Abstract
This chapter provides a soft introduction to the criminological discipline, laying the foundation for the remainder of the book. The author differentiates between criminology and criminal justice studies, while also emphasizing the complementary and overlapping nature of each. The chapter summarizes inconsistencies in public interpretations of the origins and evolution of the discipline, before introducing many of the primary concepts that inform and guide criminological theory, including assumptions of human nature, social order, and free will. It concludes with an overview of the different eras that facilitated the development of theory, as described in each chapter.