The University of Hong Kong Fraud, corruption and computer crime
Offer semester
2nd semester
Lecture time
Wednesday 10:30 – 12:20
Lecture venue
Online
Course description
Our concept of crime automatically includes images of murders, robbers, rapists, and burglars. These ‘bad guys’ are mainly drawn from disorganised lower class neighbourhoods. In reality, a large number of crimes are committed by respectable white collar people such as businessmen, government officials, politicians, professionals and technicians.
Course learning outcomes
After completing this course, students should be able to
- Gain a thorough understanding of theoretical debates about white collar crime.
- Accurately describe the recent developments of fraud, corruption and computer crime.
- Critically evaluate the current policy of controlling fraud, corruption and computer crime.
Assessment
| Tasks | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Tutorial attendance / presentation | 15% |
| Term paper | 35% |
| Examination | 50% |
Required reading
Rosoff, S.M., Pontell, H.N. and Tillman, R. (2014) Profit Without Honor: White-Collar Crime and the Looting of America. Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Course co-ordinator and teachers
Student view
This course introduced me to a whole new dimension of criminology, including the “hidden” and ignored crimes in society. I learned that white-collar crimes, like street crimes, are also acts of lying, cheating, and stealing, but carried out behind a legitimate “front”.
– Teresa Lau, 4th year Criminology Major undergaduate student