BSc (Hons) Criminology

This module seeks to introduce students to academic study at university level. Its purpose is to enable students to reflect on and develop their skills as they progress through their first year of study. This is achieved by introducing students to the key study and academic skills required to succeed at university level study and supporting students as they develop their competencies in these skills. Students are also introduced to the principles and core concepts underpinning their field of study, and social science research more generally. A developmental approach is emphasised throughout the module, and, as part of the module’s approach to learning and teaching, students regularly meet in small groups with their personal tutors.  

This module will introduce students to key approaches and perspectives within the discipline of psychology and provide an understanding of how human behaviour is influenced by biological, behavioural, cognitive and psychoanalytical processes. The module will explore some of the basic principles and debates within psychology and will outline key concepts, theories and research studies that have informed psychology as a whole as well as those of the different approaches, perspectives and branches of psychology covered within the module. The focus of the module is on providing students with a grounding in the fundamentals of psychology in order to complement their understanding of criminology and offending behaviour; to highlight a number of areas in which psychology has contributed to criminological knowledge; and to elucidate the links between psychology and criminology by discussing the implications and applications of different approaches within criminology and in explanations of, and responses to, criminal and deviant behaviour. 

Sociology is a subject that provides an analysis of the modern social world. It is also a subject that came into being with that modern world. This module aims to introduce you to key features of the sociological perspective and what many call the sociological imagination. It is concerned with making the everyday strange and the far away near to gain a better grasp on key aspects of social life. This leads into a key concern of sociology with questions of power and inequality. Students will be able to engage with key debates about the nature of inequality and power using contemporary examples and analysis. 

This module provides both context and an introduction to the history of crime, crime control and punishment in England and Wales. It explains the historical background that is essential for an understanding of contemporary criminal justice and examines the historical context for contemporary criminological debates. This module assists in the removal of traditional barriers between disciplines and, specifically, reflects criminology’s interdisciplinary nature and focus.  It will draw together some of the leading scholars working at the intersections of criminology, philosophy, humanities and related subjects. This module will enable students to locate contemporary debates within a wider historical context, thus helping them to develop a critical understanding of today’s ‘crisis’ and to understand the importance of studying criminology within the context of broader debates.

This module grounds students in the principles of social science research and methods employed to develop our understanding of the social world. The module covers core aspects of the research process and offers students opportunities to focus on particular methods of interest to them and relevant to their field of study. The module aims to provide students with the knowledge and confidence to undertake independent, ethical and robust research in the social sciences. This module also acts as a precursor to the dissertation module.  

This module facilitates an examination of youth crime from competing criminological perspectives. It evaluates the association between young people and crime from historical, sociological and legal perspectives. Students are exposed to the various ways in which social constructions of youth and crime shape criminal justice policy and systems. Selected substantive themes will be explored, and cover procedures, policies and social challenges. Though the frame of reference will be the United Kingdom, there will significant comparative analysis.  

This module examines the institutions, practices and processes that make up the criminal justice system.  Although areas of enquiry will focus on policing, the courts, the penal system and the probation service. The main aim is to analyse the social, economic and political factors that underpins the values, practices and processes of these institutions. There has been much discussion about the nature of criminal justice and the apparent failure of key institutions to deliver justice, protection for the public and the punishment of criminals.  It is essential in this module that these themes are explored in a critical analytical way and wider consideration is given to the role of the media, public opinion and political expedience in these debates. Students are encouraged to evaluate criminal justice practice critically and to make links with issues raised in other criminology module.

The development of social theory is one of the key contributions of sociology to the social sciences. Most areas of sociology require a firm grasp of social theory and the range of traditions that provide some of the key sociological research questions. This module provides an overview of the origins of social theory, the development into a classical tradition and the more established, often American influenced social theory of the mid 20th Century. Much of the module will focus upon key thinkers rather than schools of thought. Students will also engage with the ideas of a range of important theorists from the late 20th and early 21st Centuries allowing for an engagement with the insightful, often challenging and sometimes counter-intuitive perspectives that come from a range of contemporary social theorists. Students taking this module will be strongly encouraged to apply social theory to contemporary social life and especially a range of social and political issues.

This module examines the nature of social justice and the range of policies that have sought to make societies fairer. The module examines different conceptions of social justice, including the conceptions advanced Rawls and Sen. The module also explores the welfare state and some of the major policies used to try and increase social justice across a range of dimensions, including housing, education, health, income transfers, pensions and access to legal rights. The module also seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of social policies in a variety of countries increasing social justice using international data and evidence.

In this module you will produce a final year project that allows you to exercise your independent judgement and skills in the development and execution of a project or dissertation relevant to your field of study. Under the supervision of an assigned tutor, the module provides you with the opportunity to independently apply the core subject knowledge and skills developed over the course of your degree. Over the course of the year you will undertake independent analysis and research, and communicate and present it to high professional standards. This project can take the form of a traditional research dissertation, but you also have the flexibility to undertake an alternative, such as a reflective report based on an independent project pursued in a practice / work setting.

Victims of Crime allows students to recognise the extent, patterns and impact of victimisation which is fundamental to enable informed discussion regarding crime and deviance. Through exploring the concept of victimisation, the experience of crime victims and developments in response to them, students will have the opportunity to broaden their understanding of contemporary crime and criminal justice.

This module will focus on community safety as an approach to crime prevention with its roots in policy innovations at the end of the last century. It will explore the relative merits of both ‘situational’ and ‘social’ measures of crime prevention and community safety taking into consideration wider technological and policy advancements. This module seeks to engage with the current debates regarding current strategies and limitations of this ‘policy and practice’ dimension.

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the branch of psychology known as forensic psychology and to explore its application in legal and criminal justice settings. It will involve discussions of the theory and practice of contemporary forensic psychology and an exploration of the role it plays in prisons, probation, policing and the courtroom. In studying this module students will appreciate the interaction between psychology and the investigation and detection of crime, legal and trial processes and in dealing with offenders. The module will also examine relevant psychological research and key issues involved in the practice of forensic psychology such as the efficacy of methods concerning the prediction and classification of offenders, interviewing techniques and of different approaches to prevention and rehabilitation.  

This module seeks to develop your skills in processing large and complex datasets in the social sciences and visualise analysis to distil and convey findings to wide audiences. The module explores the key principles which make for effective data visualisation and communication, and the core workflows involved in processing, analysing and visualising data using appropriate software tools. In addition to developing your skills and competencies in analysing and presenting quantitative data, the module critically examines how quantitative data is used in the social sciences and how its use and presentation affects the development and evaluation of public policy.