Objectives
Our everyday lives are surrounded with stories, true and fictional, about crime and criminals, whether mediated through 'reality' crime shows, news media, TV dramas or through the trauma of personal experience. Crime and the impact it has on people's lives, particularly if it is violent, is news that sells. It is hardly surprising then that we all have our own ideas and views about crime and criminals, law and order, justice and punishment. But what do these often take for granted concepts actually mean? To what extent is public knowledge of crime dependent upon and shaped by media depictions of crime trends, criminal profiles, and criminal justice agencies? How accurate and objective are these representations and whose interests do they reflect? The complexities surrounding such questions and the issues they give rise to is but a small sample of what excites the interest of the many different fields of criminological study.
Course description
Content
You take two compulsory 30 credit modules at Levels 1 and 3 and one compulsory 30 credit module at Level 2. The optional modules on offer are drawn from across a wide range, subject to timetabling constraints. This will allow you the flexibility to pursue your own particular interests either directly or indirectly related to the study of Criminology. The compulsory modules aim to provide you with a comprehensive introduction to criminological theory and research, its diverse frames of reference and its distinctive modes of analysis.
In Year 1, the two compulsory modules are Introduction to Criminological Theory and Introduction to Criminal Justice. The first introduces students to key concepts, methods and theoretical approaches developing an understanding of crime, deviance and social control. The second investigates the norms, practices and structures that constitute the criminal justice institution such as crown and magistrate courts, police services, prisons and young offenders' institutions and the relationships between them. You also have the opportunity to choose to study two modules at this level. It is recommended that you choose The Individual and Society module plus one option from the wider module option list. However, you may choose to study two modules from this option list. The list is vast and will be made available to you before you enrol.
In Year 2, the compulsory module is Research Themes and Methods in Criminology, which introduces students to a range of key areas of research in the field of Criminology. It includes methodological issues in researching crime and deviance, official statistics and patterns of crime, together with a range of concrete research topics.
* Youth Crime, Youth justice
* Criminal Networks
* Crime Control
* The Social Psychology of Individuals and Group Processes
* Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
* Crime and Protest 1750-1930
* Social Construction of Sexuality
In Year 3, you will study the core module Critical Criminology. The aim of this module is twofold being firstly to increase your knowledge base in relation to the key concepts and theoretical perspectives within critical criminology; and, secondly, to encourage the assessment, evaluation and analysis of the theoretical perspectives explored. You will also undertake either the Criminology Project or the Criminal Justice Placement. Both of these modules provide you with the ability to study and research a topic in depth. The Criminal Justice Placement allows students to gain work experience in a criminal justice agency, such as the police, or youth offending team.
* Crime in America
* Economics and the UK Legal System
* Poverty, Power and Participation
* Sociology of Social Control
* Law and Order in Britain
* Crime, Protest and the Crowd in England 1730-1820
* Ethical Issues in Politics
* Penology
* The Social Psychology of Violence and Crime
* Racism, Gender and Class: Intersections and Power Relations
