Motives & meanings: solving & preventing crime

Intrigued by the psychological and social implications of crime, and eager to be part of the solution, Dean Uelese chose the Bachelor of Criminology. Now, even with a busy life outside of uni, Dean is maintaining his focus thanks to the innovative VU Block Model.

Choosing criminology

“I was born in New Zealand, of Samoan descent. I moved to Australia in 2009 – first living in NSW, then WA and now Victoria.

I chose criminology because it’s such an interesting phenomenon to me. I wanted to understand why crimes are committed – what are the causes? And how can we – as a society – reduce crime and its origins?

VU’s criminology degree perfectly matched my interests. I enjoy the different perspectives that I’m being introduced to in my course, including why crime is a societal phenomenon. The course challenges me to explore disciplines including psychology, sociology, law and international security.

In one of my units, we completed mock juries, courtrooms and mediations, and I look forward to more hands-on learning and industry placements to come.”

A revolution in learning

“I have strong ties to my religion and culture, and studying at other universities in the standard model was tough while juggling my commitments, particularly with assessments all falling around the same time.

But the VU Block Model helps narrow the focus to studying a single unit at a time, which makes it easier to manage. It is concentrated way of studying, with regular assessments, but with that comes regular feedback.

Another benefit of the Block was that as a NZ citizen I was previously required to pay up front for all four units per semester, but at VU I was able to pay for just one unit at a time.”

A bright career future

“When I graduate I plan to get into corrections and assist individuals who are incarcerated to devise plans that help stop re-offending.

I may add a legal degree to my criminology degree in the future to pair the two disciplines together.”