Abstract:

Criminology, the science of crime, has a significant position among the subjects taught in universities that educate in the field of security sciences. Considering that crime is a natural part of human society and is constantly changing and developing, it is necessary to promptly and effectively introduce new curricula and innovative approaches so that students acquire the necessary knowledge that can be used for security practice. When creating this subject and its practical teaching, it is also important to make sure that the information acquired by students during the educational process is comprehensive and reflects all significant and less significant social phenomena, their causes and the possibilities of their prevention, and not to forget issues related to victimology and penology. The article presents two outputs. The first output is the processing of a brief overview and theoretical survey of educational possibilities in the field of criminology and other related subjects, e.g. crime prevention, at universities. The theoretical research was carried out within the conditions of the Slovak Republic, while both state and private universities were analyzed. In this step, attention was also focused on the analysis and comparison of the level and focus of education. The source of information for the processing of the survey and analyzes was primarily available information sheets. The second area of the article describes in more detail the teaching of the subject of criminology at the Faculty of Security Engineering at the University of Žilina in Žilina, the Department of Security Management. In this part, the emphasis is mainly on the description of the subject's attributes, the type, scope and methods of educational activities, the student's workload and the conditions for successful completion of the subject. Furthermore, the article presents: the focus and outline of the criminology subject, in connection with the acquired knowledge, the results of education, the work of students in classes and lectures, the overall outputs of students for the semester, and the like. The conclusion of the article points to the possibilities of innovative approaches in the practical teaching of the subject of criminology, while the results of the article can also be used for universities and institutions that have the subject of criminology included in their teaching plans in a given academic year.

Keywords:

Education, criminology, crime prevention, innovative approaches, university, students.