crime." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/284383.

Gray, Shani P. "Faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community crime control initiatives." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2005. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3185394.

Beraduce, Janet. "Crime and the Economy: Economic Effects on the Crime Rates of Youngstown, Ohio." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1290443483.

Loach, Loretta. "Children, childhood and murder : a history of an exceptional crime." Thesis, Kingston University, 2004. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/20740/.

Vélez, MarÃa B. "Explaining the link between racial composition and crime : the role of external resources /." The Ohio State University, 2002. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1486462702467064.

Herbert, Carey Lynn 1967. "A test of self-control explanations of white-collar crime." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/288709.

Almeida, Gallo Fernanda 1979. "As formas do crime organizado." [s.n.], 2014. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/281284.

Hurst, Christine E. "Crime Prevention Ottawa as a responsibility centre: An interim analysis." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28212.

Reedus, LaTashia Renee. "The Increasing Significance of Race: The Effects of Race and Immigration on Violent and Property Crime for White, Black, and Latino Neighborhoods." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1281644545.

Bergman, Marcelo S. "On trust, deterrence and compliance : the sociology of tax evasion in Argentina /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC IP addresses, 2001. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3029642.

Pollak, Michael. "Crime, public housing and social policy : a study of an inner city estate." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.297216.

Smith, Darci. "The Impact of Neighborhood Violent Crime on School Attendance." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1377870264.

McGallagly, James Joseph. "Understanding serious organised crime : the view of law enforcement personnel in Scotland." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2009. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1412/.

Barth, Eric. "Influence of Viewing Dramatic Television and Perceived Risk of Victimization on Crime-Specific Fear." TopSCHOLAR®, 1998. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/332.

Hanson, Laura Jacquelyn. "Cartographic criminology : an assessment and proposal for an integrated approach to crime mapping." Thesis, University of Kent, 2015. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/49514/.

Lively, Danielle Alexandria. "Social capital and crime which is cause and which is effect? A longitudinal analysis of U.S. cities /." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University, 2009. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Spring2009/d_lively_042909.pdf.

Roth, Cortes Rodolfo. "Nothing to fear but fear itself? : A qualitative study of men’s and women’s fear of crime." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Sociologi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-32709.

Mandic, Danilo. "Separatists, Gangsters and Other Statesmen: The State, Secession and Organized Crime in Serbia and Georgia, 1989-2012." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467287.

Wehrman, Michael M. "Returning to Crime: Individual and Community Effects on Recidivism." Cincinnati, Ohio : University of Cincinnati, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1237228803.

Manzano, Liliana Elizabeth. "Experiences of violent and property victimization in Santiago neighbourhoods : multilevel approaches to social disorganization theory and new ecological studies of crime." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33247.

Ignatans, Dainis. "An examination of the factors associated with the 'crime drop' in England and Wales." Thesis, University of Kent, 2015. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/49652/.

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Home > Arts & Letters > Sociology & Criminal Justice > ETDs

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Theses and dissertations published by graduate students in the Department of Sociology ad Criminal Justice, College of Arts & Letters, Old Dominion University, since Fall 2016 are available in this collection. Backfiles of all dissertations (and some theses) have also been added.

In late Fall 2023 or Spring 2024, all theses will be digitized and available here. In the meantime, consult the Library Catalog to find older items in print.

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Dissertation: Invisibly Inked: An Intersectional Analysis of Tattooed Female Arrest Patterns , Jocelyn N. Camacho

Dissertation: A Tale of Two Gentrifications: Reconceptualizing Gentrification Using Third Places, Demolition and Hierarchical Linear Modeling , Kylil R. Martin

Thesis: Blood Lead Levels in Minority Children: A Case of Environmental Racism , Erick Rivera

Dissertation: Exploring the Workplace Climate at Police Agencies During Civil Unrest and the Factors Influencing Officers' Participation in Black Lives Matter Protesting , Joshua R. Ruffin

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Thesis: Indian Media Narratives in Gang Rape , Astha Bhandari

Dissertation: Is It Better to Be Tough, or Is Consistency Key? A Multilevel Analysis Examining the Effects of School Disciplinary Procedures on Perceptions of Climate and Safety Among Students and Teachers , Erica Nicole Bower

Dissertation: Courageous Endurance: The Lived Experiences of Trans Folx and the Criminal Legal System , April Carrillo

Thesis: Wrath and Relationships: Homicide Weapon Choice and Victim Offender Relationships , Joseph Gonnella

Dissertation: Abandoned Allies: A Case Study Analysis of the Special Immigrant Visa Program , Sarah Pedigo Kulzer

Thesis: The Impact of Parent and Peer Socialization on Juvenile Delinquency , Ebony I. Pender

Dissertation: The Ideology of the Carceral State: Examining the Prison Through Film , Ryan Phillips

Thesis: The Role of Religiosity in Drug Use: A Social Integration Perspective , Lindsey Dianna Thomas

Dissertation: “Acts of Pure Evil”: The Portrayal of Mass Shooting Events on Online Media Platforms , Elizabeth Twitty

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Thesis: Effects of Religion on Crime in Hampton Roads , Alaina Yvonne Bierdz

Thesis: Fighting for Power: Class Conflicts in Political Participation , David Foley

Thesis: Cultural Capital, Habitus and Academic Achievement , Tevin Vaughan

Dissertation: Defying the Odds: The Resilience of African American Youth in the Face of Differential Treatment in the Classroom , Frank R. Wood Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Thesis: Acculturation: Friend or Foe of the Career Aspirations and Educational Aspirations and Expectations of Hispanic Youth? , Kyhara Nathalia Aguilera

Thesis: Teacher and Child Interaction: The Effects of Familial Distress, Child Behavior, and Teacher Perceptions , Jessekah R. Ennis

Dissertation: Residential Mobility and the Underclass: Impact of Moving in the 'Hood , Michael A. Hollingsworth

Thesis: Effects of Prison Program Participation on Recidivism Outcomes , Jordan Jakobs

Thesis: How Health Problems Affect Children's Anti-Social Behaviors and Their Attitudes Towards School , Prosper Kwame Mensah

Thesis: Disparities in Sentencing: The Impact of Race, Gender and Mental Health , Briana Paige

Dissertation: "...Make Them Disappear With A Piece of Paper": Understanding the Lived Realities of Federally Unrecognized Indigenous Women in the Southeast , Brian A. Pitman

Dissertation: "They Think We’re the Drama-Makers”: Examining Middle-Class African American Girl Perceptions of School Discipline and Mistreatment , Asha M. Ralph

Thesis: The Weight of Words: A Content Analysis of Rhetoric in Online News Articles Reporting on Sex Crimes , Julie Snell

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Thesis: Exploring the Association Between How Social Media Affects Attitudes Toward Marijuana Legalization , Troy Adam Aubut II

Thesis: Exploring Factors That Enhance Career Advancement for African-Americans Across Various Criminal Justice Occupations: A Qualitative Examination , Antonio Jon Bryer

Thesis: More Than What Meets the Eye: An Examination of Characteristics That Impact Juvenile Justice Detention Decisions , Ashley Maria Buchanan

Thesis: Online Social Capital: Social Networking Sites' Influence on Civic and Political Engagement , Charles L. Bush

Thesis: Predictors of Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards Abortion and Their Changes Overtime , Rebecca Elizabeth Morales

Thesis: When Silence Screams: An Examination of Reporting Behaviors Among Sexual Assault Victims on HBCU Campuses , NaTasha Robinson

Dissertation: Punishment as Pedagogy: An Exploration of the Disciplinary Alternative School , Kaitlyn J. Selman

Dissertation: Policing the Drinking Community: An Assessment of the Criminal Justice Response to Drunk Driving and Alcohol Related Crashes (1985 -2014) , Richard James Stringer

Thesis: School Connectedness and Academic Success , Keyondra Michelle Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Thesis: Working Together: Examining the Effects of Parental and Community Involvement in Schools on School Delinquency , Erica Nicole Bower

Dissertation: School Resource Officers and the School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Mixed Methods Application of the Behavior of Law in Schools , Caitlin Grace Lynch

Dissertation: The United States Benefit Deficit for Veterans , Leslie-Dawn Quick

Dissertation: The Devil Is in the Details: Representations of the Rural Appalachian Deviant , Stephen T. Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Thesis: “Just Young Dudes Having Fun”?: Social Media Reactions to the ODU Banner Incident , Ashley Marie Giraldi

Thesis: The Strength of Weak Social Ties: Social Activism and Facebook , Nichole Akai Giraldi

Dissertation: Governing the "Alien Threat": A Multilevel Analysis of Punitiveness Toward Non-Citizen Federal Drug Offenders Across Time and Place , Melanie Marie Holland

Dissertation: Bakken Bombs: A Criminological Inquiry into the Lynchburg Train Derailment , Travis W. Milburn

Thesis: United States Interventions: Power Vacuums and the Rise of Extremist Groups , Sarah Nicole Pedigo

Dissertation: Making the Case for Place: An Exploration of Urbanization Measures on a Model of Social Capital and U.K. Crime Rates , Kyshawn K. Smith

Dissertation: Killing The State: The Cultural Afterlife of Edward Byrne , Justin Turner

Dissertation: Care, Control, or Criminalization? Discourses on Homelessness and Social Responses , Lindsey L. Upton

Dissertation: What Can State Talk Tell Us About Punitiveness? A Comparison of Responses to Political Mass Shootings in The United States and Norway , Kimberlee G. Waggoner

Thesis: Education and Post-Release Employment: An Exploratory Study of Offender Perceptions , Frank R. Wood Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Thesis: The Strength of Social Bonds in Preventing at Risk Youth from Engaging in Delinquent and Law Violating Behavior , Christopher A. Falcone

Dissertation: Texting While Driving: A Test of Self-Control Theory , Charles R. Gray

Dissertation: Tokin Up in the 5280: Insight Into How Denver Police Officers Make Sense of, and Define, Interpret, and React to the Legalization of Marijuana , Kara K. Hoofnagle

Dissertation: The Influence of Financial Institutions and Residential Lending on Neighborhood Crime , Anne M. Lee

Dissertation: Cultural Influences on Attitudes Toward the Criminal Justice System: A Focus on the Filipino American Community , Moises Osias Mina Jr.

Dissertation: Honor, Courage, Commitment: Understanding Sexual Assault in the United States Navy , Caitlin Veronica Muldoon

Thesis: Predictors of Self-Esteem in Children Exposed to Potentially Traumatic Events , Colleen Michelle Ray

Thesis: Perceptions of Social Control in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods and Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Use: Are They Related? , Kanita Shiquia Sumner

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Thesis: The Influence of Childhood Maltreatment on Substance Abuse in Adulthood , James Michael Blinco

Thesis: The Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing on Intimate Partner Violence Clients , Chelsea Drake

Dissertation: Exploring Police Shootings and Officer Survivability: A Case Study , Amanda Leigh Farrell

Dissertation: Crime and Panic: Contextual Factors in Violent and Sex Offender Sentencing , Jessica Huffman

Dissertation: Patriarchal Ideology and Violence Against Women: A Theoretical Contribution Using Longitudinal, Individual-Level Analyses , Jesse Robert McKee

Dissertation: The Darfur Name Game: Use of Realpolitik by the United Nations in Decision-making and Intervention , Angela Overton

Thesis: A Cross-National Analysis of the Impact of Conscription on Crime Rates , Nicolette G. Rose

Dissertation: A Façade of Normalcy: An Exploration into the Serial Murderer's Duplicitous Lifestyle , Maryann Stone White

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Thesis: An Exploration of Drug Trafficking Among Female Offenders in the Caribbean , Dianne Berger-Hill

Thesis: Bullying Among School-Aged Children , Alfreada Brown-Kelly

Dissertation: A Further Test of Strain Theory: Does Gender Discrimination Contribute to Theft by Employees? , John A. Casten

Dissertation: To Catch a Pirate: Analyzing Processes of Policy Making on Maritime Piracy , Victoria E. Collins

Thesis: Child Emotional Abuse and Its Relationship to Obesity , Kelly Anderson Driscoll

Dissertation: Rez Realities: Exploring the Perceptions of Crime and Justice Among Tribal Police Officers in Indian Country , Favian Alejandro Martin

Thesis: Blaming the Victim: Effects of Victim and Respondent Characteristics on Attribution of Blame to Rape Victims , Richard Allen Measel

Thesis: Reefer Madness to Marijuana and Legalization: Media Exposure and American Attitudes Towards Marijuana (1975-2010) , Richard James Stringer

Thesis: Sweeping the Floors of Privilege: The Lived Experiences of University Janitors , Jennifer Laverne Turner

Thesis: There Are No "Innocent Victims": The Influence of Just World Beliefs and Prior Victimization on Rape Myth Acceptance , Rebecca Lynne Vonderhaar

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Thesis: Satisfaction With Police: Explaining Variation by Race , Megan N. Centeno

Thesis: For the Bible Tells Me So: An Analysis of Religiosity, Attitudes Towards Women, and Intimate Partner Violence , Stephen Cecil Parker

Thesis: Media, Military, Militarism: Media Consumption, Awareness of U.S. Military Foreign Policy, and Support for War , Daniel James Patten

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Thesis: Prenatal Smoking and Drinking Implications for Subsequent Child Maltreatment , Nicholas Alexander Adams

Thesis: From Victim to Abuser an Analysis of Child Sex Offenders , Ava M. Adinolfi

Dissertation: Collective Efficacy and Intimate Partner Violence: Community Context , Catherine B. Cowling

Thesis: Domestic Violence as a Contributing Factor to Juvenile Substance Use , Victoria Felicitas Sophie Danz

Thesis: The Dynamics of Drug Trafficking/ Smuggling by Female Offenders in the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Approach , Le 'Jeane' Iman Ellis

Thesis: Predictors of Pre-Dispositional Juvenile Detention: Race Gender and Intersectionality , Jennifer Lee Gebler

Thesis: Meaning of Hijab According to Urban Egyptian and Yemeni Muslim Women , Kenneth E. Jackson

Thesis: Wrongful Convictions and Punitiveness: Measuring Student's Attitudes on Erroneous Felony Convictions , Shayna Lancaster

Thesis: Exploratory Study of Countries Lacking Data on Female Genital Mutilation in the Middle East and Africa , Nazia Rose Naeem

Thesis: Looking Beyond the Medical Model of Sexuality: Social Factors in Women's Sexual Satisfaction , Cristalle Rae Pronier

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Thesis: Untangling Fear of Crime: A Multi-Theoretical Approach to Examining the Causes of Crime-Specific Fear , Mariel Alper

Thesis: Religion on Divorce , Erik B. Doherty

Thesis: User-Generated Video Sites Effects on Aggression and Interpersonal Relations of Old Dominion Undergraduate Students , Christopher R. Hodge

Thesis: Domestic Violence and Recidivism: Does Stake in Conformity Matter? , Sara R. Olson

Thesis: Akers' Social Learning Theory: Childhood Victimization, Witnessing Violence, Peer Violence and Later Violent Offending , Pamela Annette Styles

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Thesis: Retaining Employees The Relationship Between Organizational Loyalty and Commitment and Employee Retention , Sara L. Baker

Thesis: Intimate Partner Violence: Criminal Justice Responses to High Lethality Cases , Victoria E. Collins

Thesis: Investigating Connections: Pornography and Violence Against Women , Stacy Gorman

Thesis: Media Exposure and Women's Fear of Crime , Pamela C. Hooper

Thesis: Terrorism: A Study of the Policy Preferences of Old Dominion University Students , Bruce Johnson II

Thesis: An Examination of the Combined Impact of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse or Neglect on Juvenile Delinquency , Tracie R. Johnson

Thesis: Sources of Informal Social Control and the Relationship to Victimization in Southeastern Virginia , Jennifer R. Jones

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Research Topics & Ideas: Sociology

50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research Project

If you’re just starting out exploring sociology-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research by providing a hearty list of research ideas , including real-world examples from recent sociological studies.

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . These topic ideas provided here are intentionally broad and generic , so keep in mind that you will need to develop them further. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

To develop a suitable research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan to fill that gap. If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Sociology-Related Research Topics

• Analyzing the social impact of income inequality on urban gentrification.
• Investigating the effects of social media on family dynamics in the digital age.
• The role of cultural factors in shaping dietary habits among different ethnic groups.
• Analyzing the impact of globalization on indigenous communities.
• Investigating the sociological factors behind the rise of populist politics in Europe.
• The effect of neighborhood environment on adolescent development and behavior.
• Analyzing the social implications of artificial intelligence on workforce dynamics.
• Investigating the impact of urbanization on traditional social structures.
• The role of religion in shaping social attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights.
• Analyzing the sociological aspects of mental health stigma in the workplace.
• Investigating the impact of migration on family structures in immigrant communities.
• The effect of economic recessions on social class mobility.
• Analyzing the role of social networks in the spread of disinformation.
• Investigating the societal response to climate change and environmental crises.
• The role of media representation in shaping public perceptions of crime.
• Analyzing the sociocultural factors influencing consumer behavior.
• Investigating the social dynamics of multigenerational households.
• The impact of educational policies on social inequality.
• Analyzing the social determinants of health disparities in urban areas.
• Investigating the effects of urban green spaces on community well-being.
• The role of social movements in shaping public policy.
• Analyzing the impact of social welfare systems on poverty alleviation.
• Investigating the sociological aspects of aging populations in developed countries.
• The role of community engagement in local governance.
• Analyzing the social effects of mass surveillance technologies.

Sociology Research Ideas (Continued)

• Investigating the impact of gentrification on small businesses and local economies.
• The role of cultural festivals in fostering community cohesion.
• Analyzing the societal impacts of long-term unemployment.
• Investigating the role of education in cultural integration processes.
• The impact of social media on youth identity and self-expression.
• Analyzing the sociological factors influencing drug abuse and addiction.
• Investigating the role of urban planning in promoting social integration.
• The impact of tourism on local communities and cultural preservation.
• Analyzing the social dynamics of protest movements and civil unrest.
• Investigating the role of language in cultural identity and social cohesion.
• The impact of international trade policies on local labor markets.
• Analyzing the role of sports in promoting social inclusion and community development.
• Investigating the impact of housing policies on homelessness.
• The role of public transport systems in shaping urban social life.
• Analyzing the social consequences of technological disruption in traditional industries.
• Investigating the sociological implications of telecommuting and remote work trends.
• The impact of social policies on gender equality and women’s rights.
• Analyzing the role of social entrepreneurship in addressing societal challenges.
• Investigating the effects of urban renewal projects on community identity.
• The role of public art in urban regeneration and social commentary.
• Analyzing the impact of cultural diversity on education systems.
• Investigating the sociological factors driving political apathy among young adults.
• The role of community-based organizations in addressing urban poverty.
• Analyzing the social impacts of large-scale sporting events on host cities.
• Investigating the sociological dimensions of food insecurity in affluent societies.

Recent Studies & Publications: Sociology

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual sociology-related studies to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of recent studies to help refine your thinking. These are actual studies,  so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Social system learning process (Subekti et al., 2022)
• Sociography: Writing Differently (Kilby & Gilloch, 2022)
• The Future of ‘Digital Research’ (Cipolla, 2022).
• A sociological approach of literature in Leo N. Tolstoy’s short story God Sees the Truth, But Waits (Larasati & Irmawati, 2022)
• Teaching methods of sociology research and social work to students at Vietnam Trade Union University (Huu, 2022)
• Ideology and the New Social Movements (Scott, 2023)
• The sociological craft through the lens of theatre (Holgersson, 2022).
• An Essay on Sociological Thinking, Sociological Thought and the Relationship of a Sociologist (Sönmez & Sucu, 2022)
• How Can Theories Represent Social Phenomena? (Fuhse, 2022)
• Hyperscanning and the Future of Neurosociology (TenHouten et al., 2022)
• Sociology of Wisdom: The Present and Perspectives (Jijyan et al., 2022). Collective Memory (Halbwachs & Coser, 2022)
• Sociology as a scientific discipline: the post-positivist conception of J. Alexander and P. Kolomi (Vorona, 2022)
• Murder by Usury and Organised Denial: A critical realist perspective on the liberating paradigm shift from psychopathic dominance towards human civilisation (Priels, 2022)
• Analysis of Corruption Justice In The Perspective of Legal Sociology (Hayfa & Kansil, 2023)
• Contributions to the Study of Sociology of Education: Classical Authors (Quentin & Sophie, 2022)
• Inequality without Groups: Contemporary Theories of Categories, Intersectional Typicality, and the Disaggregation of Difference (Monk, 2022)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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• Crime Trends in Social Forces
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The Past and Present of Crime Research in Social Forces : How the Sociology of Crime Lost its Roots—And Found Them Again

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Scott Duxbury, The Past and Present of Crime Research in Social Forces : How the Sociology of Crime Lost its Roots—And Found Them Again, Social Forces , Volume 101, Issue 4, April 2023, Pages 1609–1622, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soac154

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The centennial of Social Forces provides an opportunity to examine change and stability in crime research in one of sociology’s oldest journals. Since the first issue of Social Forces in 1922, crime and punishment have transitioned from marginal topics subsumed under the umbrella of deviance studies to a central research area. This essay traces the intellectual development of crime research as captured in Social Forces’ pages and contrasts it with the growing independence of criminology as an academic field. To do so, I employ two analyses. First, I examine the topical classifications provided by Moody, Edelmann and Light (2022) . Second, I expand upon these classifications by using structural topic models (STM) to detect clusters of crime research activity in Social Forces’ abstracts and group them into “eras” of crime research. The analysis reveals a circular development of crime research in Social Forces that reflects broader trends in the sociology of crime. 1 Themes of power, stratification, and punishment oriented early studies on crime. Research attention focused on inequality within the justice system, the effects of juvenile justice contact on criminal labeling and recidivism, and inequalities resulting from justice system contact. However, as crime rates rose throughout the Western world, Social Forces articles sought to explain the causes of crime and evaluate policies designed to cull the crime wave. In recent decades, persistent crime declines combined with growing concern with an oversized prison system have refocused attention on incarceration and its collateral consequences, especially for adolescent well-being and racial and class inequalities. In this way, crime research in Social Forces has returned to core themes of power and stratification that motivated early work in the sociology of crime. It has also distanced itself from individual etiology and policy studies that once dominated the journal’s pages and that continue to appear in specialist outlets.

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Behavioral and Community Sciences > Criminology > Theses and Dissertations

Criminology Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Efficacy of Online Social Movements for Sparking Change: The Case of the Missing Murdered and Indigenous Women Movement (#MMIW) , Kacy A. Bleeker

An Examination of Racial Disparities in Arrest Across Florida Counties, 1998-2018: A Test of the Racial Threat and Political Representation Hypotheses , Xavier D. Burch

The Invisible Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Boys and Their Barriers to Access to Services , Amanda L. Connella

Damned & Damned: Examining Vexatious Litigation and the Vexatious Litigant Statute in Florida Courts , Sarah L. Harper

The Contributions of Mental Health Issues, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Adverse Childhood Experiences to Recidivism Among Rural Jail Incarcerees , Lauren N. Miley

Assessing the Relationship Between True Crime Documentary and Podcast Consumption, Fear of Crime, and Protective Behaviors , Lauren A. Tremblay

Police Officers’ Perceptions of Gunshot Detection Technology , Courtney L. Weber

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

A Macro Social Examination of the Relationship Between Disabilities and Crime Using Neighborhood and County Level Data , Natasha A. Baloch

Racial Differences in Perceptions of Sanction Severity , Sarah L. Franklin

Juvenile Homicide Offenders: A Life-Course Perspective , Norair Khachatryan

Exploring the Effectiveness of a Life-Skills Program in a Florida Prison Through a Social Bond and General Strain Theory Perspective , Danielle M. Thomas

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Clean Water for All: Examining Safe Drinking Water Act Violations of Water Systems and Community Characteristics , Junghwan Bae

Morality and Offender Decision-Making: Testing the Empirical Relationship and Examining Methodological Implications , Jacquelyn Burckley

The Ring of Gyges 2.0: How Anonymity Providing Behaviors Affect Willingness to Participate in Online Deviance , Cassandra E. Dodge

A Macro Analysis of Illegal Hunting and Fishing Across Texas Counties: Using an Economic Structural Approach , Leo J. Genco Jr.

Self-Protection in Cyberspace: Assessing the Processual Relationship Between Thoughtfully Reflective Decision Making, Protection Motivation Theory, Cyber Hygiene, and Victimization , C. Jordan Howell

Racial Threat Theory: A Test of the Economic Threat Hypothesis , Carl L. Reeds

Online Perceptions of Panamanian Prisons and Incarcerated persons: An analysis of YouTube user comments , Mahaleth J. Sotelo

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Toxic Colonialism and Green Victimization of Native Americans: An Examination of the Genocidal Impacts of Uranium Mining , Averi R. Fegadel

Cross-National Incarceration Rates as Behavior of Law , Christopher J. Marier

The Effects of Perceived Motivations and Mental Distress on the Likelihood of Reporting and Engaging in Self-Protective Measures Among Victims of Stalking , Daniela Oramas Mora

Mental Health and In-Prison Experiences: Examining Socioeconomic and Sex Differences in the Effect of Mental Illness on Institutional Misconduct and Disciplinary Segregation , Rachel E. Severson

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Dating Application Facilitated Victimization: An Examination of Lifestyle-Routine Activities, Self-Control, and Self-Efficacy , Vanessa Centelles

Social Constructionism and Cultivation Theory in Development of the Juvenile “Super-Predator” , Elizabeth R. Jackson-Cruz

Bystander Intervention, Victimization, and Routine Activities Theory: An Examination of Feminist Routine Activities Theory in Cyber Space , Jennifer A. Leili

Sexual Assault and Robbery Disclosure: An Examination of Black’s Theory of the Behavior of Law , Caitlyn N. Muniz

Mass Shootings and Gun Sales: A Study on the Influence of Red and Blue Power , Maria Jose Rozo Osuna

A Multi-dimensional Macrolevel Study of Drug Enforcement Strategies, Heroin Prices, and Heroin Consumption Rates , Alexander G. Toth

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

The Impact of a Religious/Spiritual Turning Point on Desistance: A Lifecourse Assessment of Racial/Ethnic Differences , Rhissa Briones Robinson

Political Decisions on Police Expenditures: Examining the Potential Relationship Between Political Structure, Police Expenditures and the Volume of Crime Across US States , Xavier D. Burch

Identifying the Personal and Perceived Organizational Characteristics Associated with Job Satisfaction Among Juvenile Probation Staff , Julie M. Krupa

The Role of Organizational Justice in Predicting Attitudes Toward Body-Worn Cameras in Police Officers , Nathaniel L. Lawshe

Yet Another Ferguson Effect: An Exploratory Content Analysis of News Stories on Police Brutality and Deadly Force Before and After the Killing of Michael Brown , Carl Root

The Role of Race/Ethnicity and Risk Assessment on Juvenile Case Outcomes , Tayler N. Shreve

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Intimate Partner Violence and the Capacity and Desire for Self-Control , Krista Taralynne Brewer

School Shootings in the United States from 1997 to 2012: A Content Analysis of Media Coverage , Victoria N. Iannuzzi

Chronic Runaway Youth: A Gender-Based Analysis , Michelle N. Jeanis

A Test of Wikström’s Situational Action Theory Using Self-Report Data on Intimate Partner Violence , Lauren Nicole Miley

An Exploratory Study of Macro-Social Correlates of Online Property Crime , Hyojong Song

Female Incarceration and Prison Social Order: An Examination of Gender Differences in Prison Misconduct and In-Prison Punishments , Elisa L. Toman

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Role as Mitigators for Youthful and Non-Youthful Offenders in Capital Sentencing Cases , Jessica R. Trapassi

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Disinhibition, Violence Exposure, and Delinquency: A Test of How Self-Control Affects the Impact of Exposure to Violence , Wyatt Brown

The Guilty But Mentally Ill Verdict: Assessing the Impact of Informing Jurors of Verdict Consequences , Erin Elizabeth Cotrone

The Relationship between Psychopathic Personality Traits and Lying , Jason A. Dobrow

Delving into the Heart of Victimization Risk: Examining the Interactive Relationship between Demographic Factors and Context , Amy Sheena Eggers

A Power Conflict Approach to Animal Cruelty: Examining How Economic Power Influences the Creation of Animal Cruelty Laws , Leonard J. Genco

The Role of Gender in Self-Control and Intimate Partner Violence , Laura Marie Gulledge

The Restrictive Deterrent Effect of Warning Banners in a Compromised Computer System , Christian Jordan-Michael Howell

Tactics of Sexual Control and Negative Health Outcomes , Anna Elizabeth Kleppe

The Applicability of Criminology to Terrorism Studies: An Exploratory Study of ISIS Supporters in the United States , Amanda Marie Sharp Parker

The Path to Violent Behavior: The Harmful Aftermath of Childhood Trauma , Nicholas Michael Perez

The Effects of Racial Bias on Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Scenarios , Batya Yisraela Rubenstein

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Reel or Reality? The Portrayal of Prostitution in Major Motion Pictures , Raleigh Blasdell

Psychopathy and Perception of Vulnerability , Barbara Joyce Dinkins

Effect of Empathy on Death Penalty Support in Relation to the Racial Divide and Gender Gap , Brian Godcharles

Exploring the Interactive Effects of Social Learning Theory and Psychopathy on Serious Juvenile Delinquency , Brandy Barenna Henderson

Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend Utility Plant in Hillsborough County, Florida: A Case Study , Lynne M. Hodalski-Champagne

Thirty Year Follow-Up of Juvenile Homicide Offenders , Norair Khachatryan

Organized Crime in Insurance Fraud: An Empirical Analysis of Staged Automobile Accident Rings , Chris Longino

The Role of Social Support in the Disclosure and Recovery Process of Rape Victims , Jessica Nicole Mitchell

Evaluating the Social Control of Banking Crimes: An Examination of Anti-Money Laundering Deficiencies and Industry Success , Erin M. Mulligan

Elite Deviance, Organized Crime, and Homicide: A Cross-National Quantitative Analysis , Carol L.s. Trent

An Evaluation of the Utah First District Mental Health Court: Gauging the Efficacy of Diverting Offenders Suffering With Serious Mental Illness , Stephen Guy VanGeem

Rape, Race, and Capital Punishment in North Carolina: A Qualitative Approach to Examining an Enduring Cultural Legacy , Douglas Wholl

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

The Tattoo: A Mark of Subversion, Deviance, or Mainstream Self-Expression? , Jocelyn Camacho

Juvenile and Adult Involvement in Double Parricide and Familicide in the U.S.: An Empirical Analysis of 20 Years of Data , Averi Rebekah Fegadel

Predicting Successful Drug Court Graduation: Exploring Demographic and Psychosocial Factors among Medication-Assisted Drug Court Treatment Clients , Autumn Michelle Frei

Experimentally Evaluating Statistical Patterns of Offending Typology For Burglary: A Replication Study , Lance Edwin Gilmore

Developmental Trajectories of Physical Aggression and Nonaggressive Rule-Breaking among At-risk Males and Females during Late Childhood and Early Adolescence , Eugena Givens

Predicting Fear of Crime using a Multilevel and Multi-Model Approach: A Study in Hillsborough County , Jonathan Maskaly

Public Knowledge and Sentiments about Elite Deviance , Cedric Michel

The Influence of Community Context on Social Control: A Multi-Level Examination of the Relationship between Race/Ethnicity, Drug Offending, and Juvenile Court Outcomes , Jennifer Peck

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Assessing the Relationship Between Hotspots of Lead and Hotspots of Crime , Kimberly L. Barrett

A Life-Course Approach to Sexual Offending: Examining the Continuity of Juvenile Sexual Offending into Adulthood and Subsequent Patterns of Recidivism , Maude Beaudry-Cyr

Examining the link between self-control and misconduct in a multi-agency sample of police supervisors: A test of two theories , Christopher Matthew Donner

The Impact of Hyperfemininity on Explicit and Implicit Blame Assignment and Police Reporting of Alcohol Facilitated Rape in a Sample of College Women , Sarah Ehlke

Rurality and Intimate Partner Homicide: Exploring the Relationship between Place, Social Structure, and Femicide in North Carolina , Amelia Kirkland

Self-Control, Attitudinal Beliefs, and White-Collar Crime Intentions , Melissa Anne Lugo

Zero Tolerance for Marginal Populations: Examining Neoliberal Social Controls in American Schools , Brian Gregory Sellers

State-Corporate Crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo , Veronica Jane Winters

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

The Walls Are Closing In: Comparing Property Crime Victimization Risk In Gated And Non-Gated Communities , Nicholas Branic

What Propels Sexual Homicide Offenders? Testing an Integrated Theory of Social Learning and Routine Activities Theories , Heng Choon Chan

A Deadly Way of Doing Business: A Case Study of Corporate Crime in the Coal Mining Industry , Charles Nickolas Stickeler

Deconstructing the "Power and Control Motive": Developing and Assessing the Measurability of Internal Power , Shelly Marie Wagers

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Assessing racial differences in offending trajectories: A life-course view of the race-crime relationship , Michael S. Caudy

Mental Health Courts Effectiveness in Reducing Recidivism and Improving Clinical Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis , Brittany Cross

General Strain Theory and Juvenile Delinquency: A Cross-Cultural Study , Wen-Hsu Lin

General Strain Theory, Race, and Delinquency , Jennifer Peck

Developmental Trajectories of Self-Control: Assessing the Stability Hypothesis , James Vance Ray

Explaining the "Female Victim Effect" in Capital Sentencing Decisions: A Case for Sex-Specific Models of Capital Sentencing Research , Tara N. Richards

A Multilevel Model of Police Corruption: Anomie, Decoupling, and Moral Disengagement , Ruth Zschoche

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

The Emotional Guardianship of Foreign-Born and Native-Born Hispanic Youth and Its Effect on Violent Victimization , Amy Sheena Eggers

The Influence of Narcissism and Self-Control on Reactive Aggression , Melissa L. Harrison

Is There an "Innocent Female Victim" Effect in Capital Punishment Sentencing? , Amelia Lane Kirkland

An Analysis of the Influence of Sampling Methods on Estimation of Drug Use Prevalence and Patterns Among Arrestees in the United States: Implications for Research and Policy , Janine Kremling

A Pathway to Child Sex Trafficking in Prostitution: The Impact of Strain and Risk-Inflating Responses , Joan A. Reid

Victimization Among Individuals With Low Self-Control: Effects on Fear Versus Perceived Risk of Crime , Casey Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Domestic Violence Within Law Enforcement Families: The Link Between Traditional Police Subculture and Domestic Violence Among Police , Lindsey Blumenstein

Rape Attitudes and Beliefs: A Replication Study , Rhissa Emily Briones

Reel Images: Representations of Adult Male Prisons by the Film Industry , Melissa E. Fenwick

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167 Top Criminology Dissertation Ideas

Are you taking criminology in college, and it is time to work on your dissertation, but it appears challenging? Many university students get stuck even before starting, but there is no need to worry because we are here to hold your hand. The first, and we must emphasize, most crucial step, is picking the title of your dissertation. So, how do you select the right criminology dissertation topic?

The best title should be unique, interesting, and have ample resources to help you craft a paper that will impress your professor and the assessment committee. To make selecting the best easier, we have picked the hottest 167 criminology dissertation ideas for you. Keep reading to identify the preferred option and use it as it is or tweak a little to fit your preference.

Criminology Dissertation Ideas on Terrorism

• Religious ideologies: Can they be a source of terrorism?
• Analyzing the relationship between media and terrorism.
• Political tensions: Are they to blame for the ever-growing number of militias on the globe?
• Comparing the trends of terror in the 19 th and 20 th centuries: A literature review.
• What are the leading causes and motivations of terrorism?
• Analyzing literature on identity theft and social media.
• What motivates women to join ISIS?
• Comparing male and female serial killers: What are the main differences?
• How does the US respond to terror threats?
• The US efforts to combat terror after the 9/11 attack: Are they effective?
• Was the US justified in killing Osama Bin Laden instead of taking him to court?
• Comparing two known terror networks of your choice in different countries.
• Terrorism from the viewpoint of international law.
• Islamic charities: Are they the main sources of finance for terrorists?
• Are recent attacks by Hamas and Israel acts of terrorism?

Criminology Dissertation Ideas about Drugs

• Analyzing the relationship between people of various backgrounds and police.
• What are the most effective methods of preventing drug trafficking internationally?
• Analyzing the effectiveness of drug courts.
• Reversible and irreversible impacts of drug abuse.
• People incarcerated for drug abuse: What are the impacts on their children?
• Club culture: How does it enhance drug abuse in the society?
• Preventing drug abuse in society: Which is more effective between voluntary learning and mandatory examination?
• Reviewing the harm done to society by drugs.
• Comparing the impacts of cannabis and alcohol on a person’s behavior.
• The most abused drugs and their effects on societal behavior.
• Cannabis and deviant behavior among youths: What is the relationship?
• Cannabis legalization: Is it a good idea? What should we expect in the coming years?
• Drug use and youth arrests: A case study of Paris, France.
• Comparing drug court operations in the UK and USA.
• War on drugs in the US: Can it solve the problem of drug abuse and crime?
• Drug testing in school.
• The influence of drugs on sexual assaults.
• Prostitution: A study of the main risk groups in the UK.
• Drug traffic tracking strategies used in the UK.
• Drug abuse in prison cells: What are the causes and effects?

Criminal Law EPQ Questions

• Harassment in school and workplace: What are the main strategies adopted to address the problem in the UK?
• Homicides: A review of motivations that make people kill.
• Are the strategies adopted by your state enough to counter juvenile delinquency?
• What is the relationship between crime in Texas and people living with mental disorders?
• Domestic violence: What are the rights of victims?
• How can the marginalized get access to justice? A case study of the Netherlands.
• A study of the main types of robberies reported in the US in the 20 th century.
• Arson investigations: How do investigators determine whether the fire was deliberate or accidental?
• What is the relationship between substance abuse and poor schooling?
• What causes addiction among cannabis users?
• What is the effectiveness of witness programs in criminal justice? A closer look at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• Robbery: What are the main risk groups, methods of prevention, and prosecution?
• What is the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court in achieving its mandate?
• Should employers check an all applicants’ criminal history during recruitment?
• The extradition law in the United States: Is it fair?
• Maximum-security prisons: Are they justified or simply cruel?
• A study of incarcerated parent’s responsibilities. How do they cope?

Masters Dissertation Ideas for Criminology

• Death penalty in the justice system: Is it effective in crime prevention.
• The rising rates of mass shootings in the US: What are the main causes?
• Studying the impact of genocidal acts on the cohesiveness of society.
• Police shootings: Comparing top three cases in the US and the UK.
• Sex offenses: Which are the main risk groups, prevalence, and prevention efforts?
• How corruption affects the social, political and economy of a country.
• Why are most crimes in the US and UK mainly committed by the youths?
• US vs. China’s criminal justice system: What are the main differences?
• Are the current US laws on criminology effective?
• A review of the British criminology curriculum: What needs to be improved?
• Analyzing the relationship between education levels and crime levels in a country of your choice.
• What is the relationship between ownership of guns and law violations?
• Law enforcement and criminology: What are the differences?
• Does racial abuse of international students and immigrants motivate them to join criminal gangs?
• Using culture to mold responsible citizens: A case study of communities in Georgia, Europe.

Forensic Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• A comprehensive analysis of competence to stand trial concept and its application in the UK.
• The age of criminal culpability: A review of the effectiveness of this idea in criminal justice.
• The ethics of death penalty: A review of the literature.
• Studying the mind of a criminal on death row: What goes in the mind of a person on a death row hours before execution?
• Should the death penalty be used on juveniles?
• What are the chances that a person on death row can change into a law-abiding citizen?
• How does memory impact eyewitness testimony?
• Analyzing the strategies used by the justice system to evaluate the reports of eyewitnesses.
• Methods used in the UK to protect eyewitnesses.

Criminology Dissertation Ideas Mental Health

• What role do guardians play in crime prevention in society?
• A review of criminological theory in the US justice system.
• A comprehensive analysis of how persons exposed to alcohol perform in different areas of their lives.
• Sexual violence use as a weapon of armed conflict: A literature review.
• Drug abuse and media: Should media that promote the use of hard drugs be controlled?
• How effective are the methods used in rehab to counter drug addiction?
• A review of delinquent cases among immigrant teenagers in the UK.
• Why do college students engage in cases of arson?
• Evaluating how prejudice motivates violence.
• Is it possible to remain neutral in mental criminal case trials?
• Is it possible to eliminate the problem of drug abuse and related crime?
• Solitary confinement for drug traffickers: What are the implications?

Criminology Dissertation Ideas UK

• How does the UK government respond to terror threats?
• Rehabilitation centers in the UK: What roles do they play in addressing crime?
• Racial stereotyping and crime in the UK: What is the relationship?
• A discourse evaluation: How has coronavirus shaped crime in the UK?
• Do urban settings in the UK act as breeding grounds for criminals?
• A critical review of the police force and crime in the UK.
• Interrogation by police officers: How does it work?
• A study of the main categories of crime in the UK.
• A review of the latest innovations in experimental criminology.
• Identify theft in the UK: What are the main consequences for perpetrators?
• Online child predators: How effective are the UK laws in protecting children?
• Is it possible to have a crime-free society?
• Which crime has a greater impact on society in the UK? Comparing street crimes and white-collar crimes.
• A review of the main principles applied in crime prevention in the UK justice system.

Controversial Criminology Dissertation Topics

• The less explored world of male rape in the society.
• Abortion: Should it be categorized as a crime?
• Parental separation: How does it result in future violence?
• Information sharing technology: How does it help fight the problem of terrorism?
• Back lives matter campaigns: Were they marred with violence instead of search for justice?
• Coronavirus has accelerated crime in the society more than any other time in the past.
• Do prisons help to correct bad behavior for the incarcerated?
• Facebook helps to encourage more negative behavior than promoting socialization.
• Domestic violence: Who suffers more between men and women?
• Human trafficking has one main role of sexual exploitation.
• On domestic violence, the law is subjective on males.
• The government should increase the age limit for citizens to acquire national IDs.
• Social media is the main source of moral panic in society.
• Music is a major contributor to crime in society.

Criminology Dissertation Ideas on Domestic Violence

• Theoretical perspectives on domestic violence.
• Applying the control balance theory in domestic violence.
• Popular culture and domestic violence: Are they related?
• The effects of homelessness on domestic violence: A case study of Texas.
• A review of cross-cultural perspectives on domestic violence.
• Comparing the rates of domestic violence in the US and India.
• Trends of domestic violence in Spain.
• Analyzing the main legal issues for women who are victims of domestic violence.
• A review of domestic violence within the military families.
• Analyzing police decision-making factors when dealing with domestic cases.
• Male victims of domestic violence: Why do most of them opt to keep quiet and stick with abusive partners?
• Mothers who kill: What are the motivating factors?
• Postpartum depression and domestic violence: How are they related?

Interesting Criminology Dissertation Titles

• Comparing the impacts of crime to those of natural disasters: A literature review.
• Is the education system in the globe failing in shaping good morals?
• A review of sexual aggression by women in ASIA.
• Acquainting rape perpetrators on bail terms: Is it acceptable? What does the law say?
• Regulating prostitution in the society: Is it enough to reduce crime?
• Corruption comes from limitations.
• A study of the connections between law violation and family status.
• Prostitution regulation: Can it stop crime?
• Use of expert testimony in domestic violence cases.
• Should we ban police from carrying guns in public?
• How does systemic bias impact criminal justice?
• Genetics: A comprehensive review of illegal researches and associated dangers.
• Assessing the effectiveness of street lighting in reducing crime.
• What role do psychometric assessments play in criminal justice?
• Is crime rate related to neighborhoods? A literature review.
• How has counterfeiting changed with the development of new technologies?

Criminology Dissertation Ideas about Prisons

• Forced labor among prisoners: Is it a good method of correction?
• Why is drug violence a problem in many US jails?
• A review of prison gangs in a prison of your choice.
• Training correctional officers in the UK: How effective is the training in enhancing the efficiency of correctional facilities?
• A review of the efforts used to address child molesters in prison.
• A review of study programs offered in prisons.
• Healthcare system in the UK prisons: Is it effective?
• A review of police corruption in prisons: Comparing the prisons in the 19 th and 20 th centuries.
• What are the main causes of high recidivism in the US?
• How do women end up in prisons? A review of common causes.
• Prisons through the UK history.
• How well are inmates prepared for re-entry into the society after serving jail terms?
• Racial profiling in the US prisons.
• Aggressive behavior: How is it related to criminal tendencies?
• Comparing human trafficking in the modern and classic worlds: What are the main differences?
• Comparing women’s recidivism rates in the US to those of Australia.

Knife Crime Dissertation Titles

• Knife crime in the US: Applying the criminology theory.
• Comparing knife crimes in Europe and Asia
• What are the motivating factors for knife criminals?
• Knife laws in the US: Analyzing the effectiveness of the pocket knife rules & laws.
• Comparing the knife rules of the United States to those of the UK.
• A review of knife crimes trends in the 21 st century.

Criminology Dissertation Help by Best Writers a Click Away

Now that we have looked at the best titles, from terrorism dissertation ideas to criminology topics on drugs, have you picked the preferred option? If “yes,” you are one step in the right direction. However, the next step of writing the dissertation is longer and requires a deep understanding of criminology. You also need excellent writing skills, time, and access to all the required resources. If you do not have the combination of all the above, which happens regularly to most students, you have a way out – seeking help from the best writers online. Our custom writing service stands taller than others because we have top-notch ENL writers who stop at nothing in ensuring clients get high grades. They have a lot of experience in the discipline and can work on any topic, from criminology and psychology dissertation ideas to terrorism-related topics. Again, they are fast and can easily beat even the toughest deadline. Our service is also cheap. Do not let the criminology dissertation stress you in any way – our expert can help you complete it professionally and fast too!

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Theses (or dissertations as they are sometimes called) are the product of extended independent research by students. They may be produced at undergraduate level (e.g. 3rd year Capstone projects), and are nearly always a feature of postgraduate research from Master's through to Ph.D. level.

Books offering guidance on  how to write  a thesis can be found at LB 2369 on floor 5 of the Albert Sloman Library.

Students often need to consult theses for various reasons, including:

• checking the style and presentation of good past dissertations from their department
• making sure that they are not repeating research already undertaken
• using theses on a similar topic to gain useful information and/or references

University of Essex Research Repository  - contains digitised versions of theses submitted after 30 September 2016.

Essex Criminology theses  can be found in the following locations:

Sociology Study Centre - print copies of dissertations submitted up to 2018 are available in the Sociology Study Centre (5A.307). These are all undergraduate (2.1 and 1st) and Master's dissertations. Submissions from 2018 onwards are available to access digitally, with a request to the Department's Study Support Manager. Please go to the Study Centre Moodle page, where there is further information on the Dissertation Library . For help and advice on finding suitable examples, please email: [email protected]  

Albert Sloman Library - the University Library at Colchester holds print copies of all Essex Criminology M.Phil. and Ph.D. dissertations up to 30 September 2016. They are listed in the catalogue, and must be consulted in the Library. To search by department type the keywords: essex thesis sociology

University of Essex Research Repository  - contains digitised versions of theses submitted after 30 September 2016. These are also listed in the library catalogue

To search for dissertations from  other universities in the UK and beyond , there are a couple of very useful databases:  

EThOS  offers access to digitised UK doctoral theses

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses  lists North American & UK theses (with some coverage of other countries):

• EThOS EThOS aims to provide a 'single point of access' where researchers the world over can access all theses produced by UK Higher Education. The database can be searched by anyone, but individual users need to register to get access to the full text of theses. Many theses are free to download instantly, whilst others will only be available once digitisation has been requested. The hub automatically harvests e-theses from Institutional Repositories and digitises paper theses from participating institutions to offer the single point of access. Many UK institutions support Open Access to their theses, so download of their digital and digitised theses is free to the researcher. A small number of participating institutions may not be able to offer Open Access and in this case the researcher may have to pay for the digitisation. Where a thesis must be digitised before supply, you can expect a short delay. However, you will be informed when the thesis is ready for collection and you can then log on to the system and download it.
• ProQuest dissertations and theses ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Global (PQDTGlobal) is the world's most comprehensive collection of full-text dissertations and theses. As the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress and as the database of record for graduate research, PQDTGlobal includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. Over 2.1 million titles are available for purchase as printed copies. The database offers full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It also includes PQDT UK & Ireland content. More than 70,000 new full-text dissertations and theses are added to the database each year through dissertations publishing partnerships with 700 leading academic institutions worldwide, and collaborative retrospective digitization of dissertations. Full-text dissertations are archived as submitted by the degree-granting institution. Some will be native PDF, some PDF image. Each dissertation published since July, 1980 includes a 350-word abstract written by the author. Master's theses published since 1988 include 150-word abstracts. Simple bibliographic citations are available for dissertations dating from 1637. Where available, PQDTGlobal provides 24-page previews of dissertations and theses. Note: Full text for certain publications is subject to market availability more... less... Shibboleth login

There are also many portals to  open access dissertations . NDLTD maintains a pretty comprehensive & up to date list of national portals around the world:

• NDLTD Digital Theses Portals Useful listing of national e-theses portals

Global search engines for digital theses include the following:

• CRL Dissertations details of over 800 000 non-US dissertations held by the CRL from mid-19th century onwards
• Ebsco Open Dissertations over 800 000 open access dissertations worldwide
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Many  regions and countries  also have portals to electronic theses. Examples include:

Africa  -  Database of African Theses and Dissertations (DATAD)

Australia  -  Trove

Brazil  -  Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertacoes (BDTD)

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Germany  -  Dissonline

Greece  -  National Archive of PhD Theses

Hong Kong  -  Hong Kong University Theses Online

India  -  Shodhganga

Japan  -  National Diet Library doctoral dissertations

Netherlands  -  NARCIS  

Russia & CIS  -  Dissertation CIS

Scandinavia  -  DiVA  (the Academic Archive Online)

South Africa  -  National ETD Portal

Spain  -  TDX (Tesis Doctorales en Xarva)

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Sociology Dissertation Topics: 60+ Examples and Ideas

by  Antony W

May 9, 2023

Singling out the best sociology topic to explore in your dissertation assignment can be quite a challenge at first. So some ideas can go a long way to give you the inspiration you need to get started the right way.

While there are many ideas you can think of from off the top of your head, there’s a high chance some won’t be a good fit. Ideally, you need to choose a topic that allows you to explore existing studies and add current value in the field of psychology. 

There’s often the temptation to choose a psychology topic on the grounds that it’s a hot debate, but that’s a bad approach that can make the project difficult to complete. The right approach is to pick topic that matches your research aptitude and interest.

If you would like our team to help you with your dissertation, check out our custom dissertation writing service and take advantage of our professional writing help.

Sociology Dissertation Topics

Here are some of the top dissertation topics related to sociology:

Cultural Sociology Dissertation Topics

Cultural sociology is a discipline that analyzes a society’s micro and macro cultures and often focuses on non-material and material culture, values, norms, and beliefs. You’ll have to study ideas and theories of well-known sociologists to understand this area even better. Here are some topics you can explore:

• Recognizing the good and negative elements of inter subcultural social contact
• What are the effects of immigrant cultural invasion on indigenous values, customs, and beliefs in the United Kingdom?
• What are the many subcultures that exist in UK society geographically?
• Analyzing the cultural gaps in British society.
• Considering how Max Weber’s methodological approaches might be used to express notions and principles pertinent to current cultural changes.
• Can Durkheim’s and subsequently the Durkheim school’s views on complete groups in society be utilized to develop a perspective of modern culture?
• Following the evolving components of counterculture in the United Kingdom.
• Analyzing the evolving tendencies in UK high culture throughout time.

Also Read : Social Work Dissertation Topics

Topics in Sociology of Education 

• Analyzing the structure of the education system in public schools as it relates to socially marginalized youth.
• Analyzing the national curriculum’s emphasis on sociological results for pupils as opposed to economic outcomes?
• Do youngsters fail school because of “individual difficulties” or “public issues”: The applicability of C Wright Mills’ theories in today’s UK education system.
• Should Neoliberalism theory be utilized as a guiding paradigm for UK education?
• The organization and impact of social advising and counselling in primary schools are being investigated.
• Examining and determining the methods and changes that a school system may use to close the educational achievement gap for disadvantaged populations.
• Investigating Marx’s Conflict Theory in Education: Is the UK’s public school system upholding the social status quo?
• Examining the relationship between a teacher’s motivation and class performance in a public school.
• The impact of the school environment on children’s perceptions of society at large.
• Examine the public school environment’s readiness to foster interfaith harmony and understanding among youngsters.
• Analyzing higher education fee/scholarship policies in relation to class inequality in UK society.

Topics on the Sociology of Religion

• How have print and electronic media in the United Kingdom shaped public attitudes of various religions?
• Analyzing the shared religious bases for promoting interfaith cooperation in the United Kingdom.
• In the United Kingdom, cross-religious views and ideals are compared.
• Religious ideals and religious standards are binding for members of UK society today in what ways?
• How has religious spread been influenced by social interaction between persons of diverse religious backgrounds?
• Identifying the influence of religion on weddings in the United Kingdom.
• A critical examination of religious organizations in the United Kingdom and their influence on societal structure.
• Investigating the connection between religion and education as a social institution.
• Is there a connection between religion and social change?
• Identifying the relationship between religion and political behavior in the United Kingdom.
• Should the public realm be kept distinct from the private world, especially when the private sphere is religious for some?
• Analyzing the relationship between gender and sexual issues as they pertain to various faiths.

You May Also Like: Criminology Dissertation Topics

Topics on the Sociology of Marriage and Family

• Investigating the nature and consequences of residence patterns in UK society.
• Investigating the intra-household dynamics of child-parent interactions in a typical British home.
• Marriages in distinct subcultures of the United Kingdom are compared.
• Historical examination of variations in divorce rates and their underlying factors in UK society.
• Identifying the societal causes of familial domestic violence.
• Investigating the effects of familial violence on children.
• Family variety and stratification: the link to societal inequality
• Examining the effects of periodic societal change on family structure in the United Kingdom.
• Analyzing the trend of fertility rates in the United Kingdom and the causes of any changes.

Topics on Economic Sociology

• Is it possible to apply the communist paradigm to British society? A critical examination.
• Identifying a UK family’s intra-household economic links.
• The ‘Deliveroo effect’: What are the societal consequences of the expanding ‘gig economy’?
• What societal changes resulted from the UK’s economy’s shift from the industrial revolution (capitalism) to the recent informational revolution?
• Can the informal economy help to drive local socioeconomic development?
• A comparison of communism and capitalism as economic paradigms, as well as their effects on social hierarchy.
• An examination of the UK economy in relation to Marx’s criticism of capitalism.
• A comparison of households with one working parent vs families with both working parents. What are the social consequences of dual employment?
• What are the societal consequences of growing international labor migration in the United Kingdom?
• Is there still a social barrier between blue collar and white collar workers in the modern UK economy?
• What are the most important social elements of consumer spending in the United Kingdom?
• Are you thinking about the future? Comparing young people’s spending and saving habits to those of their parents and grandparents.
• What are the consequences of economic downturns on the social standing of secondary labor market members?

Also Read: Economics Dissertation Topics

Sociology of Criminology Topics

• What are the primary socioeconomic causes driving the rise in knife crime in the United Kingdom?
• Historical examination of the sociological reasons of street and gang violence in the United Kingdom.
• Is drinking the primary social and behavioral cause of street crime in the United Kingdom?
• Offenses ‘known’ and documented in police files: The problems with UK crime statistics.
• Is there evidence of abuse in crime reporting?
• How does positivism account for the criminal’s control?
• The state’s intervention and the societal formation of individual criminal behavior
• Is punishment the only way to deter crime? Investigating social approaches to crime prevention.
• What are the primary aspects of deviance in contemporary British society?

Dissertation Topics in Industrial Sociology

• Is there a connection between culturally responsive organizational policy and employee happiness and productivity?
• What is the normal social structure of a large-scale UK organization?
• Has a British firm’s social organization influenced macro-level cultural conventions, values, and social status?
• What are the social dimensions of organizational communication?
• What distinguishes industrial societies such as the United Kingdom?
• What are the evolving trends in trade unions’ role in the social well-being of employees in the United Kingdom?
• What is the relationship between a worker’s motivation and productivity?
• Workplace motivation and the advantages of employee-selected reward packages

Dissertation Topics in Political Sociology

• What kinds of democratic dangers develop in society, and how does the state respond to such threats?
• Is democracy a viable political system in a capitalist society?
• What are the interconnections between religion and politics as significant social institutions?
• Is charismatic leadership or the rational-legal paradigm more appropriate in British society?
• What role and significance do ethnic minorities have in mainstream British power politics?
• In the British political system, what are the gender dimensions of voting?
• Political ideology and political principles are learned through culture in what ways and in what ways?
• How can individuals influence societal social and political events?
• To what degree do social forces shape power politics in the United Kingdom?

Comparative Sociology Topics

• A comparative examination of citizens’ well-being. The United Kingdom as a welfare state against Japan’s State Capitalism?
• Taking care of elderly relatives – Western and Eastern civilizations’ views and approaches compared.
• Marriage is a social institution in the United Kingdom and India.
• A study of family structure in the United Kingdom and Russia.
• Comparative analysis of labor markets and labor market trends in the United Kingdom and China.
• Comparing the educational systems in the United Kingdom and North America as a social institute for establishing cultural norms
• Is the United Kingdom preserving its ‘traditional’ culture? Comparing the diffusion of various civilizations inside modern British society.
• Capitalism vs. Communism: A Comparative Study of Social Inequality
• Gender issues in the UK and the Middle East are studied in comparison.
• Comparing sexual equality concerns in religious and non-religious countries
• A comparison of family units — nations that favor joint paternity/maternity leave vs maternity leave exclusively.

There you have it, a list of 50+ sociology dissertation topics from which you can choose a relevant idea to explore. As always, make sure you get in touch with your instructor for further advice if you ever get stuck.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

Sociology Dissertation Topics

It is a common fallacy, which almost all researchers initially commit, that ‘research’ is something that can bring an entirely new innovation in academia. Dissertations should always be based on the golden rule that the word ‘research’ is a combination of two words ‘re-‘ and ‘search’. So ideally, a dissertation should be focused on adding value to an existing research area by ‘re-searching’ the current material. Instead of going for buzzwords and a generic area of research, an optimum dissertation is always focused on a precise, narrow and easy to manage research area. While developing dissertation topics, research aims and objectives, researchers should always follow the advice to ‘never choose a topic merely on the grounds that it is hot in current debate.’ A preferable topic would be the one that may be less common but matches the researcher’s interest and aptitude. This article suggests topics for your sociology dissertation in the areas of cultural sociology, sociology of education, sociology of religion, sociology of family, economic sociology, criminology, industrial sociology, political sociology, comparative sociology and the sociology of gender.

Cultural Sociology dissertation topics

Sociology of education dissertation topics, sociology of religion dissertation topics, sociology of family and marriage dissertation topics, economic sociology dissertation topics, sociology of crime/criminology dissertation topics.

• Industrial Sociology dissertation topics

Political Sociology dissertation topics

Comparative sociology dissertation topics, sociology of gender dissertation topics.

Cultural sociology is one of the most commonly used disciplines of sociology. It covers analysis of a society’s macro level and micro level cultures, including their values, beliefs, norms, material and non-material culture etc. Normally cultural sociology is encountered through the ideas and theories of famous sociologists including Marx, Weber and Durkheim. Topics within this area that could be used for your sociology dissertation are:

• Analysing the validity and application of Marx’s ‘Conflict Theory’ in UK society.
• Is Weber’s theory of rationalism applicable to the social structure of the UK?
• Analysing the changing trends of the UK’s high culture over the years.
• Is the popular culture of the UK the same as it was few decades ago?
• What are the impacts of cultural invasion from immigrants on the UK’s indigenous values, norms and beliefs?
• What are the dimensions and types of cultural shock that a foreigner from Asia or the US can have?
• Analysing the cultural lags in UK society.
• Tracking the changing elements of counterculture in the UK.
• On a geographical basis, what are the different subcultures prevailing in UK society?
• Identifying the positive and negative aspects of inter sub-cultural social interaction.
• Is the Gramscian concept of hegemony relevant for an understanding of UK culture today?
• Assessing how the methodological ideas of Max Weber can describe the concepts and principles relevant for present day cultural developments.
• Can the ideas of whole groups in society mentioned by Durkheim, and later by the Durkheim school, be used to construct a view of modern culture?

Sociology of education studies the impact of various social elements on the education system of a society. These elements may include individuals of a society, public policies for education, structure of education and public sector institutes. It includes public sector schools as well as higher, further education and continuing education systems. Topics within the sociology of education that could be used for your sociology dissertation are listed below:

• A historical study of education and the sociology of its policy in the UK, since the Second World War.
• Analysing the link between a teacher’s motivation level and class performance in a public school.
• Analysing the structure of the education system in public schools with relevance to socially excluded young people.
• Examining the structure and impact of social guidance and counselling in primary schools.
• The effect of the school environment on children’s perception of the macro level society.
• Analysing the fees/scholarship policies in higher education systems, with relevance to social stratification in UK society.
• Examining and determining the ways and amendments through which a school system itself can narrow the gap in education outcomes for vulnerable groups.
• Examine the readiness of the public school environment to create and develop inter-faith harmony and understanding among children.
• Exploring Marx’s Conflict Theory in education: Is the UK’s public school system maintaining the social status quo?
• Analysing the focus of the national curriculum towards sociological outcomes, as compared to economic outcomes, for students?
• Should the theory of Neo-liberalism be used as a guiding framework for UK Education?
• Is the interaction that occurs between teacher and student beneficial or disadvantageous for students at primary schools?
• Do children fail at school because of ‘individual problems’ or ‘public issues’: The relevance of C Wright Mills ideas in today’s UK education system.

Sociology of religion encompasses a vast range of issues related to the impact that different elements create on religion and the impact that religion creates on various social issues. For instance, it includes the study of various beliefs, values and structures of religions in society, along with the impact that social elements, such as, social interaction, media and politics impose on religion. Similarly, this field of sociology covers contemporary issues, such as, the impact of social issues like gender, inequality and stereotyping on religion. If the area of sociology of religion interests you and you decide to write about it in your sociology dissertation, the following topics may prove useful to you:

• Comparison of cross-religious beliefs and values in the UK.
• How have print and electronic media in the UK created perceptions about different religions?
• Analysing the common religious grounds for developing inter-faith harmony in the UK.
• How has social interaction between people from different religious backgrounds led to religious diffusion?
• Analysing the link between gender and sexual issues with relevance to different religions.
• Is there any link between religion and social change?
• A critical analysis of religious organisations in the UK and their impact on social structure.
• Identifying the link between religion and political behaviour in the UK.
• Identifying the impact of religion on marriages in the UK.
• Exploring the relationship between religion and education as a social institution.
• Can Goffman’s ‘ritualised interactions’ and his interaction of everyday life be used for the analysis of contemporary religious life?
• How, and in what ways are religious values and religious norms binding for members of UK society today?
• Should the public sphere be separate from the private sphere, when the private sphere for some is religious?

This branch of sociology is related to the study of a family and marriage system of a society. The topics include the structure of the family, number of children in a family, parent-child relationships, intra family gender dynamics, family internal and external social interaction, effect of social change on the family, marriage systems, dynamics and types of marriage and rituals and post marriage social interaction. This area will enable you to make comparisons between different cultures, or different periods in history. Some possible topics for your sociology dissertation include:

• Historical analysis of the basic family size and structure in the UK.
• Analysing the impact of periodic social change on family structure in the UK.
• Comparison of benefits and costs of living in a nuclear family system or extended family system.
• Exploring intra household dynamics of child-parent relationships in a typical UK household.
• Analysing the trend of fertility rates in the UK and the causes behind any changing trends.
• Comparative study of marriages in various sub cultures of the UK.
• Historical analysis of changes in the rate of divorces and its main causes in UK society.
• Exploring the nature and outcomes of residential patterns in UK society.
• Identifying the social causes of domestic violence in a family.
• Examining the impact of domestic violence in the family on children.
• Exploring the changes and continuities in the family and how today’s families have patterns that link back to past patterns of family structure.
• Family diversity and stratification: its connection to inequality in society.
• What is the response to family diversity from academic bodies, public bodies and the government, and what impact have such responses had on the commitment to family life?

This field of sociology examines the economy as a social institute that organises a society’s production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Economic sociology can examine different systems such as socialism, communism and capitalism, corporations, social organisations of labour markets, job types, labour migration, sociological dimensions of consumer spending and social aspects of money and informal economy. You could base your sociology dissertation on any of the following topics:

• Comparative study of communism and capitalism as economic models, and their impacts on social hierarchy.
• Is there still a blue collar and white collar social divide in the contemporary UK economy?
• Analysis of the UK economy with relevance to Marx’s critique on capitalism.
• What are the social changes that were generated from transition of the UK’s economy from industrial revolution (capitalism) to the recent informational revolution?
• What are the social impacts of increased international labour migration on UK’s society?
• Can the communist model be applied to UK society? A critical analysis.
• Can informal economy generate local socio-economic development?
• What are the main sociological dimensions of consumer spending in the UK?
• What are the effects of economic downturns on the social status of members from the secondary labour market?
• Identifying the intra-household economic relationships of a UK family.
• The ‘Deliveroo effect’ – what are the social impacts of the growing ‘gig economy’?
• Comparative study of families with one employed parent versus families with both parents working. What are the social effects of dual working?
• Planning for the future? Comparing the spending/saving habits of young people with their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.

This field of sociology is focused to understand the nature and social dimensions of crime, concept of deviance, types of crime including youth crime, gang crime and large-scale crimes and old and contemporary crime control mechanisms, such as state punishment. With crime becoming a prominent and much talked about topic in modern society, a sociology dissertation on the sociology of crime / criminology may prove useful and well read.

• What are the key social factors behind increasing knife crime in the UK?
• Offences ‘known’ and recorded in police records: The issues surrounding UK crime statistics.
• What are the main dimensions of deviance in UK society?
• Historic analysis of social causes behind street and gang fights in the UK.
• Are there any signs of abuse in crime reporting?
• Are there any ethnical, gender and religious dimensions to crimes in the UK?
• Is Durkhaim’s idea of ‘Anomie’ the main cause behind increased youth crime in the UK?
• Critical analysis of the Government’s crime prevention reforms and policies.
• Is punishment the only solution to stop crime? Exploring the social alternatives of crime prevention.
• Is alcohol consumption the main social and behavioural cause of street crimes in the UK?
• A study of victimology: Are offenders the real victims of crime?
• How does positivism account for the control of the criminal?
• The intervention by the state and the social construction of individual crime behaviour.

Industrial Sociology Dissertation Topics

Industrial sociology is also known as sociology of work. This applied field of sociology explores social and human relationships within a workplace. It includes a range of issues, such as productivity, motivation, unionisation, corporate citizenship, line manager-worker relationships, social structures of organisations, social groups in organisations, and cultural diversity in the workplace, technological advancement and social impact on workforce, inequality and anti-discrimination laws. For your sociology dissertation, the following topics could be considered:

• What is the social structure of a typical large scale UK organisation?
• What are the changing trends in the role of trade unions in the social well being of workers in the UK?
• Is there any link in cultural sensitive organisational policies and worker satisfaction and productivity?
• What are the ways through which organisations can create cultural harmony and management of cultural diversity?
• What are the social impacts of automation in workplaces on workers?
• Has the social organisation of a British firm guided the macro level societal norms, values and social status?
• What are the key features of industrial societies like the UK?
• What is the link between motivation of a worker and productivity?
• What are the social dimensions of communication within an organisation?
• Should a line manager-worker relationship be based on social requirements or organisational goals? How can managers create a balance?
• How is the individual viewed in the sociology of work in terms of postmodern identity, control and orientation to work?
• Asian-owned organisations and the social organisation of work.
• Work motivation and the benefits of worker selected reward packages.

Political sociology deals with complex relationship, such as power, authority, individual and group interests and social change. It may cover the historical journey of political movements generated by social forces, as well as the contemporary impact of politics on society due to the power politics between individuals, groups, political institutions and economic interests. If you are interested in creating a sociology dissertation based on political sociology, the following topics may help you to narrow down your research:

• To what extent is power politics in the UK generated by social forces?
• Is politics in the UK a based on social class theory of power struggles between elites of the society? A critical analysis of the UK’s politics on the basis of Marx’s views.
• Is democracy an applicable political model in a capitalist society?
• What is the appropriateness of ‘pluralism’ as a political model in UK society?
• What are the gender dimensions of voting in the British political system?
• Critical analysis of the UK welfare state system.
• What are the intersecting links of religion and politics as major social institutions?
• Considering the British society, is the charismatic leadership or rational-legal model more suitable?
• What is the scope and importance of ethnic minorities in mainstream British power politics?
• What are implications of globalisation in modern nation-state and politics?
• How, and in what ways are political ideology and political values acquired through culture?
• How do individuals manage to shape the social and political events of society?
• What sorts of threats to democracy emerge in society and how does the state respond to such threats?

This field of sociology deals with the comparison of various modes of societies such as capitalism, socialism, communism, welfare capitalism and state capitalism. Sociology can also deal with cross-society comparisons regarding social institutions such as education, economy, family, marriages, health, religion and comparison of social issues such as race, ethnicity and gender. For ideas for your sociology dissertation, see below:

• Comparative study of social inequality – Capitalism vs Communism
• Comparative study of labour markets and labour market movements in the UK and China
• Comparative study analysing the well-being of citizens The UK as a welfare state vs Japan’s State Capitalism?
• Is the UK keeping hold of its own ‘traditional’ culture? Comparing diffusion of multiple cultures within contemporary British society.
• Comparative study of gender issues between UK society and the Middle East.
• Comparison of marriage as a social institution in UK and India.
• Comparing issues of sexual equality between highly religious and non-religious countries?
• Comparative study of family structure in UK society and Russian society.
• Comparing the education system as a social institute for shaping the societal norms in the UK and North America?
• Determining the wellbeing of a citizen and social development – Comparison of the democratic system vs totalitarianism?
• Comparative study examining the health and wellbeing of citizens of countries with predominantly free-to-access healthcare vs predominantly private healthcare.
• Caring for elderly relatives – Comparison of the attitudes and approaches of Western and Eastern societies.
• Comparative study of the family unit – countries that encourage shared paternity/maternity leave vs maternity leave only.

Sociology of gender has been one of the most popular fields within sociology for a substantial period of time. Academically, most of the work in this field is carried out within the context of developing countries, which often exhibit complex gender relations within their society. This field includes intra-household gender dynamics as well as the role of males and females in societal functioning. Additionally, the feminist school of thought has taken the sociology of gender as a means of analysing patterns of discrimination against females. This could be an interesting area for you to base your sociology dissertation on.

• What is the extent of female bargaining power within a household in a developing country?
• What are the stated reasons behind discrimination against women within a rural household in a developing country?
• What are the social forces that shape gender relations in a society?
• What are the links of patterns of inheritance with defining gender roles?
• What are the reasons behind the exclusion of females from accessing education?
• What are the sources of discrimination against women in workplaces?
• How does religion shape gender relations and roles?
• How are women involved in income generation activities in developing countries?
• How can power politics within society determine the role of females in a society?
• What is the role of the media in shaping gender roles in a society?
• How does social media influence gender identity within developed countries?
• Sexual harassment within the workplace – what factors have increased its prevalence and what are the barriers to reporting such encounters?
• Same job, different pay: what are the reasons behind the inequality of male:female pay scales within society?

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213 Criminology Dissertation Ideas And Thesis Titles

Finding criminology topics is not as easy as pulling out an essay idea from any website. It requires students to go the extra mile to investigate a particular problem and derive a professional topic. Does this give you chills already? Well, our expert UK writers have prepared a list that will earn you high grades. Make sure to pick one that will impress your stingy criminology professor to the core!

Criminology Topics: What Do They Entail?

Criminology focuses on examining crime from a social perspective with a close lens at the perpetrator of the crime, their motive, effects, and prevention. As you will note in the list of writing ideas below, criminology also studies human behaviour about crime.

Since criminologists go to the extent of looking at the social roots and impacts of a crime, they also s-encompass other fields of study such as philosophy and anthropology. The combination of all these methods leads to a precise determination of the root cause of criminal behaviour. They will therefore be able to determine effective and practical ways of preventing its occurrence in the future.

For you to have a top-rated criminology paper, ensure that you:

• First, understand the task at hand
• Collect relevant details to furnish your paper with
• Outline your criminology paper
• Structure your ideas into sections
• Abide by the formatting requirements of your college or university
• Maintain originality throughout your paper
• Reference and cite your sources well

The result of this is a brilliant criminology paper that will earn you a spot on the top of your class leaderboard. Do you want to try out our sample criminology dissertation titles? Here is your unique opportunity now!

Top-Notch Criminology Dissertation Ideas

• Why are the majority of crimes committed by the youths?
• Reasons why men are more prone to commit crime than women
• What to improve in the British criminology curriculum
• Is it possible to develop a society without crime?
• How does the environment motivate one towards criminal behaviour?
• Evaluate the role of music in enhancing crime
• Are the current laws on criminology effective enough?
• Why do college and university students engage in cases of arson?
• Predisposing factors behind the activities of serial killers
• The role of guardians and societal leaders in preventing crime
• Possible causes of rape and other indecent sexual behaviour
• Discuss the relationship between crime and punishment in the past decade
• Are criminology related laws implemented to the latter?
• The role of specialized police units in preventing crime
• Why the internet is a harbour for vigorous criminal activity
• How to detect domestic violence before it occurs
• Innovative ways of dealing with social disorders in a community
• Why serial crimes always present a complex puzzle to solve for investigators

Criminology Dissertation Ideas Mental Health

• The role of trauma in forcing one to commit a crime
• Evaluate the association between mental illness and crime
• Possible mental disorders that make teenagers commit crimes
• Using community-based treatment centres to help people with mental cases
• A global perspective on the mental health of sexual offenders
• How anxiety and depression may cause one to premeditate committing murder
• Impact of detrimental mental health problems on a person’s conduct
• The relationship between aggressive behaviour and mental disorders
• Traumatic experiences that may trigger criminal activities
• How the media impacts the mental health of a person in committing a crime
• Ways of promoting a healthy mental state in a society
• How phobias prevent or trigger people about crime
• The role of a mental check-up in a criminal investigation
• Can an illegal fake a mental disorder to evade punishment?
• Importance of mental therapies for criminals charged with murder

Criminology And Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• How attitudes and emotions compel people to criminal behaviour
• Impact of domestic violence on a child’s aggressive behaviour
• A psychological examination of people who start trouble every time
• How race is a critical factor in the police’s judgment of criminal activity
• The role of forensic psychology in criminal investigations
• A psychological view of the gender-based violence against women
• Psychological disorders as a result of divorce may lead to crime
• How parenting styles affect a child’s behaviour: A case of poor parenting
• Discuss criminal intent based on a psychological disorder
• How drug abuse contributes to crime as a result of psychological dysfunction
• How attitudes towards criminal justice shape people’s behaviours
• Why most employers are reluctant to employ people with past criminal records
• Discuss criminal psychology with communist states
• Current trends and practices in crime related to psychology
• Compare and contrast situation and premeditated child abuse

Custom Criminology Dissertation Topics

• Do criminals get justice after being sentenced?
• How to investigate a serial crime in a society
• Techniques used in monitoring people with suspecting criminal behaviour
• Evaluate the role of private detectives in solving societal crimes
• How the neighbourhood topography relates to illegal activities
• Best approaches to combating crimes committed by gangs
• The part of the police in keeping society safe and peaceful
• How the mental health of women relates to aggressive behaviour at a times
• Predisposing factors behind human traffickers and children abductors
• Should the government enact more laws to curb domestic violence?
• The role of modern technologies in complicating criminal investigations
• How schools can enhance good morals among students at a tender age
• Do suspensions act as a cause for violence in the future among students?
• How to deal with protests and violence in a school setting
• How the use of force only serves to stir up crime

First-Class Dissertation Ideas For Criminology

• Policing strategies that wage war against smuggling of goods
• The role of the US-Mexican border in combating criminal activities
• How marginalization leads to the discrimination of various people
• An analysis of the genocides in the past decade: What caused them?
• What motivates young men to join gangs and other criminal groups?
• How does alcohol catalyze sexual assaults?
• The relationship between crime and LGBT groups
• The implication of racial profiling in causing criminal activities
• A critical review of how the US government responds to mass shootings
• Gun ownership policies that will make America safe
• The role of corruption in facilitating illegal underground activity
• How the economic state of a country can lead to crime
• Discuss the relationship between oil and civic disorder
• Historical factors that have necessitated crime in the 21 st century
• The contribution of propaganda and Yellow Journalism to crime

Criminology Dissertation Ideas On Terrorism

• Evaluate the response of the US forces towards terrorist activities
• Implications of the 9/11 attack on the safety of airlines
• Discuss the relationship between radicalization and terrorism
• Ways in which ISIS lures young men into joining them
• How technology has helped advance terrorist activities in the country
• Assess the impact of terrorism on religious profiling of people
• Why terrorist activities are most prevalent in urban centres
• How terrorists instil fear on their victims
• Has the coronavirus slowed down terrorist activities?
• Exploring the role of attitude in fueling terrorist activities towards certain countries
• Reasons why the media can serve as a super-spreader of fear during terrorist attacks
• Ways of detecting terrorist plans before they come of age
• Significant strides made in the war against terrorism in Africa
• The role of intelligence services in combating terrorism
• A critical analysis of the bombings on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania

Criminology Dissertation Ideas About Drugs

• The role of drug rehabilitation centres in reducing criminal activities
• A critical evaluation of heroin and cocaine users
• The impact of legalizing marijuana on criminal behaviour
• Is there a thin line between drug abuse and violence?
• How to curb drug and substance abuse among college students
• The role of the media in sensitizing society against the adverse effects of drugs
• How the doping technology can help curb drug and substance abuse
• How drug abuse is a stepping stone to high crime rates in developing nations
• Explore the different types of crimes resulting from drug abuse
• What are the possible ways of eradicating corruption caused by criminal behaviour?
• Why it is difficult for drug addicts to go for guiding and counselling
• Impacts of excessive drug abuse on one’s mental state
• Why most gangs are associated with drug and substance abuse
• Post-traumatic drug disorders that lead to criminal activities
• Most commonly abused drugs by teens in the United Kingdom

The Best Criminology Dissertation Ideas UK

• Government policies that are curtailing the spread of criminal behaviour
• How the UK government is dealing with criminals of any kind
• Are the court systems in the UK doing enough to curb crime?
• Describe the application of the social learning theory in reducing crime
• How a criminal investigator develops a perspective on a particular crime
• How developed economies are handling corruption-related cases
• The standards of correctional facilities in the United Kingdom and their effectiveness
• An investigation of the legal policies against crime in Britain
• Compare and contrast criminal activity in UK suburbs and those of America
• A critical review of past illegal activity in Britain over the last five years
• Perceptions and attitudes towards UK criminal investigators
• How antisocial behaviour relates to illegal activities
• Are introverts more prone to crime than extroverts?
• A study of the UK media and its implication on crime
• How criminal investigative exposes have led to the arrest of various criminals

Criminology Dissertation Ideas On Domestic Violence

• Multiple forms of domestic violence in the 21 st century: A case of sexual and verbal abuse
• Acts that lead to psychological intimidation in domestic violence
• Economic impacts of domestic violence
• Does the word ‘abuse’ downplay the severity of domestic violence acts?
• Are domestic violence acts ‘terroristic’ in nature?
• Social structures that reinforce the suppression of women
• The growing cases of male abuse in the recent days
• An analysis of the various aspects of domestic violence
• The role of writers in speaking out against domestic violence
• How to look out for warning signs in the case of domestic violence
• Do victims of domestic violence find a safe place to talk without judgment?
• Discuss the implications of the Domestic Abuse Bill in the UK
• How to address the needs of survivors and their families
• The role of society in holding perpetrators of domestic violence accountable
• The role of grants and government funding in supporting anti-domestic violence movements

Criminology Dissertation Ideas About Prisons

• Do prisons deny inmates their human rights?
• Investigate reports of sexual abuse in prisons
• Why murderers should not be in one prison facility with other offenders
• Are prisons breeding grounds for criminal activity?
• Compare and contrast crime in female and male prisons
• The role of prison wardens in shaping the conduct of prisoners
• Should all offenders be kept in one prison irrespective of their crimes?
• Is denying prisoners visitations a catalyst for their aggressive behaviour?
• The role of society in helping criminals change
• How prison wardens contribute to crime in prisons
• Should all correctional facilities be outside significant cities?
• Should convicts of life sentences stay with those of shorter sentences?
• An analysis of cases of convicts killed in prisons
• What should determine the suitability of an officer as a prison warden?
• How should inmates relate with the prison wardens?

Forensic Psychology Dissertation Ideas

• Technological advances in forensic psychology and its impacts
• The procedure of investigating a crime using forensic psychology
• Compare and contrast the use of forensic psychology on men versus women
• Different approaches to forensic psychology in criminology
• Do we have enough forensic psychologists?
• How does genetics affect forensic psychology?
• Factors affecting eyewitness identification performance
• A study on male victims of partner violence
• Investigate the jury decision-making process based on forensic psychology
• A study of knowledge and attitudes towards conduct disorder
• How race affects psychotherapeutic performance
• Examine the association between psychosis and being a migrant
• Using a measurement scale to assess psychopathic personality traits
• How personality functioning may predict a person’s engagement in cyberstalking
• The collateral consequences of money bail

Latest Knife Crime Dissertation Titles

• What happens when the police become criminals?
• The impact of cybercrime on international peace and security
• Unearthing the underworld of hardcore teenage crimes
• How some police office rob banks and participate in serious crimes
• Dealing with drug trafficking in the technological era
• A comparative analysis of European law enforcement agencies
• Using children as witnesses in a criminal case: Is it ethical?
• Discuss the role of psychological intervention for criminals
• Analyze the rise of militia uprisings
• Impact of political tensions on criminal activities
• How the media stereotypes young people as criminals
• Social insecurity and brutality
• Impact of forced labour on correcting detainees: Does it help?
• Does the media exaggerate terrorism activities?
• Cultural values that can shape the morals of a society

Additional Terrorism Dissertation Ideas

• Is white supremacy terrorism?
• How domestic terrorism has risen in the US over the past few months
• The role of the UN Mission in keeping terrorists at bay
• How to cut off funding for terrorist activities
• How terrorism has become a threat to human existence
• How to prevent young men from joining terrorist groups
• Why terrorists take hostages and threaten to detonate bombs
• Psychological implications of terrorism activities
• Can someone who has been a terrorist fit into society again?
• Discuss the breeding of local terrorism in countries
• Counter-terrorism measures that work
• The role of surveillance in countering terrorism activities
• How terrorism creeps into conflict zones
• How the rule of law can help eliminate terrorism
• How to empower minors against terrorism
• The role of community anti-terrorism awareness programs
• How terrorists cause insubordination and waywardness

Criminal Law EPQ Questions

• Proactive policing
• Pretext stops and charter remedies
• Working with virtual legal assistants
• The part of the sedition law
• Analyze the right to protest
• Is life imprisonment a myth?
• State’s role in regulating crimes against women
• Appeal to the death sentence
• Laws about custody and maintenance of minors
• Are Promissory notes and Bills of Exchange the same?
• What is the difference between fatal and non-fatal offences?
• Are ideas protected under copyright?
• What is a crime of passion?

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80+ Sociology Dissertation Topics in 2024

Princi Rai ,

Mar 4, 2024

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Sociology dissertation topics include multiple fields in which students can explore and prepare like social economic and cultural impact of immigration, impact of criminal justice system, impact of drug intoxication and influence of social media on the cultural backgrounds.

Sociology dissertation topics include a range of topics and their impact on society, like the impact of gender equality, the impact of education, religion, social structure, the impact of poverty, and the consequences, and the theories associated with the trade term of economics.

It also includes the societal structure and its evolution, political structure and its evolution, cultural evolution, cohabitation, and its connection with the culture.

Top 80+ Sociology Dissertation Topics in 2024

Below is the list of the top 80 sociology dissertation topics in 2024, which comprises vast fields like gender equality, education, religion, social structure, education, poverty, social and economic consequences of curriculums, different conflicting theories, and the impact of culture on society.

• When it comes to gender and sexual difficulties, various genders have different relationships. Evaluate the relationship between gender and sexual difficulties in various religions.
• The influence of education and religion within the framework of contemporary research. Examine the connection between religion and education, paying particular attention to the two as social institutions.
• The peaceful coexistence of several religions depends on interfaith agreements: Remark
• Talk about the significance of religion and how it affects marriages in the contemporary world.
• In the modern world, societal structures are continuously evolving: Remark
• Religion and politics coexist side by side. Discuss from the viewpoint of the nation or area of your choice.
• In what ways did the sociological policies of the post-World War II era alter the history of education?
• With reference to public schools, talk about the connection between a teacher's level of motivation and their ability to achieve academic achievement.
• Talk about the value of social supervision and support in US elementary and secondary education.
• What kind of influence might a child's educational background have on developing their awareness of a wider society?
• Examine and contrast the social and economic consequences of the UK curriculum.
• Using Marx's Conflict Theory of Education as a guide, evaluate Australia's public education system and the sociological notion in order to establish the Conflict Theory.
• How much do immigrants' introductions of foreign cultures affect native customs and values in Europe?
• It is possible for foreigners to experience cultural shock when visiting strange regions. Examine the extent and types of cultural hardship that an immigrant from Asia or Africa would experience in the UK.
• In order to guarantee peaceful cohabitation, social connections between the cultures are essential.
• Provide a critical evaluation of the various subcultures that exist in the United Kingdom. Simply narrow the focus in a geographical sense.
• Examine the historical shifts in Indian popular culture from a century ago to the present.
• Evaluate the rationalist theory proposed by Max Webber and discuss how it relates to the social structure.
• Examine critically the ways that American societal norms are evolving and contrast them with the country's culture from decades before.
• Examine how the counterculture's evolving principles have affected Canadian society.
• Draw a contrast between the welfare state culture of the UK and the capitalist culture of Japan.
• Comparing capitalism and communism, critically examine the causes of social inequality.
• Examine the differences between a democratic and totalitarian regime's approaches to determining a citizen's social development.
• Examine and contrast how religion shapes social features in American and Arab communities, paying particular attention to accountability and influence.
• What are the distinctions between the educational systems in the United States and Great Britain, and how do they influence society standards differently?
• Any society's fundamental unit is the family: Provide a comparative analysis of Arab and British family structures.
• Examine the differences between Indian and American marriage customs.
• the immigration-related spread of British culture
• Conduct a comparative analysis of the labour market trends and practises between the United Kingdom and Asia.
• What effects are gender issues having on two societies? Concentrate your study on African and American societies.
• Analyze the extent and patterns of gender voting in the political systems of the United States and Britain.
• In America, social issues are the main forces behind power politics. Describe the specific degree to which the statement is accurate.
• Evaluate the state welfare system in the United Kingdom critically, taking into account its impact on various social elements and trends.
• Talk about the effects of political power struggles between society's elite groups on the general public's social wellbeing.
• Talk about the extent to which a capitalist state society can still use democracy.
• Conduct a comparative analysis between the charismatic and balanced-legal forms of leadership, assessing their respective contributions to contemporary society.
• Talk about the most prevalent economic theories centered on capitalism and communism, as well as how they affect social hierarchy.
• Make a comprehensive analysis of the sociological distribution and amounts of consumer spending in Australia.
• The United States' social metamorphosis throughout the economic shift from the agrarian revolution to the current technological turmoil
• Talk about the extent to which a nation's internal socioeconomic growth can be facilitated by an informal sector.
• Review the material to determine whether or not a communist economic model is appropriate for the UK's current society.
• Talk about the social effects on European Union society of increased global labor immigration.
• Undertake a thorough investigation on the effects of manual labor-intensive blue-collar employment and professional white-collar jobs on the division of society.
• Indian intrafamily connections and their effects on society
• Do a case study on the negative effects of the world financial crisis and how the labor markets become more stratified based on social class?
• An essential component of any organization is social communication. Talk about the extent of fundamental communication in a company.
• Provide a thorough analysis of the social structure of a typical large organization.
• Are trade unions, as shown, really the defenders of workers' social welfare? Remark
• Talk about how automation affects workers' social well-being in the workplace.
• Talk about the connection between culturally responsive organizational policies and employee performance and satisfaction.
• Examine the historical context of the socioeconomic causes driving the UK's street gangs' continuous rise. Describe various social alternatives to the use of physical punishment as a deterrent to crime.
• Provide some background information about the criminal investigation agencies' past mistreatment of crime reporters.
• The status quo of actual crimes committed in a society is not reflected in criminal statistics: Remark
• Examine the extent of Durkheim's Anomie ideology and consider if it could be contributing to the sharp increase in juvenile criminal activity.
• Talk about the family's structure, size, and historical perspective as the fundamental social unit in relation to a nuclear family.
• Examine the range of diverse sub-cultural unions between various civilizations in the United Kingdom.
• Explain the ways in which women's empowerment and fertility rates are changing in developing nations.
• Describe the significance of parent-child interactions and how they affect contemporary family dynamics.
• Talk about the effects of domestic violence and how they interfere with a healthy society's ability to function as a whole.
• Conduct a comparison analysis of the rising divorce caseload rates and the societal factors contributing to them.
• Describe the benefits and drawbacks of nuclear and extended families.
• Evaluate how gender roles are evolving in society.
• The significance of women's autonomy and independence on a social and economic level
• Talk about how the media shapes gender roles.
• How is the overall structure of society being affected by the growing number of women entering the political sphere?
• To what extent does religion influence or shape gender roles?
• How is the increased bargaining power of women in the household altering the traditional patterns of the current society?
• Talk about the historical justifications for denying women the opportunity to vote and receive an education.
• Talk about the reasons for the rise in the prevalence of gender discrimination against women in Africa's developing nations.
• Talk about the cultural gaps in UK society.
• What relevance does Gramscian's concept of hegemony have for comprehending UK culture today?
• Talk about the Durkheim school of thinking regarding the beliefs of the society's entire groups.
• How children's perceptions of themselves in a larger community are influenced by their educational environment
• Talk about how public schools might help societies achieve interfaith harmony.
• Talk about the idea of neo-liberalism as the main theoretical foundation for European schooling.
• Which are the "individual problems" or the "public issues" that primarily cause children to fail in school? Discuss while keeping C. Wright Mills' theories in mind.
• How have opinions about various religions been shaped by print and electronic media?
• What is the impact of fundamentalism on a society that is intercultural?
• Goffman's "ritualized interactions" and its evaluation of contemporary religious life
• Should the public and private domains be kept apart, particularly when a person's private life is religious?
• Examine the psychological effects of domestic abuse on the children in the household.
• What is the reaction of governmental, public, and academic institutions to the diversity of families, and how does this impact the dedication to a family life?

Also Read : Thesis Vs. Dissertation - Meaning, Differences and Similarities

What are Dissertation Topics in Sociology?

Sociology dissertation topics ought to take into account the particular field of sociology students want to study and the research interests. Dissertation topics examine the ways in which social media has impacted the structure and influence of modern social movements.

• Examine how immigrants have adapted to their new nations, paying particular attention to social, economic, and cultural factors.
• Examine the media's portrayals of various social groupings and the effects that result from them.
• Examine the social determinants that lead to drug addiction and the effects they have on impacted people and communities.
• Examine initiatives to restructure the criminal justice system and deal with concerns related to imprisonment, punishment, and rehabilitation.

Also Read : Psychology vs Sociology: Know the Differences

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60 Awesome Criminology Dissertation Ideas For You!

Creating high-quality criminology dissertation ideas is a highly important aspect, not only for gaining top grades but firstly for showing your prowess. Yet, we all know that this task might sometimes be difficult as it is a resource-consuming process.

Since finding the proper criminology dissertation ideas could sometimes be a challenge, we’ve put together a great list to get you started. Different approaches will be a match for different people. Therefore, read through them all and select the ones that best fit you.

But before that,

Criminology Dissertation Tips

How do you generate ideas for criminology dissertation? Well, here is a quick look at that:

• Brainstorming
• Free writing
• Idea mapping
• Imagination

Allow your ideas to flow freely regardless of how wild or crazy they seem. In the midst of free writing the plans, you can censor the “dumb” or “silly” ideas. Such sifting will leave you with impressive dissertation ideas for criminology and sociology papers.

Unlike other types of writing, criminal justice is a sensitive matter that needs evidence-backed arguments. There is no room for speculations or gossip in a criminology dissertation. Hence, maximum precision is necessary if you desire a top-notch paper in the end.

You have a plethora of dissertation questions for criminology to choose from in this post:

Masters and PhD. Criminology Dissertation Ideas

Here is a list of Masters and first-class dissertation ideas criminology worthy of mentioning:

• Policing strategies within the war against drugs: A comparative analysis
• A case study of sexual violence as a weapon in armed conflict
• Understanding how marginalization and discrimination because of religion causes crime
• Exploring the impact of genocidal acts in community cohesiveness
• How corruption affects the political, social, economic, and security of a country
• What is the role and motivation of women joining ISIS?
• A critical analysis of how the US government responds to terrorist threats
• Racist stereotyping and crime: What is the relationship?
• Influence of drugs and alcohol on sexual assaults
• Key socio-history factors and how they contribute to contemporary form
• LGBT and crime: An understanding of their contribution or impact
• A discourse analysis of how the coronavirus has shaped crime
• An examination of the role of technology in fueling crime
• An interdisciplinary gaze into the problem of ‘evil.’
• Exploring the part of rehabilitation centres in curbing crime
• Does urban setting provide breeding grounds for crime than rural areas?
• A review of the cybercrime legislation and their place in maintaining law and order
• A critical evaluation of bullying in schools versus crime
• The role of women in aiding crime
• A critical examination of the police force and crime

Argumentative Criminology Dissertation Topics

A list of criminology topics for an argumentative dissertation paper:

• Can religious ideologies be the cause of terrorism?
• Is crime worse than natural disasters or diseases?
• Is domestic violence only against women or men to suffer?
• Is immigration the cause of the increased crime rate?
• What are the contributing factors for serial killers?
• Is it possible to have a crime-free society?
• Is the education system lagging in its role of shaping good morals and character?
• Are political tensions to blame for the internal militia uprisings
• Is there a thin line between law enforcement and criminology?
• Does parental supervision help in reducing crime among teenagers?
• Is there someone behind the rise of youth gangs in a given society?
• Does the media portray young people as criminals?
• Is gun control in the US the stepping stone to high crime rates?
• What is the role of the school and community in preventing child abuse?
• How has counterfeiting evolved with the advent of new technologies?
• Is racist abuse towards international students the cause of crime and violence?
• Is social insecurity mere brutality?
• Is forced labour among detainees an efficient way of correction?
• Are media representations of terrorism an exaggeration?
• Is culture key in shaping morals for a better society?

Controversial Criminology Dissertation Titles

• Does abortion fall under the category of the crime?
• Is the patriarchy society responsible for the rise in crime numbers?
• How parental separation results in future violence
• Were the Black Lives Matter campaign marred with violence rather than seeking justice?
• The unseen world of male rape in society today
• Music contributes to the crime through videos and the lyrics used
• Social media has been a major crime scene in the technological era
• Is it acceptable to acquaint rape perpetrators on bail terms?
• Are Islamic charities a source of terrorist financing?
• Is the media the main instigator of moral panics in the society?
• Most crime offenders are teenagers and especially college dropouts
• Should the government increase the age limit for acquiring a national identity card?
• Coronavirus has fueled up more criminal activities than never before
• Human trafficking has only one role; sexual exploitation
• The law is subjective when it comes to domestic violence on males
• Regulating prostitution will reduce crime
• Facebook is a conduit for criminal activity rather than socializing
• Should the police carry guns in public?
• Corruption is a result of imitation
• Does prison truly correct criminal behaviour?

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256 Research Topics on Criminal Justice & Criminology

Are you a law school student studying criminal behavior or forensic science? Or maybe just looking for good criminal justice topics, questions, and hypotheses? Look no further! Custom-writing.org experts offer a load of criminology research topics and titles for every occasion. Criminological theories, types of crime, the role of media in criminology, and more. Our topics will help you prepare for a college-level assignment, debate, or essay writing.

• ⚖️ Criminology vs. Criminal Justice
• 🔬 120 Criminology Research Topics
• 💂 116 Criminal Justice Research Topics

🔥 Hot Criminology Research Topics

• The role of media in criminology.
• Cultural explanation of crime.
• Benefits of convict criminology.
• Main issues of postmodern criminology.
• Is criminal behavior affected by the politics?
• How does DAWN collect data?
• The limitations of crime mapping.
• Personality traits that trigger criminal behavior.
• Community deterioration and crime rates.
• Does experimental criminology affect social policy?

🔬 120 Criminology Research Topics & Ideas

Here are 100 criminology research topics ideas organized by themes.

General Criminology Research Paper Topics

• Criminology as a social science.
• Criminology and its public policies.
• History of criminology.
• Crime commission: legal and social perspectives .

Criminal Psychology Research Topics

• What is the nature of criminal behavior?
• How does the lack of education affect the incarceration rates?
• Childhood aggression and the impact of divorce
• The effect of the upbringing on antisocial adult behavior
• How do gender and cultural background affect one’s attitude towards drug abuse ?
• Forensic psychology and its impact on the legal system
• What is the role of criminal psychologists?
• Different types of forensic psychological evaluations
• What’s the difference between therapeutic and forensic evaluation?
• Does socioeconomic status impact one’s criminal behavior?

Criminology Research Topics: Theories

• What crimes are typical for what ages?
• How does the type of crime correspond with the level of exerted aggression ?
• What is the connection between citizenship (or lack thereof) and law violation?
• How does education (or lack thereof) correspond with crime level?
• Does employment (or lack thereof) correspond with law violation?
• What is the connection between family status and law violation?
• Does gender affect on the type of law violation?
• How does ownership of firearms correspond with law violation?
• Does immigrant status correlate with law violation?

• Is there a connection between mental health and law violation?
• What are the causes of violence in the society?
• Does the crime rate depend on the neighborhood?
• How does race correspond with the type of crime?
• Do religious beliefs correspond with law violation?
• How does social class correlate with crime rate?
• What are the reasons for the homeless’ improsonment?
• How does weather correspond with law violation?

Criminology Topics on Victimization

• Biological theories of crime: how do biological factors correspond with law violation?
• Classical criminology: the contemporary take on crime, economics, deterrence, and the rational choice perspective.
• Convict criminology: what do ex-convicts have to say on the subject?
• Criminal justice theories: punishment as a deterrent to crime.
• Critical criminology : debunking false ideas about crime and criminal justice.
• Cultural criminology: criminality as the product of culture.
• Cultural transmission theory: how criminal norms are transmitted in social interaction.
• Deterrence theory: how people don’t commit crimes out of fear of punishment.
• Rational choice theory : how crime doing is aligned with personal objectives of the perpetrator.
• Feminist Criminology: how the dominant crime theories exclude women.
• Labeling and symbolic interaction theories: how minorities and those deviating from social norms tend to be negatively labeled.
• Life course criminology : how life events affect the actions that humans perform.
• Psychological theories of crime: criminal behavior through the lense of an individual’s personality.
• Routine activities theory : how normal everyday activities affect the tendency to commit a crime.
• The concept of natural legal crime.
• Self-control theory: how the lack of individual self-control results in criminal behavior.
• Social construction of crime: crime doing as social response.
• Social control theory : how positive socialization corresponds with reduction of criminal violation.
• Social disorganization theory : how neighborhood ecological characteristics correspond with crime rates.
• Social learning theory : how (non)criminal behavior can be acquired by observing and imitating others.
• Strain theories : how social structures within society pressure citizens to commit crime.
• Theoretical integration: how two theories are better than one.

Criminology Research and Measurement Topics

• Citation content analysis (CCA): a framework for gaining knowledge from a variety of media.
• Crime classification systems: classification of crime according to the severity of punishment.
• Crime mapping as a way to map, visualize, and analyze crime incident patterns.
• Reports and statistics of crime: the estimated rate of crime over time. Public surveys.
• Drug abuse warning network (DAWN): predicting trends in drug misuse.
• Arrestee drug abuse monitoring (ADAM): drug use among arrestees.
• Edge ethnography: collecting data undercover in typically closed research settings and groups through rapport development or covert undercover strategy.
• Experimental criminology: experimental and quasi-experimental research in the advancement of criminological theory.
• Fieldwork in criminology: street ethnographers and their dilemmas in the field concerning process and outcomes.
• Program evaluation: collecting and analyzing information to assess the efficiency of projects, policies and programs.
• Quantitative criminology: how exploratory research questions, inductive reasoning, and an orientation to social context help recognize human subjectivity.

Criminology Topics on Types of Crime

• Campus crime: the most common crimes on college campuses and ways of preventing them.
• Child abuse : types, prevalence, risk groups, ways of detection and prevention.
• Cybercrime : cyber fraud, defamation, hacking, bullying, phishing.
• Domestic violence: gender, ways of detection and prevention, activism.
• Domestic violence with disabilities .
• Elder abuse: types, prevalence, risk groups, ways of detection and prevention.
• Environmental crime. Natural resource theft: illegal trade in wildlife and timber, poaching, illegal fishing.
• Environmental crime. Illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances, hazardous waste; pollution of air, water, and soil.
• Environmental crime: local, regional, national, and transnational level.
• Environmental crime: climate change crime and corruption.
• Environmental crime: wildlife harming and exploitation.
• Hate crime: how prejudice motivates violence.

• Homicide : what motivates one person to kill another.
• Human trafficking : methods of deception, risk groups, ways of detection and prevention.
• Identity theft : methods, risk groups, ways of detection and prevention.
• Gambling in America .
• Juvenile delinquency : risk groups, prevention policies, prosecution and punishment.
• Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Effects
• Organizational crime: transnational, national, and local levels. Ways of disrupting the activity of a group.
• Prostitution: risk groups, different takes on prevention policies, activism.
• Robbery: risk groups, ways of prevention, prosecution and punishment.
• Sex offenses: risk groups, types, prevalence, ways of detection and prevention.
• Terrorism: definition, history, countermeasures.
• Terrorism : individual and group activity, ways of detection and prevention.
• Theft and shoplifting : risk groups, ways of detection, prevention policies, prosecution and punishment.
• Counter-terrorism: constitutional and legislative issues.
• White-collar crime : types, ways of detection, prevention policies, prosecution and punishment.

Criminology Topics on Racism and Discrimination

• How systemic bias affects criminal justice?
• How discriminatory portrayal of minority groups in the media affects criminal justice?
• Racial profiling : targeting minority groups on the basis of race and ethnicity.
• Racism and discrimination towards African-Americans .
• Racial profiling : what are the cons? Are there any pros?
• How discriminatory is the UK Court System?
• How discriminatory is the US Court System?

Other Criminology Research Topics

• Corporate crime : the ruling class criminals.
• Genetics: illegal research and its dangers.
• Hate crime : the implications in criminal justice.
• Serial killers : risk groups, ways of detection and prevention.
• Serial killers: portrayal in media.
• Organized crime : how does it affect criminal justice?
• Crime prevention programs.
• Street lighting: does it reduce crime?
• Terrorism prevention technology.
• Identity theft: risk groups, ways of deception, prevention policies.
• Due process model: procedural and substantive aspects.
• Crime control in criminal justice administration.
• Types of drugs: how do they affect the users?
• Smart handheld devices: their function for security personnel.
• Social media: its impact on crime rate.
• Public health: how does criminal justice affect it?
• Psychometric examinations: what is their role in criminal justice?
• National defense in the US.
• National defense in the UK.
• Sexual harassment: the role of activism, ways of responding, prevention and prosecution.
• Substance abuse: military.
• Criminology and criminal justice jobs: a full list.

🌶️ Hot Criminal Justice Topics

• The history of modern police.
• Different types of prison systems.
• Is situational crime prevention effective?
• How to prevent wrongful convictions.
• Challenges faced by crime victims.
• The advantages of community corrections.
• How do ethics influence criminal justice?
• Disadvantages of felony disenfranchisement.
• Does correctional system in the USA really work?
• Possible problems of prisoner reentry process.

💂 116 Criminal Justice Research Topics & Questions

Here are some of the most typical and interesting criminal justice issues to dazzle your professor.

• Prison system : the main problems and the hidden pitfalls.
• The question of gender: why are there more men who receive capital punishment than women?
• Kidnapping and ransom: common features, motifs, behavior patterns.
• Crime prevention : key principles.
• Firing a gun: what helps professionals understand whether it was deliberate or happened by accident?
• Cybercrime : the legal perspective.
• Internet vigilantism: revenge leaks.
• Hate crime on the Internet: revenge leaks, trolling, defamation.
• Crime and justice in mass media .
• Parental abduction laws.
• Sex offender registry: pros and cons.
• The deterrence theory and the theory of rational choice : are they relevant in the modern world?
• Sexual assault in schools and workplaces.
• Jury selection: how is it performed?
• Experimental criminology: the latest innovations.

• Wildlife crime: areas of prevalence, ways of prevention.
• Felony disenfranchisement laws: when do they apply?
• The relation between organized crime and corruption .
• Victim services: what help can a victim of a crime get?
• Prison rape and violence: the psychological aspect, ways of prevention.
• Juvenile recidivism : what are the risk groups?
• Forensic science: role and functions in modern criminal justice.
• Shoplifting: how to prevent theft?
• Witness Protection Program: who is eligible and how to protect them.
• Date rape : what are the ways for the victims to seek legal assistance?
• Substance abuse and crime: correlation or causation?
• Identity theft: dangers and consequences in the modern world.
• Online predators: what laws can be introduced to protect kids? Real-life examples.
• Civil and criminal cases: how to differentiate?
• Domestic abuse victims: what laws protect them?
• Elder abuse: what can be done to prevent it?
• The strain theory : the unachievable American dream.
• Concepts of law enforcement: pursuing criminal justice .
• Ethics and criminal justice: the unethical sides of law enforcement.
• The top problems to be solved by law enforcement today.
• Information sharing technology: how has it helped in the fight against terrorism?
• Terrorism in perspective: characteristics, causes, control.
• Serial killers : types.
• Drug use and youth arrests.
• Aggressive behavior: how does it correlate with criminal tendencies?
• Community corrections : are they effective?
• Sentencing: how does it take place?
• Punishment types and the established terms.
• Unwarranted arrest: when is it acceptable?
• Human trafficking in the modern world.
• Human trafficking: current state and counteracts .
• The role of technology in modern forensics .
• Similarities and differences between homicide , murder, and manslaughter.
• Types of offenders: classification.
• Effects of gun control measures in the United States .
• The role of crime mapping in modern criminal justice.
• Male crimes vs female crimes: are they different?
• Prisons: the problems of bad living conditions.
• Victimization : causes and ways of prevention.
• Victimology and traditional justice system alternatives .
• Rape victims: what are their rights?
• Problem-solving courts: what underlying problems do they address?
• Mandatory sentencing and the three-strike rule.
• Have “three-strikes” laws been effective and should they be continued?
• Criminal courts: what can be learned from their history?
• Hate crimes: what motivates people to commit them?
• Youth gangs: what is their danger?
• Fieldwork: how is it done in criminology?
• Distributive justice: its place in criminal justice.
• Capital punishment : what can be learned from history?
• Humanities and justice in Britain during 18th century.
• Abolition of capital punishment .
• Criminals and prisoners’ rights.
• Crime prevention programs and criminal rehabilitation .
• Campus crime: what laws and precautions are there against it?
• Criminal trial process: how does it go?
• Crimes committed on a religious basis: how are they punished?
• The code of ethics in the Texas department of criminal justice .
• Comparison between Florida and Maryland’s legislative frameworks .
• Fraud in the scientific field: how can copyright protect the discoveries of researchers?
• Prosecution laws: how are they applied in practice?
• The classification of crime systems.
• Cyberbullying and cyberstalking: what can parents do to protect their children?
• Forgery cases in educational institutions, offices, and governmental organizations.
• Drug courts : how do they work?

Controversial Topics in Criminal Justice

Want your work to be unconventional? Consider choosing one of the controversial topics. You will need to present a number of opposite points of view. Of course, it’s acceptable to choose and promote an opinion that you think stands the best. Just make sure to provide a thorough analysis of all of the viewpoints.

You can also stay impartial and let the reader make up their own mind on the subject. If you decide to support one of the viewpoints, your decision should be objective. Back it up with plenty of evidence, too. Here are some examples of controversial topics that you can explore.

• Reform vs. punishment: which one offers more benefits?
• Restorative justice model : is it the best criminal justice tool?
• The war on drugs : does it really solve the drug problem?
• Criminal insanity: is it a reason enough for exemption from liability?
• Juvenile justice system: should it be eliminated?
• Drug testing on the school ground.
• Police brutality in the United States .
• How to better gun control ? 
• Why Gun Control Laws Should be Scrapped.
• Pornography: is it a type of sexual violence?
• Whether death penalty can be applied fairly?
• Jack the Ripper: who was he?
• The modern justice system: is it racist?
• A false accusation: how can one protect themselves from it?
• Concealed weapons: what are the criminal codes of various states?
• Race and crime: is there a correlation?
• Registering sex offenders: should this information be in public records?
• Juvenile delinquency and bad parenting: is there a relation?
• Assessing juveniles for psychopathy or conduct disorder.
• Should all new employees be checked for a criminal background ?
• Are delinquency cases higher among immigrant children?
• Restrictive housing: can it help decongest prisons?
• Homegrown crimes: is there an effective program against them?
• Prostitution: the controversy around legalization .
• Eyewitness testimony: is it really helpful in an investigation?
• Youthful offenders in boot camps: is this strategy effective?
• Predictive policing : is it effective?
• Selective incapacitation: is it an effective policy for reducing crime?
• Social class and crime: is there a relation?
• Death penalty: is it effective in crime deterrence?
• Extradition law: is it fair?
• Devious interrogations: is deceit acceptable during investigations?
• Supermax prisons: are they effective or just cruel?
• Zero tolerance: is it the best policy for crime reduction?
• Marijuana decriminalization: pros and cons.
• Marijuana legalization in the US .

Now that you have looked through the full list of topics, choose wisely. Remember that sometimes it’s best to avoid sensitive topics. Other times, a clever choice of a topic will win you extra points. It doesn’t depend on just the tastes of your professor, of course. You should also take into account how much relevant information there is on the subject. Anyway, the choice of the topic of your research is up to you. Try to find the latest materials and conduct an in-depth analysis of them. Don’t forget to draw a satisfactory conclusion. Writing may take a lot of your time and energy, so plan ahead. Remember to stay hydrated and good luck!

Now, after we looked through the topic collections on criminology and criminal justice, it is time to turn to the specifics in each of the fields. First, let’s talk more extensively about criminology. If you are training to be a criminologist, you will study some things more deeply. They include the behavior patterns of criminals, their backgrounds, and the latest sociological trends in crime.

In the field of criminology, the specialties are numerous. That’s why it’s difficult to pinpoint one career that represents a typical member of the profession. It all depends on the background of a criminologist, their education, and experience.

A criminologist may have a number of responsibilities at their position. For example, they might be called forth to investigate a crime scene. Participation in autopsies is unpleasant yet necessary. Interrogation of suspects and subsequent criminal profiling is another essential duty.

Some professionals work solely in research. Others consult government agencies or private security companies. Courts and law firms also cooperate with criminologists. Their job is to provide expert opinion in criminal proceedings. Some of them work in the prison systems in order to oversee the rehabilitation of the convicted.

Regardless of the career specialty , most criminologists are working on profiling and data collection. A criminologist is another word for an analyst. They collect, study, and analyze data on crimes. After conducting the analysis, they provide recommendations and actionable information.

A criminologist seeks to find out the identity of the person who committed the crime. The time point of a crime is also important, as well as the reason for it. There are several areas covered by the analysis of a criminologist. The psychological behavior of the criminal or criminals is closely studied. The socio-economic indicators are taken into account. There are also, of course, the environmental factors that may have facilitated the crime.

Some high-profile cases require a criminologist to correspond with media and PR managers extensively. Sometimes criminologists write articles and even books about their findings. However, it should be noted that the daily routine of a professional in the field is not so glamorous. Most criminologists do their work alone, without the attention of the public.

The research a criminologist accumulates during their work is extensive. It doesn’t just sit there in a folder on their desk, of course. The collected statistics are used for developing active criminal profiles that are shared with law enforcement agencies. It helps to understand criminal behavior better and to predict it. That’s why a criminologist’s work must be precise and accurate for it to be practical and useful. Also, criminology professionals must have a good grasp of math and statistics.

Thinking of a career in criminology? You will need to, at the very least, graduate from college. There, you’ll master mathematics, statistics, and, of course, criminology. An associate’s degree may get you an entry-level position. But the minimum entry-level requirement is usually the bachelor’s degree. The best positions, though, are left for the professionals with a master’s degree or a PhD.

Just having a degree is not enough. To succeed as a criminologist, you will require all your intelligence, commitment, and the skill of analyzing intricate situations. An aspiration to better the society will go a long way. You will need to exercise your creative, written, and verbal communication skills, too. An analytical mind will land you at an advantage.

Criminology: Research Areas

Times change and the world of crime never ceases to adapt. The nature of criminal transgression is evolving, and so do the ways of prosecution. Criminal detection, investigation, and prevention are constantly advancing. Criminology studies aim to improve the practices implemented in the field.

There are six unified, coordinated, and interrelated areas of expertise. Within each, the professionals are busy turning their mastery into knowledge and action.

The first research area is the newest worry of criminology – cybercrime. The impact of this type of crime is escalating with every passing day. That’s why it’s crucial for the law enforcement professionals to keep up to date with the evolving technology. Cybercrime research is exploring the growing threat of its subject at all levels of society. Cybercrime may impact people on both personal and governmental levels. Cybercrime research investigates the motivation and methodology behind the offenses and finds new ways to react.

The second research area is counter fraud. Crimes that fall under this category include fraud and corruption. The questions that counter fraud research deals with are many. How widely a crime is spread, what method is best to fight it, and the optimal courses of action to protect people and organizations.

The third research area is that of forensics. The contemporary face of justice has been changed by forensic science beyond recognition. Nowadays, it’s much harder for criminals to conceal their activity due to evolved technologies. The research in forensics is utilizing science in the identification of the crime and in its reconstruction. It employs such techniques as DNA recovery, fingerprinting, and forensic interviewing.

What is forensic interviewing? It helps find new ways to gather quality information from witnesses and crime scenes. It also works on developing protocols that ensure the protection of this human data and its correct interpretation by police.

The fourth research area is policing. Police service is facing a lot of pressing issues nowadays due to budget cuts. At the same time, police officers still need to learn, and there are also individual factors that may influence their work.

The fifth research area is penology. It’s tasked with exploring the role of punishment in the criminal justice system. Does punishment aid the rehabilitation of perpetrators, and to what extent? The answer will help link theory to practice and thus shape how criminal justice practitioners work.

The sixth research area is that of missing persons. Before a person goes missing, they may display a certain pattern of behavior. The study of missing persons helps to identify it. The results will determine the handling of such cases.

Now that we know what criminology is, it’s time to talk about criminal justice.

While criminology focuses on the analysis of crime, criminal justice concentrates on societal systems. Its primary concern is with the criminal behavior of the perpetrators. For example, in the USA, there are three branches of the criminal justice system. They are police (aka law enforcement), courts, and corrections. These branches all work together to punish and prevent unlawful behavior. If you take up a career in criminal justice, expect to work in one of these fields.

The most well-known branch of criminal justice is law enforcement. The police force is at the forefront of defense against crime and misdemeanor. They stand against the criminal element in many ways. For instance, they patrol the streets, investigate crimes, and detain suspects. It’s not just the police officers who take these responsibilities upon themselves. There are also US Marshals, ICE, FBI Agents, DEA, and border patrol. Only after the arrest has been made, the perpetrator enters the court system.

The court system is less visible to the public, but still crucial to the criminal justice system. Its main purpose is to determine the suspect’s innocence or guilt. You can work as an attorney, lawyer, bailiff, judge, or another professional of the field. In the court, if you are a suspect, you are innocent until proven guilty. You are also entitled to a fair trial. However, if they do find you guilty, you will receive a sentence. Your punishment will be the job of the corrections system.

The courts determine the nature of the punishment, and the corrections system enforces it. There are three elements of the corrections system: incarceration, probation, and parole. They either punish or rehabilitate the convicts. Want to uptake a career in corrections? You may work as, including, but not limited to: a parole officer, a prison warden, a probation officer, and a guard.

📈 Criminal Justice: Research Areas

The research areas in criminal justice are similar, if not identical, to those of criminology. After all, those are two very closely related fields. The one difference is that criminal justice research has more practical than theoretical applications. But it’s fair to say that theory is the building blocks that practice bases itself on. One is impossible without the other unless the result you want is complete chaos.

So, the question is – what topic to choose for the research paper? Remember that the world of criminal justice is constantly changing. Choosing a subject for research in criminal justice, consider a relevant topic. There are many pressing issues in the field. Exploring them will undoubtedly win you points from your professor. Just make sure to choose a direction that will give you the opportunity to show off both your knowledge and your analytical skills.

Not sure that your original research direction will be appreciated? Then choose one of the standard topics. Something that is widely discussed in the media. And, of course, make sure that you are truly interested in the subject. Otherwise, your disinterest will translate into your writing, which may negatively affect the overall impression. Also, it’s just more enjoyable to work on something that resonates with you.

What can you do with your research paper? Literally anything. Explore the background of the issue. Make predictions. Compare the different takes on the matter. Maybe there are some fresh new discoveries that have been made recently. What does science say about that?

Also, remember to backup all your arguments with quotes and examples from real life. The Internet is the best library and research ground a student could hope for. The main idea of the paper, aka the thesis, must be proven by enough factual material. Otherwise, it’s best to change your research direction.

And, of course, don’t put it all off till the last minute. Make a plan and stick to it. Consistency and clever distribution of effort will take you a long way. Good luck!

🤔 Criminal Justice Research FAQs

Criminological and criminal justice research are the scientific studies of the causes and consequences, extent and control, nature, management, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the social and individual levels.

Criminal justice and criminology are sciences that analyze the occurrence and explore the ways of prevention of illegal acts. Any conducted personal research and investigation should be supported by the implemented analytical methods from academic works that describe the given subject.

There are six interrelated areas of criminology research:

• Cybercrime research makes law enforcement professionals keep up to date with the evolving technology.
• Counter fraud research investigates cases of fraud and corruption.
• Forensics research utilizes science: DNA recovery, fingerprinting, and forensic interviewing.
• Research in policing investigates individual factors that may influence the work of police officers.
• Penology explores the role of punishment in the criminal justice system.
• The study of missing persons helps to identify patterns of victims’ behavior.

There are seven research methods in criminology:

• Quantitative research methods measure criminological and criminal justice reality by assigning numerical values to concepts to find patterns of correlation, cause and effect.
• Survey research collects information from a number of persons via their responses to questions.
• Experimental research assesses cause and effect in two comparison groups.
• Cross-sectional research studies one group at one point in time.
• Longitudinal research studies the same group over a period of time.
• Time-series designs study the same group at successive points in time.
• Meta-analysis employs quantitative analysis of findings from multiple studies.

The basis of criminological theory is criminological research. It influences the development of social policies and defines criminal justice practice.

Criminological research doesn’t just enable law students to develop analytical and presentational skills. The works of criminal justice professionals, scholars, and government policymakers dictate the way law enforcement operates. The newest ideas born out of research identify corrections and crime prevention, too.

Here is a step-by-step instruction on how to write a criminal justice research paper:

• Choose a topic
• Read the materials and take notes
• Come up with a thesis
• Create an outline for your work
• Draft the body
• Start with a cover page, an abstract, and an intro
• List the methods you used, and the results you got
• Include a discussion
• Sum it up with a conclusion
• Don’t forget a literature review and appendices
• Revise, proofread, and edit

The most common types of methodologies in criminal justice research include:

• Observation of participants.
• Surveys and interviews.
• Observation of focus groups.
• Conducting experiments.
• Analysis of secondary data and archival study.
• Mixed (a combination of the above methods).

Learn more on this topic:

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• 501 Research Questions & Titles about Science
• A List of Research Topics for Students. Unique and Interesting
• Good Research Topics, Titles and Ideas for Your Paper
• The Differences Between Criminal Justice and Criminology: Which Degree Is Right for You? (Concordia St. Paul)
• Corporate Crime: Britannica
• The Development of Delinquency: NAP
• Databases for Research & Education: Gale
• A CS Research Topic Generator: Purdue University
• A Introduction To The Federal Court System: US Department of Justice
• Criminal Justice Research Topics: Broward College
• Research Topics in Criminology: Cambridge Institute of Criminology
• CRIMINOLOGY: University of Portsmouth
• Research: Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Maryland
• Criminal Justice: RAND
• Research Methods in Criminal Justice: Penn State University Libraries
• Research: School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
• Criminology – Research Guide: Getting started (Penn Libraries)
• Criminology Research Papers: Academia
• The History & Development of the U.S. Criminal Justice System: Study.com
• CRIMINAL JUSTICE & CRIMINOLOGY: Marshall University
• Criminal Justice: Temple University
• Criminal Justice: University of North Georgia
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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Sociology » Sociology Dissertation Topics (28 Examples) For Research

Sociology Dissertation Topics (28 Examples) For Research

Mark Jul 27, 2020 Jul 27, 2020 Sociology No Comments

The field of sociology has fascinated and attracted students from all over the world. It involves the study of groups of people and their customs, practices, and cultures. If you are looking for sociology dissertation topics, you have visited the right site. There are many ideas related to sociology dissertation topics and projects topics on […]

The field of sociology has fascinated and attracted students from all over the world. It involves the study of groups of people and their customs, practices, and cultures. If you are looking for sociology dissertation topics, you have visited the right site.

There are many ideas related to projects topics on sociology, and there is so much research to do. From cultural sociology to criminology, you can select any topic from the list of sociology dissertation topics. Once you select your research topic on sociology, we can help you in getting your research done. You can also view our social work dissertation topics list to get more ideas.

List of Sociology dissertation topics

Examining the impact of society’s social structure and its rapid changes in the modern era.

How has social changes taken over the world and the role of religion in social changes.

Analysing the ways in which social interactions influence the behaviour and lifestyle of individuals.

Critical analysis of changing trends in societal norms in the UK.

Facets of determining the social development of an individual under totalitarian systems.

A comparative analysis of the family structure in the Arab and British societies.

Evaluation of the trends and dimensions of gender voting in the American and British political systems.

Impact of globalisation on the political landscape and state politics in the UK.

Evaluation of the extent to which democracy can apply in a capitalist state society.

Conduct analysis into the sociological magnitudes and proportions of consumer spending in the United States.

A critical analysis of the communist economic model according to the current UK society.

Historical background of social reasons behind the increasing street gangs in the UK.

Evaluating the social alternatives toward crime prevention arguing whether corporal punishment is the sole option for preventing crime.

Analysing the link between ethical and gender magnitudes to criminal activities in the UK.

Investigating the scope of Durkheim’s ideology on Anomie.

To study the diversified sub-cultural marriages in different cultures in the UK.

Evaluation of the familial brutality on the functions and image of the family.

An approach to pornography from a feminist empowerment perspective.

Conducting an analysis of the sociology of governance.

The impact of print and electronic media on the perceptions on different faiths.

The relationship between gender and sexual issues in the light of religion.

Examining the social impact on children belonging to gay parents.

Studying the social causes of domestic violence in a family.

Analysing the effects of an ageing population on the nation’s economy.

A sociological approach on the character building.

Investigating the diffusion and innovation in European culture.

Adoption and the consequences for an adopted child.

Examining the challenges faced by working women in today’s society.

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