Criminology and Forensic Science (Extended Degree) BSc (Hons)

On this module you will cover the basic scientific knowledge and practical skills required of a scientist. Topics will include microscopy, required mathematical calcllations, basic laboratory skills such as use of Gilson pipettes, practices of documenting forensic examinations, scientific report writing and referencing and presentation skills.

This module will provide you with an understanding of the key principles, practice and processes of forensic science. You will gain an understanding of the role of a forensic scientist and appreciate the types of evidence that they examine as well as other key stakeholders. You will understand the importance of the continuity and integrity of exhibits from scene to court, understand the deposition and transfer and persistence of materials and you will develop your practical skills with search and recovery techniques. You will also develop observational and note taking skills aligned to a forensic examination. Unseen examination and a practical assessment will assess your knowledge, understanding and skills associated with the key principles of forensic science.

On this module you will learn the fundamental principles of biology and chemistry required to provide the necessary background level of understanding for progression onto second year of study when the basic science is applied to forensic specialisms such as toxicology, trace evidence analysis and DNA profiling. Topics covered on this module will include:
• Anatomy and physiology
• Cell biology
• Genetics
• Fundamental chemistry principles
• Chemical extraction and sample preparation techniques
• Analytical techniques

In this module you will be introduced definitions of crime, a selection of crime types and to a wide range of explanationatory theories that been developed to explain why people commit crime and how we night effectively prevent and respond to criminality. Weekly lectures and seminars will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to introduce you to theories and to understand their strengths, limitations and impacts in relation to how we understand crime and the criminal justice system. We will explore a variety of theories associated with rational actor, pre-destined actor and victimised actor explanations for crime. We will also explore explanations for green crime, integrated explanations that combine ideas from different perspectives, and explore explanations that have attempted to explain why different groups in society commit crime. We will explore the differences, commonalities and dynamic nature of these various explanations for crime , explore evidence to understand the explanatory power of the different explanatory theories and explore the policy and practice implications of the different theoretical explanations we cover... The module will also introduce to students to crime victimisation and operation of the criminal justice system.

Whilst learning about a number of significant criminal case studies from the UK, you will learn to develop critical thinking skills relating to crime and the way crime is researched, reported and represented. In the course of the module, you will also learn some of the vital skills necessary to be a criminologist, relating to critical thinking, academic referencing, researching crime and society, and interpreting crime statistics.

There is currently no summary for this module.

You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.

You will learn the theory, practical application and laboratory skill to locate and identify a range of body fluids including blood, semen and saliva. You will cover the identification, documentation, analysis and subsequent interpretation of these body fluids within the context of a forensic investigation. You will gain an appreciation of the complexity of differing case types, such as murder or burglary, and understand that each requires a different forensic strategy that is bespoke to the individual case, depending on what exhibits are available for examination and what needs to be established. Your knowledge and experience will be further developed to understand the dynamics that underpin blood pattern analysis and how they can be interpreted to provide information on the actions that have taken place and an individuals participation or otherwise. You will review blood patterns from a crime scene right through to the consideration of clothing and weapons. By the end of this module you will have an overall comprehension on the role of a forensic biologist and what value they bring to the forensic aspect of crime investigation.

The module is divided into themes relating to forensic toxicology and includes:
• evaluation and application of analytical toxicology and analysis of drugs of abuse to forensic science
• laboratory blood drug analysis - extraction and detection
• critical evaluation of current issues in forensic science, for example, roadside drug testing
• interpretation of results

Throughout the module, the focus is orientated to existing, current and future research practices and draws on research experience from the module team i.e. post-mortem drug redistribution, tolerance, genotoxicity, analysis and interpretation . The module team may be expanded to include guest speakers as appropriate.

On this module you will build on your existing knowledge of biology and genetics by introducing the specific laboratory methods and DNA markers used in contemporary forensic genetics. You will gain a thorough knowledge of the fundamental science underpinning key stages in the laboratory to facilitate effective communication of the methodology to the lay person via a written statement. During the course of the module you will be encouraged to evaluate the range of methods and genetic markers available in the context of forensic sample types, which may be of poor quality and low quantity. Key topics covered are listed below:

• DNA extraction from a variety of sample types
• DNA quantity and quality analysis
• PCR based analysis of forensic DNA markers
• Interpretation of forensic DNA profile data in the context of a case
• Statistical assessment of the strength of DNA evidence

Why do people commit crime? Why does crime increase or decrease? What should be considered a crime and how can we prevent it? You will explore these and other questions through an evaluation and assessment of the different disciplinary contributions to the study of crime and its control. The dominant theoretical orientation often presented as being most closely aligned with criminology is that of sociology, but any cursory assessment of the history, development and contemporary nature of the study of crime and control will show that it has been significantly influenced by psychology, psychiatry, economics, political science, law and biology. Indeed, while the historical foundations of criminology lie in biological positivism, and much of the twentieth century saw a dominance of what can be called a psychological and sociological positivism, more recently the discipline of criminology can be said to be much more integrative comprising a variety of theoretical perspectives and approaches drawn from the social, life and physical sciences. The module locates criminological concepts, perspectives and theories within this integrative framework as well as within their historical and political contexts. The emphasis is on understanding explanations of crime, of harm and their control through the application of different conceptual and theoretical approaches to specific forms of criminality, victimisation and injustice.

Revisiting but developing on the introductory module The Criminal Justice System 1, this module offers students a view of the modern day criminal justice system, comprised as it now of both state agencies (such as the police, courts, prisons and the probation service) and non-state agencies (such as voluntary/third sector and private/social enterprise agencies). Students will appreciate how the criminal justice system currently works with a range of offenders and victims, both at the statutory and non-statutory level. As well as looking at the system in England and Wales, other comparative examples will be included to widen students’ knowledge of how justice systems operate in the global context. For example, students will be introduced to some key contemporary issues in policing, focusing on recent trends in pluralisation, private security, and the increase in surveillance technology, as well as police governance and accountability in the era of Black Lives Matter. Similarly, further in-depth examination of prisons and punishment will focus not only on the modern prison in England and Wales but also on policies and practices in Europe (including Nordic exceptionalism), the ‘Americanisation’ of the penal system, the role of privatisation on prisons and community sentences, and the effectiveness of retributive vs restorative justice practices and policies. The module will also engage practitioners working in the criminal justice field where possible as a way of extending students’ knowledge and developing concrete ideas for pathways into employment and/or ongoing study.

This module will provide you with the practical attributes of forensic science from the onset of a case through to the presentation of evidence in a court of law. It expands upon core forensic science disciplines and processes taught in previous years and focuses upon the strategy setting, examination and the delivery of interpretation and evaluation of forensic evidence within the context of complex case situations. You will study the importance of working together with key stakeholders (police, forensic pathologists, crime scene managers) in determining forensic strategy and prioritisation of key exhibits prior to commencing their practical examination. Whilst the emphasis on this module will be practical based with you undertaking the examination of forensic exhibits, it will be underpinned through taught lectures and seminars.

By the end of this module you will have gained an understanding of the difficulties of complex casework and conveying complex scientific information to the lay person.

You will learn how advances in forensic interpretation can be applied to support the Criminal Justice System in decision making. You will learn how to use the Casework Assessment and Interpretation (CAI) model in the evaluative stage of crime investigation, as well as the use of the Bayesian approach to evaluate the strength of evidence and the conclusions/limitations that can be drawn from the analytical results. Embedded throughout the module will be case studies from violent, sexual and major crime used to supplement and underpin your learning.

This module will provide you with an opportunity to independently review and evaluate a research question that encompasses both the criminological and scientific disciplines. You will independently examine the historical and contemporary theories that are currently applied to explaining crime from the perspective of the victim, offender and the environment. You will evaluate the effectiveness of the subsequent prevention strategies and appraise how these are complemented by the scientific and innovative technological approaches to detect crime. In doing so, you will adopt a critical and analytical approach to support innovative solutions for regulating, policing, preventing and detecting crime.

With the support of a dissertation supervisor within each discipline, you will seek to develop and answer a research question using research enquiry and tutored based techniques, for example collecting your own data, using existing data sets or by engaging in an analysis of the research literature. You will apply your information retrieval and critical appraisal skills with discussion of your results culminating in the production of a written dissertation that appraises criminological theory and scientific practice.