Criminology (Extended Degree) BSc (Hons)

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.

Talk about crime often focuses on the offender – what they have done, why they have done it, what we happen to them and so on – almost to the point where the victims of crime is overlooked or even ignored altogether. Criminologists, for instance, have often been accused of this. Similarly, it is often argued that the criminal justice system has paid limited attention to victims of crime in their pursuit of ‘catching criminals’. In this module, however, you will consider these arguments and shed light on the vitally important aspects of crime: the victim of crime, the wider processes of victimisation, and the service provision for victims of crime. In doing this, you will explore the expanding work in the sub-discipline of criminology called victimology, and focus on three key issues: (1) the influence of social variables – such as class, age, race, gender and sexuality – on victimisation, (2) the relationship between victims and witnesses of crime; and (3) contemporary case studies – such as sex work, human trafficking, cyber-victimisation and hate crime – to see how victimisation operates within these issues.

This module will improve your quantitative literacy skills and aid you in conducting social research. It will begin by exploring the key philosophies and approaches associated with quantitative methods. It will then introduce the key steps in the process of conducting research, from developing a project idea, to writing research tools, collecting data, considering ethical issues, creating datasets, processing data via statistical software packages, interpreting and writing up results. The module will focus on practical skills but will also explore the theory behind basic statistical procedures.

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.

You will be introduced to a number of identity-based theories that will help you analyse the intersectional and historically rooted nature of crime, victimisation, and punishment in the UK and beyond. Drawing on contemporary case studies and ground-breaking academic research, you will learn to develop your critical thinking skills in order to evaluate how (and why) diverse identities and demographic characteristics intersect to produce varied experiences of crime and justice. Questions of oppression, representation, fairness, and equality will be raised throughout the module to help develop your critical thinking in this area.

The Criminal Justice System (CJS) comprises those institutions and agencies that are collectively responsible for managing a state’s response to crime and disorder. This module introduces the key agencies of the CJS in England and Wales. The aim is to understand the historical development of the CJS, what the agencies of the CJS do, and the constraints that they operate under. The focus will be on the history, role and function of the police service, prosecutors, courts, prisons, parole, youth justice, the probation service, and other relevant agencies. For example, students will learn about the early models of policing in Britain and its former colonies and the historical developments that led to the birth of the modern police force, before focusing on the role and function of the police and how the police role is perceived in the media and in popular imagination. Similarly, students will explore the role and emergence of the prison estate in England and Wales, considering how prisons have been designed and managed over time, the impact on prisoners and offenders of policy changes over the last 50 years, and how news about the state of prisons is communicated to the ‘outside’ world.

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.