CriminologyBSc (Hons)

Introduction to Criminological Theory

The module aims to:

1. Examine the emergence and development of criminological theory
2. Examine the different ways in which different criminological traditions theorise crime and its social control
3. Examine how the assumptions which underpin different traditions provide for different strategies of intervention and control
4. Develop students’ learning and transferable skills in preparation for modules at levels 5 and 6.

Introduction to Policing

The module gives a broad introductory overview of policing in terms of law enforcement and combating crime. It traces historically the evolutionary process of policing as a distinct function of the state. The module introduces the development of policing traditions in England and Wales in some detail and also offers a grounding for comparison with policing systems in some other jurisdictions.

Introduction to criminological and sociological theory

The module aims to:
1. Examine the emergence and development of criminological and sociological theory
2. Examine the different ways in which different criminological traditions theorise crime and its social control
3. Examine how the assumptions which underpin different traditions provide for different strategies of intervention and control
4. Develop students’ learning and transferable skills in preparation for modules at levels 5 and 6.

Introduction to social problems

- Analyse the social construction of a social problem

- Collate information on the location and scale of a social problem

- Reflect upon sociological interpretations of a particular social problem

- Outline policy responses to a particular social problem

Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

This module introduces students to the scope and functions of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales. It provides a broad overview of the mechanisms and aims of the CJS upon which students can build a more detailed knowledge of criminal justice policies, crime control, punishment and social control by the state, at levels 5 and 6. The module also specifically provides students with an introductory picture of the extent of officially recorded crime.

The module aims to:
1. Provide students with a solid grounding in the field upon which to build a grasp of issues relating to criminal justice
2. Review the historical development, structures and roles of key agencies responsible for the execution of justice in England and Wales
3. Identify key models of the Criminal Justice System such as the due process and crime control models
4. Consider recent, and significant, examples of changes in the CJS (such as the increasing levels of inter-agency cooperation)
5. Develop students’ knowledge of current policies relating to the ‘problem of crime’.

Researching Crime and Deviance

The module aims to:
1. Introduce and familiarise students with a wide range of criminological research
2. Introduce students to various research methods and approaches used in criminological investigation
3. Introduce students to a range of issues that need to be taken into account when undertaking criminological research.
4. Familiarise students with the processes involved in conducting criminological research and the structure and format of research reports adopted by academics
5. Build and develop core academic skills and competences, including searching for sources, referencing, and reading and writing academically.
6. Prepare students for levels 5 and 6

Researching Social Life

This module provides the foundation for an explicit, clear focus on social research throughout Sociology and related degrees in addition to supporting students to acquire understanding of and skills in academic literacy. The methodological principles and perspectives for effective social research are explained and also illustrated through exploration of research case studies. It will additionally provide experience in using the vast array of text, visual and statistical primary documentary sources and their interpretation for research. Research as process will be examined including main research approaches, the formulation and development of research questions and social, ethical and political contexts of research practice.

Crime in Context

This module builds on level 4 introductory modules by focusing on specific categories of crime and behaviours, which have emerged as sources of concern. It gives attention to the emergence of concern about imagined dangerous groups, and moves on to more recent social anxieties. This includes the crimes associated with the socially and economically marginalized, and those associated with the economically and socially powerful.

The central themes revolve around why some behaviours and some groups of people are ‘constructed’ as the focus of concern and special treatment. Equally, it considers why some crimes, such as corporate crime, or state crime, usually receive less attention. This exploration encourages reflection on how and why certain behaviours are defined and constructed as ‘crime’, and ‘social problems’.

Measuring and Interpreting Crime

The module aims to:
1. Develop an informed grasp of the strengths and limitations of survey research including identification and consideration of the ethical issues which may arise
2. Develop students’ competence in designing and conducting primary quantitative research in relation to data collection, analysis and report-writing
3. Develop an informed grasp of the strengths and limitations of qualitative research including identification and consideration of the ethical issues which may arise
4. Develop students’ competence in designing and conducting primary qualitative research in relation to data collection, analysis and report-writing
5. Examine the ways in which quantitative and qualitative data are created and used in professional settings such as the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police, voluntary sector organisations related to the Criminal Justice System and private sector organisations such as MORI and Gallup and so to enable students to work towards a career in the field of Criminology.

Perspectives on Policing

The module aims to:
1. Explore the operational challenges and ethical dilemmas inherent in specialist police operations
2. Examine particular aspects of specialist policing in detail from both practical and academic viewpoints
3. Analyse the effectiveness of governance in relation to specialist policing operations
4. Compare and contrast different perspectives in relation to policing priorities.
5. To develop student communication and team working skills.
6. Improve critical analytical thinking for real world problems.

Crime, Media and Technology

This module looks at the media impact on public perceptions of crime and justice. It also looks at the way contemporary media and technologies influence criminal behaviour and influence the operations of the criminal justice system.

The module aims to:

1. Consider the various relationships between media, technology and crime.
2. Develop an understanding of the role of the media in shaping perceptions of crime and criminal justice, with a particular emphasis on marginalised groups.
3. Develop a critical awareness of how different groups are represented in the media with regard to crime, criminality and deviance.
4. Provide an overview of the way technologies interact with crime and the criminal justice system.
6. Develop summarising and analytical skills.

Youth Resistance and Social Control

A1. To provide students with a historical, theoretical and comparative understanding of the diverse forms of youth culture and youth social organisation;

A2. To consider the key developments in political mobilisation of young people;

A3. To investigate the concepts and nature of social control in relation to youth;

A4. To develop confidence in use of appropriate learning, analytical and discursive skills when dealing with current youth issues.

Youth, Crime and Violence

Academic authors have shown that for centuries adults have expressed concerns about the anti-social and criminal behaviour of young people. In recent times, this concern has centred on rising levels of violent crime by young people and the burgeoning ‘gang, gun and knife crime culture’ in the UK. You will critically examine young people’s involvement in crime and violence.

This module examines key theories for understanding violence by the young and explores the connection between violent behaviour and a variety of social issues such as peer pressure, gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity, and alcohol and substance misuse. This highlights the impact of changing economic, political and cultural contexts from the global to local.

Module aims:

1. Familiarise you with the theoretical perspectives that have shaped criminological thought on violence by young people.
2. Encourage you to develop a critical overview of young people’s engagement in violent crime.
3. Develop your ability to research, analyse and communicate critical and informed arguments relating to the theory, policy and practice underpinning youth involvement in violent crime.

Crime Control and Penology

The module aims to:
1. Identify and explore key concepts underpinning crime control
2. Examine contemporary policies and practices of principal crime control agencies
3. Enable students to understand the linkages between contemporary crime control and wider social policy (and accompanying political debate)
4. Enhance analytic skills and instil a critical awareness through consideration of both official rhetoric and evidence together with the limitations of crime control policies and practice in a 'real world' context
5. Explore the application of criminological theories and concepts to penal policy and practice and encourage confidence in the use of varied learning and discursive strategies
6. Develop understanding of the operation of prisons and the role of imprisonment within the criminal justice system and wider society
7. Explore comparative penal perspectives and develop understanding of diversity within penal policy and practice.

Criminology Project

The overall aim of this module is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to design and conduct an independent criminological research project, and to produce a written research report. This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of criminological theory and its application, of the quality and significance of criminological research evidence, and the relevance of your research to contemporary issues and debates in criminology and criminal justice fields.

The module aims to:

1. Give you the opportunity to reflect upon your learning, your experience, and the skills you have acquired to date, to independently define and research a criminological topic which is of interest to you.
2. Further develop your research skills, encouraging you to formulate feasible criminological research questions, to select appropriate quantitative/qualitative methods, and to reflect upon ethical issues which arise in research.
3. Give you the opportunity to produce a written research report which demonstrates your knowledge, understanding and skills for conducting criminological research, recognising the relationship between criminology and related fields as well as the limits of knowledge.

Criminology Work Experience

The module aims to:

1. Provide the opportunity for the student to gain experience of a working environment
2. Enhance and extend their learning experience by applying and building on their academic skills and capabilities by identifying and / or tackling real life problems in the workplace
3. Provide the opportunity to reflect upon the culture and structure of a working environment and their activity within it
4. Develop new capabilities and skills in the context of a work environment.

Gender and Sexuality

The module introduces students to the key concepts and theories relating to the social construction of gender and sexuality and their application to a range of social sectors and issues in the UK and abroad. The ways in which gender and sexuality are both constitutive of the social and are constituted through social structures, institutions and interactions are explored, as are the ways in which theories of gender and sexuality have informed the sociological study of the family, work, health, education, crime, the welfare state and politics, media and the body.
Module aims
• To introduce and critically analyse key concepts in the sociological study of gender and sexuality;
• To introduce a range of theoretical approaches to understanding the operation of gender and sexuality at the levels of social structures, social relations and social identities;
• To consider the impact of gender and sexuality across a range of social sectors and social issues;
• To consider the links and intersections between gender, sexuality and other forms of social identity and difference, including class, race, ethnicity, etc.
• To consider the social and political sources of the persistence of discrimination and inequalities on the basis of gender and sexual orientation.

Human Rights and Conflict

You will develop an understanding of the international human rights framework and consider debates and theories challenging this framework (including a critical assessment of the concept and implementation of the universality of human rights). The module will enable you to evaluate various international conventions on the protection of human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The module will examine violations of human rights in the light of various social and political contexts across the world and gain an understanding of how human rights applies in specific contexts; how such violations impact societies, communities and individuals; and how individuals and organisations work for justice in such harrowing circumstances. In addition, the module will explore issues surrounding cases of historic injustice relating to human rights abuses and atrocities committed in conflicts.

Religion and the State

This module will provide students with an opportunity to engage with contemporary debates on the relationship between religion and the state and sources of religious intolerance. Students will be required to critically examine the ideas of the classic and contemporary social scientists on religion and explore the application of their ideas to an ever-changing world. Overall, the aim of the module is to develop the students’ capacity to utilise social scientific concepts and perspectives in their analyses of religion in contemporary society. The disciplinary focus of the module will, initially, be the sociology of religion. The application of a range of social scientific approach will also be introduced - historical, political, economic and social psychological approaches.

Serious and Serial Offenders

ou will explore the definition, characteristics and offending behaviour of serious and serial offenders, with a particular focus on mass, spree and serial murderers, sexual offenders and arsonists. You will also consider how such offenders are investigated, their behaviour and characteristics analysed. Key explanatory theories used to explain serious and serial offending will be examined and the efficacy of these in relation to methodological concerns critically evaluated. Finally, the module explores the identification and apprehension of serious and serial offenders.

The module aims to:

1. discuss and give examples of some of the most disturbing and controversial forms of offending behaviour;
2. identify the prevalence of serial and serious offending within the broader population of criminal offences, questioning common assumptions about, and contemporary popular focus on, these categories of offences;
3. evaluate and debate the definition and measurement of serious and serial offending, particularly in relation to methodological concerns;
4. describe and critically discuss a range of key theories and concepts employed in the explanation and understanding of serious and serial offenders;
5. critically evaluate the investigation and detection of such offenders and offences.

Social Control, Drugs and Organised Crime

This module aims to exploit specialism’s residing within the criminology team in London met so that students can apply theories to exciting and relevant areas of criminology

The module aims to:

1. Introduce students to theories and debates on the nature of crime control in the modern state
2. Provide an overview of the major traditions of thinking within Criminology regarding the issue of illegal drugs their use and distribution
3. Examine the way the attempts to control crime and deviance are examples of broader debates over social control
4. Sensitise students to the ethical and social consequences that flow from the way in which contemporary society elects to punish offenders and prevent crime

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism

The aim of the module is to examine the debate over of the origin of a variety of forms of ideological, nationalist and religiously motivated violence in the form of 'terrorism'. You will examine the contemporary range of counter terrorist agencies and policies in the national and international context. You will develop a deep critical understanding of the ways in which meanings are constructed and how these impact on social life.

Victims and Crime

The aim of this module is to encourage you to develop a meaningful understanding of the experiences of victims of crime within the criminal justice system and beyond. The module is delivered via workshops which begin by exploring the notion of victimhood and critiquing the ways of understanding the impact and extent of victimisation for a diverse range of crime victims. You will consider the ways in which we identify and respond to victims of crime. You will study the development of victimology as an academic discipline and the key theoretical concepts within the field. More broadly, you will explore the social, political and cultural contexts which influence our understanding of and responses to victims of crime. Via workshops, readings and discussions you will also
critically explore and analyse the development of victim-centred policy and practice
within the criminal justice system and beyond. This knowledge and understanding will be useful for those seeking to work with and/or advocating for victims of crime.

Via the workshops, reading and discussions:
a. You will develop an understanding of the key theoretical concepts within victimology.
b. You will identify some of the social and political factors that placed victims at the forefront of academic and professional discourses.
c. You will explore the nature and extent of victimisation and critically appraise criminal justice responses to victims of crime.
d. You will develop your ability to research, analyse, and communicate thoughts relating to victimisation, victim policy and practice.