Slides – Nicholas Trajtenberg Pareja – Open Research Conference 2024
Slides used by Nicholas Trajtenberg Pareja for the University of Manchester Open Research Conference 2024
Title: Diversifying crime datasets in statistical courses in criminology
Abstract: Criminology is becoming increasingly global, cross-cultural, and multilingual. Crime data used in statistical courses should reflect the diversity in students’ cultural backgrounds, enhancing the equality and inclusivity of the teaching curriculum. Supported by evidence-based pedagogic principles and empirical evidence, researchers have identified strategies to enhance the teaching and learning of quantitative skills, promoting data accessibility and public availability, transparency, and reproducibility. Encouraging students’ understanding of quantitative methods and their application in criminology requires that teaching materials also reflect real-world problems and the diversity of today’s student population. Moreover, the use of crime datasets from the Global South may have additional benefits for criminological research. Despite the high concentration of violence in the Global South, most research has been conducted in high-income societies, particularly in North America and Western Europe. Diversifying crime datasets would also aid in evaluating the empirical validity and generalizability of many criminological hypotheses and theories.
In this presentation, we first describe several open and accessible crime data sources across political, cultural, and linguistic borders in the Global South. Furthermore, to support educators in their implementation and use of these datasets, we then present three case studies of exemplar pedagogic activities using available data sources, including: a) time series analysis of homicide in Asia; b) bivariate analysis of trust in police and victimization in Algeria; and c) mapping kidnappings in Mexico. We conclude by discussing the pedagogical and research implications of diversifying datasets for open research practices and some future challenges and lines of work.
