Criminology with Law BSc (Hons)

Modules

Methods of assessment for course overall: 60% coursework

• Deconstructing the crime problem
  What is crime? How and to what extent is the crime problem dispersed throughout contemporary British society? What do we know about current levels of crime in the UK and how do these compare historically? These are some of the key questions addressed in this module which aims to introduce you to the basic anatomy of the crime problem. In addition to addressing specific questions concerning trends in different types of crime and social distribution of crime across society, you'll be encouraged to think about these issues in terms of broader social trends and relations.
• Criminal justice, politics and policy
  This module provides a framework for examining the development of the criminal justice system and the general construction of the crime problem in the period from 1780s until the 1930s. It blends a discussion of institutional development with a socio-historical analysis of changing problems of crime. By examining criminological issues within a specific political, historical and intellectual context this module provides a valuable underpinning for a range of modules in the programme.
• Issues in crime
  This module presents you with a range of distinct contemporary criminological issues and focuses on the ways in which fears and concerns about crime and the criminal justice system are related to issues such as governance, social exclusion and racial inequality. You'll engage with a range of different theories and learn how to appreciate how each relates to a specific issues.
• Introduction to criminological theory
  This module introduces you to key criminological theories. You'll examine the principal conceptual differences between these theories and how such concepts have been applied in the form of substantive research and policy.
• Legal skills, legal study, legal system
  You'll be introduced to aspects of the English Legal System, and practical, transferable and legal skills and legal theory essential to effective engagement with their legal studies. You'll be introduced to the theories of what law is and what are its sources, the court system, EU and International law, and the personnel involved in the administration of the law.
  You'll encounter and develop a range of skills, including study skills, deriving law from primary sources and explaining, discussing and applying it, research, using secondary sources, problem solving, essay writing, communication and IT skills, numerical skills, and reflective learning.
• Public law
  You'll study the fundamental laws, practices and principles of Public law which define and influence the relationship between the individual and the state as characterised by various governmental institutions in the UK. Detailed consideration is given to the fundamental mechanisms by which human rights are protected and government is subject to legal and political accountability. Various skills are developed including those of analysis, critical evaluation and problem solving.

• Social research skills 1
  In the first half of this module students are introduced to basic issues in research design and methodology. Topics covered include experimental design and random assignment, formulating research questions sampling and measurement. In the second half of the module they learn the basics of statistical analysis and how to use SPSS.
• Social research skills 2
  This module introduces students to the basics of qualitative research methodologies. Students learn about central philosophical questions in the philosophy of the social sciences and how they relate to the qualitative/quantitative distinction. Students are taught a range of qualitative data collection techniques ranging from interviews to archival research. They are also introduced to different qualitative analytic techniques. Finally they are made aware of the ethical issues that are specific to qualitative research. Students are taught through lectures and workshops where they apply the principles to specific research questions.
• Issues in contemporary policing
  This module offers an insight into key issues in contemporary policing. The module develops the student's understanding of the concepts of 'policing' and 'the police'. It explores a number of issues including: the historical origins of contemporary policing; the legitimacy of policing; police culture(s); the policing of private and public order; the privatisation of policing functions; the growth of transnational policing, together with an analysis of the significance of a human rights agenda for twenty-first century policing. It also considers the implications of globalisation for policing both on an organisational and conceptual level. Underlying such discussions is a critical focus on protection through a critical appreciation of the police function and role.
• Penal theory, policy and practice
  This module examines penal theory and practice in a theoretical, comparative and historical way, and engages critically with the theoretical justifications and policy proposals for punishment. The first part of this module examines the philosophical and historical bases of punishment in general and the prison in particular. The module focuses strongly on how the term crisis has been used to describe almost every aspect of the penal system. In particular it examines the background and current contexts of the crisis. The course also reflects on the concepts of 'place', 'space' and 'time' as sources of suffering and emphasises the significance of vulnerability and imprisonment. The course critically evaluates the future promise of the penal system through an examination of the issue of the privatisation of punishment and its role in future penal policy.
• Criminal law 1
  You'll be introduced to the basic principles of criminal liability, and will explore statutory and common law sources on which the law is based.
• Criminal law 2 and the law of criminal evidence
  In this module you'll build upon the basic principles of criminal liability studied in Criminal Law 1 and examine how the rules of Evidence apply to the Criminal Law while considering some more complex areas of the Criminal law.

• Crime, criminology and modernity
  This module examines the emergence and development of criminology as an academic discipline in the context of the development of the human sciences and governmental needs of societies in the modern period. Whilst its main emphasis is on intellectual development It also explores how and in what ways such ideas come to be embodied in governmental policy, how this process transforms them and the conditions under which they decline both intellectually and in their application.
• Gender, crime and justice
  An understanding of both masculinities and femininities is central to this module. Drawing on feminist perspectives in criminological theory as well as more mainstream theoretical accounts, this module evaluates the evidence, which indicates that patterns of offending, victimisation and the workings of the main criminal justice agencies are gendered. The module also transgresses traditional debates in this area by considering a human rights perspective for the study of gender and crime.
• Dissertation in criminology: research or work placement (double module)

One option module from:

• Criminal litigation
  You'll be introduced to the structure and process of the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales and explores some of the socio-political issues, which arise from the function of the law in practice. You'll be provided with a critical overview of the system of justice and the key procedural decisions that are made within the system. You'll consider the process of justice via practical, classroom (and E-learning) based, engagement with the litigation process and use case studies and group role play to enhance their practical and theoretical understanding of the criminal process.
• Civil rights and the individual
  In this module you'll study two broad areas relating to individual rights; namely freedom from discrimination and freedom of expression.

One option module from:

• Civil rights and the state
  You'll examine and consider the response of the state to threats posed by crime, terrorism, strikes and other types of civil and political emergencies and unrest and the impact on a citizen's civil rights. You're encouraged to consider the social, economic and political context within which the law operates.
• European human rights
  You'll critically consider and evaluate the protection provided by the European Convention on Human Rights and its institutions and to consider its impact in setting human rights norms.
• International protection of human rights
  You'll study the International Protection of Human Rights in the context of specific countries and themes. Lectures will introduce you to key topics such as the UN procedures and Human Rights Activism. You'll then research these topics in the context of a specific country (such as Myanmar, Nigeria and Pakistan) and theme (such as Fair Trial, Free Speech and Torture). Seminar discussions will be based on research on your selected country and theme. There will be an emphasis on developing effective strategies for combating human rights abuses. Assessment is by a single piece of Coursework.