Criminology and Psychology BA (Hons)

" Criminology and Psychology BA (Hons)

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— Coventry University (@covcampus) February 9, 2015 OVERVIEW

This Criminology and Psychology degree course runs in 2016/17.

Psychology is one of the founding disciplines behind the development of criminology. The two strands of study complement each other to help you understand how, and why, people think in different ways in the context of crime.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

Our degree course in Criminology and Psychology provides comprehensive coverage of issues surrounding crime, society and their associated psychological aspects.

You will gain a thorough practical and theoretical knowledge needed for a broad understanding of the role of crime and its control in society, focusing on areas such as applied psychology, forensic investigations, crime and social diversity, victimology, policing and different aspects of punishment. The course is also designed to enhance your job prospects and we actively help students to prepare and plan for a career by ensuring that they have the necessary skills required to enter employment.

If you choose this course you will benefit from:

• links with employers including Police, HM Prison Service, and Coventry Youth Offending Service;
• experienced teaching staff who bring professional or research expertise in to their teaching;
• guest speakers from different sectors of the criminological spheres such as the Prison Service, Police, UK Borders Agency and Youth Offending Team;
• a number of field trips (e.g. prisons, The Old Bailey, The Holocaust Centre);
• the opportunity to visit the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, the Stasi museum in Berlin and Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

In the first year you will be introduced to the study of crime through the following modules: Introducing Criminology, Controlling Crime, Introducing Criminological Research; and Academic and
Professional Skills. You will also take Introducing Psychology and Discovering Psychology.

In the second year the Criminology half of your degree covers Prisons and Punishment and Policing and Society. This complements your study of Psychology in the other half of the programme, which covers individuals in society and the science of the mind. You will also undertake the planning of a research study as well as a module that allows you to develop career interests through a practice-based study.

The final year focuses on issues connected with crime and you will be given the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge, firstly through a module that introduces a series of current issues of criminological interest, and secondly through an individual research project that leads to the production of a dissertation on a topic of your choice. You will also take modules in Advanced Social Psychology and Forensic Psychology, as well as a module that builds your employability profile through exploring enterprise in practice.

HOW WILL THIS COURSE BE TAUGHT?

Your course will be based on a series of lectures, with associated seminars, workshop practical classes and personal tutorials.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

An estimated percentage breakdown of how your final grade is assessed is as follows: formal examinations 30%; coursework, tests, essays 55%; practical or project work 15%.

A compulsory Add+vantage module must also be completed: please see the page on the Add+vantage scheme for more details.

TEACHING CONTACT HOURS

In a typical week you will have up to 14 contact hours of teaching and this will break down as:

Personal tutorial/small group teaching: tutorials (or individual project supervision) and online support
arranged according to the requirements of the module

Medium group teaching: 6-8 hours of workshops or seminars each week

Large group teaching: 4-6 hours of lectures each week

Personal study: 15-20 hours each week of self-directed study

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