CR7001 - Research Methods for Global Criminology

Each teaching session will include some formal input from the module tutor, with references to extra reading for those less familiar with the topic and the opportunity to discuss that reading with the tutor. However, the emphasis will be on active learning and reflection, with you undertaking exercises such as facilitating a focus group. This will enable you to assess how the published material relates to practical realities and to reflect on both theoretical and practical issues in the research bid that represents your summative assessment.

Your learning on this module will be developed through a combination of formal input from academic staff and exercises that develop further the intellectual/professional skills and abilities that are needed to complete an MA and to prepare you for doctoral study or a job which requires you to undertake research at a high level. There will be opportunities to ask questions and seek guidance from academic staff both within and outside the timetabled teaching sessions. All academic staff advertise times when they are available to students and there is also the opportunity to book appointments. Your learning will also be supported by an extensive reading list and the provision of lecture notes and other materials on Blackboard.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the contribution of research findings to global Criminology
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the contribution of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to addressing research issues

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

3. Create a methodologically robust plan for a piece of research into a Criminological issue
4. Demonstrate an awareness of practical factors that should be considered when writing research bids

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

5. Demonstrate critical curiosity about the social world and the manner in which it can be investigated

The summative assessment task will be for students to write a 5,000 word bid for a piece of empirical research. This will include a brief literature search on the material already available and a discussion of the steps to be taken in the proposed research, which are likely to be similar to the topics covered in the teaching sessions. In the case of national studies, students will reflect on the extent to which their research is typical of that which is conducted in the nation concerned. In the case of international comparative studies, students will reflect on the types of methodological challenge that this type of study presents.

Throughout the module, students will be asked to undertake formative assessment tasks that prepare them for writing sections of their research bid. For example, they will be required to use different forms of data collection (e.g. focus groups, questionnaires) in order to help them to decide which would be most appropriate to include in their bid. Students will receive feedback on formative assessment tasks throughout the module from the tutor and their peers: for example, all will be encouraged to comment constructively on the topics chosen for a questionnaire or focus group exercise.

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Please find details of this module in the other sections provided.