Criminology BSc (Hons)

Modules

Methods of assessment for course overall: 75% 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 you'll address in this module which introduces 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
  You'll be guided through the policy making process that underpins the formation and implementation of public policy in Britain. It will help you identify the key actors that shape the policy process as well as the social, political and economic factors that influence it. You'll also be introduced to the different providers of criminal justice programmes and social welfare.
• Issues in crime
  You'll be presented with a range of distinct contemporary criminological issues and focus 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
  You'll be introduced 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.
• Issues in contemporary sociology
  You'll look at key concepts in sociology and address issues such as migration, race, gender and class. The focus throughout this module is how inequalities are reinforced through the changing nature of citizenship, sexualities, religion and mass media.
• Researching social life
  You'll be introduced to qualitative (with limited content related to quantitative) methods used by sociologists and other social scientists to conduct investigations. You'll look at a range of qualitative methods and different types and structures of data collected to illustrate how research works. In addition, lecture and other activities will demonstrate how to apply basic research methods and present results in a meaningful and informative way. Primarily though the use of seminar reading, you'll be exposed to relevant critical issues which arise from carrying out research with a particular focus on issues related to race, gender, and class.

• Social research skills I
  In the first half of this module you'll be 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 you'll learn the basics of statistical analysis and how to use SPSS.
• Social research skills II
  You'll be introduced to the basics of qualitative research methodologies. You'll learn about central philosophical questions in the philosophy of the social sciences and how they relate to the qualitative/quantitative distinction. You'll be taught a range of qualitative data collection techniques ranging from interviews to archival research, and introduced to different qualitative analytic techniques. You'll also look at the ethical issues that are specific to qualitative research. You'll be taught through lectures and workshops where you apply the principles to specific research questions.
• Issues in contemporary policing
  In this module you'll be offered an insight into key issues in contemporary policing. You'll develop your understanding of the concepts of 'policing' and 'the police', and explore 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. You'll also look at 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
  You'll examine penal theory and practice in a theoretical, comparative and historical way, and engage 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. You'll focus strongly on how the term 'crisis' has been used to describe almost every aspect of the penal system. You'll look at the background and current contexts of the crisis. You'll also reflects on the concepts of 'place', 'space' and 'time' as sources of suffering and emphasises the significance of vulnerability and imprisonment. You'll critically evaluate 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.

Plus two optional modules from:

• Crime, disorder and community safety
  You'll examine the changing relation and significance of crime, disorder and community safety, beginning from a review of the nature of crime and exploring the processes by which crime is constructed. In order to fully examine the meaning of crime, you'll examine the dimensions to construction by drawing on the 'square of crime' model as developed by realist criminologists. This involves some consideration of victimisation, public opinion and the role of official enforcement agencies. In relation to this deconstruction process, you'll go on to examine the growing concerns with disorder, anti-social behaviour and community safety, particularly with reference to the recent decline in crime.
• Youth, crime and delinquency
  You'll be provided with an overview of the development of youth crime as a specific area of criminological inquiry and a distinct jurisdiction within the criminal justice system. You'll look at the development of 'delinquency' as a specific field of intervention and investigation. You'll consider the evolution of youth justice policies and examines current literature in relation to the strengths and limitations of the contemporary youth justice system.
• Introduction to the workplace
  The module is divided into two parts. Part one explores and charts the development of charity and philanthropic organizations in the late 19th century as the largest player in social welfare. You'll examine the key players involved in the construction and development of charitable and philanthropic organizations and well as the motivation for their work. You'll also look at the Poor Law Review which took place between 1905-1909 to identify the debates related to the role of the state, the voluntary sector and the individual citizen in social security and social protection. You'll be able to identify and understand how these debates contributed to welfare state formation. Theoretical perspectives related to role of capitalism in social welfare will be used to frame historical and contemporary developments in voluntary and public sector delivery of social welfare. In the second part, you'll identify the role of the voluntary and statutory sector after welfare state formation and particularly identifies ways in which both sectors identified and filled gaps in the welfare state. You'll also explore contemporary developments with a particular focus on mixed markets and the promotion of the voluntary sector and private sector in the delivery of social welfare. You'll specifically explore relevant issues related to organizational capacity, funding and management issues effecting voluntary, statutory and private sector organizations. This module provides you with the necessary theoretical preparation to engage in a work placement during your final year.
• Issues in criminal justice history

• Crime, criminology and modernity
  You'll examine 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 your main emphasis is on intellectual development, you'll also explore 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. You'll draw on feminist perspectives in criminological theory as well as more mainstream theoretical accounts. You'll evaluate the evidence which indicates that patterns of offending, victimisation and the workings of the main criminal justice agencies are gendered. This module also transgresses traditional debates in this area by considering a human rights perspective for the study of gender and crime.
• Dissertation – research or work placement (double module)
  You'll have a choice between a research project or a work placement.

Plus two optional modules from:

• Drugs and crime
  You'll look at the many relationships that exist between drugs and crime. This module starts off with the obvious link – the possession of drugs is illegal – and explores different types of drugs, the prevalence of drug use and some theories of who uses drugs, and why. You'll then move on to crimes associated with drug use and drug trafficking, theoretical and causal connections between drug use and crime, and ways that we attempt to deal with drug users (whether along medical or criminal lines), drug markets and the links between drugs and other criminal activity.
• The European Union in the 21st century: security and crime
  You'll deepen your understanding and appreciation of the European Union with particular emphasis on its approach toward security, judicial affairs and crime in a political and social environment which is rapidly changing in the twenty first century. You'll look at: identifying the origins and development of European integration; analysing the development of complex European institutions; developing an appreciation of the motives governing or influencing change through which the European policy making scene operates; and investigating the role of the European Union in a rapidly changing international environment.
• Genocide in the twentieth century
  You'll explore the history of genocide in the twentieth century, beginning with an introduction to the concept of genocide. You'll then examine colonial genocides, the Armenian Genocide of 1915-16, the Nazi 'Final Solution', genocides in Cambodia, Yugoslavia and Rwanda. You'll analyse the dynamics of genocide – the processes and mechanisms of acts committed with the intention of destroying, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, religious or racial group – in order to shed light upon their origins and consequences.
• Work placement
  This module will facilitate both the application of appropriate theory and policy knowledge within the workplace and the enhancement of academic study through the application and integration of relevant workplace experience into the academic context. Voluntary and Community sector organisations with a registered charity number and most political organisations are suitable for work placements. You'll be required to meet and consult with the module coordinator and your pathway supervisor to identify an appropriate voluntary sector and/or political organisation in which to carry out your work placement.