Course Description
This course provides an introduction to white collar crime and examines the various types of white collar crimes that exist in society and how law enforcement identifies and investigates these types of crimes. The topics include employee theft, computer fraud, identity theft, tax evasion, and other crimes.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to
- Identify and explain a variety of white collar crimes
- Demonstrate the type of activities necessary to collect and analyze white collar crimes
- Analyze data, testimony, records, and other data necessary to investigate a white collar crime
- Apply the listed information to help make an impact on identifying and possibly reducing white collar crimes
Week 1
Lecture: Introduction to White Collar Crime
Outcomes
- Identify white collar crime and the difference between this type of crime and conventional crime
- Discuss the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and explain how the government fights white collar crime
- List methods for studying white collar crime and the costs associated with these crimes
- Identify the basic terms used within white collar crime
- Describe the victims of white collar crime
Week 2
Lecture: Corporate and Occupational Crimes
Outcomes
- Identify the historical development of corporate crime
- Identify the various types of corporate crimes
- Identify employee crime and crimes by professionals
Week 3
Lecture: Governmental Crime and State Corporate Crime
Lecture: Police Corruption – Guest Speaker
Outcomes
- Identify the basic terms used to describe government related white collar crime
- Identify the various types of political white collar crime
- Identify the various types of financial crime
- Identify hybrid white collar crime
Week 4
Lecture: Enterprise Crime: Identity Theft
Outcomes
- Identify professional criminals and white collar crime
- Identify various computer crimes
- Identify the various types of identity theft
- Determine the basic terms and websites that support these activities
Week 5
Lecture: White Collar Crime Theories, Scams, and Electronic Crimes
Outcomes
- Identify white collar criminality
- Determine the types of electronic scams that exist
- Identify white collar crime theories and perspectives
Week 6
Lecture: Law and Social Control of White Collar Crime
Outcomes
- Identify the formal law and white collar crimes
- Identify contemporary legislative lawmaking and white collar crime
- Identify alternative sources and forms of law and lawmaking
- Determine the law and social control of white collar crime
Week 7
Lecture: Policing and Regulating White Collar Crime
Outcomes
- Identify the various approaches that law enforcement is taking to police white collar crime
- Identify the differences between regulatory and policing agencies
- Determine the issues that are involved in the debate over self-regulation
- Determine the differences between state, federal, and other agencies involved in the policing and regulating of white collar crime
Week 8
Lecture: Prosecuting and Responding to Future White Collar Crimes
Outcomes
- Identify how white collar crime cases are prosecuted at various levels of government
- Identify the factors involved in prosecuting the white collar criminal
- Identify the various alternative responses to white collar crime, such as business ethics
- Identify methods for sanctioning white collar criminals and obtaining compliance
The course description, objectives and learning outcomes are subject to change without notice based on enhancements made to the course. April 2012
