Criminology with Sociology

Criminology is considered as a ‘rendezvous’ but specialist discipline; a study of crime and criminal activity that serves as a meeting point for Social Science disciplines. This module introduces and explores the various disciplinary approaches to the study of crime. However, it will have as its starting point an exploration of common-sense and everyday perceptions and the social construction of crime, as well as the representation of crime and the criminal justice system. The module will also begin to introduce and explore the range and scope of issues and topics examined by the specialist discipline of Criminology.

Law, Government and Policy offers a foundation approach to the legal and political processes for criminology students. To be able analyse and critically assess crime, law and order approaches within the wider studies of criminology, it is essential for students to have an appreciation of the processes through which legislation is created and the political influences on them. This module aims to take both a practical and theoretical look at the legal system through the analysis of existing policy and legislation along with experiencing the criminal justice system through court visits. The aim is to bring in guest speakers who are legal practitioners to offer an authentic and realistic element to the programme of teaching. The module will be delivered through interactive lectures making use of case studies, practical applications and policy/legislation analysis.

The police are one of the most important parts of the criminal justice system and also one of the most scrutinised. This module will introduce students to the work conducted by the police in England and Wales and focus on key debates on the role of the police with respect to the rest of society.

The module will also examine and explore issues such as policing by consent, the arming of police and contemporary issues such as community policing and the policing of terrorism. Other issues will include the policing approaches to protests and demonstrations. Challenges around police and youth groups and policing culture will be further considered. There will also be some comparisons with police forces outside the United Kingdom.

Victims play a vital role within the criminal justice system with the ‘state’ often taking the role of representative of the victim within formal justice processes. Victims hold a number of different statuses within society – from the ‘ideal victim’ to the victim who ‘asked’ for what has happened to them. Social, legal and political motivations underpin how victims are both treated and portrayed.

This module seeks to explore, appreciate and understand what role victims have within justice systems, how they are represented by both themselves and stakeholders and what challenges and issues are involved with such roles. Through engagement with academic literature, media reporting and political documentation, students will explore the many facets of ‘victimhood’.

This module explores the topic of social policy. It is a topic that is wide in scope, and you will become familiar with how significant it is to meeting our basic human needs (welfare/wellbeing). As we progress through the module, you will learn about the welfare state along with some of the key areas of social policy. We are going to cover areas such as: income maintenance, housing, and crime, justice and punishment.  In addition to developing your knowledge and understanding of important social-policy issues, you will learn how to work in a group effectively as well as becoming familiar with an innovative way of disseminating information that academics use at conferences – the poster presentation. At the end of the module, you will realise how social policies affect all of our lives.

This module introduces students to the discipline of sociology and outlines its core principles and approaches. It considers the dominant narrative of our subject, as the product of European Enlightenment rationalism, and reflects on what that story misses out and overlooks. Students will be introduced to conflict, functionalist, and expressionist theories and key elements of sociological thinking such as structure and agency, the public and the private, and the micro and the macro. In doing so they will develop their critical thinking skills. The sociological concern with power and its operations in society will be explored, and students will learn to evaluate the contributions of different traditions of sociological thought. Through a focus on learning to think sociologically, this module is designed to develop students’ academic skills of reading, researching, referencing and writing.

This module explores the nature of family membership and how this has changed over time. It will examine what families actually do, focusing on emotional intimacy, caring and economic exchange. We will look at the trends in marriage, cohabitation and divorce since the 1970s. You will explore the nature and extent of inequality within families. In addition, we will explore the dark side of the family, looking at domestic abuse, forced marriages and ‘honour’ killings.

This module explores the sociological and psychological theories of identity and the representation of identity within political and media discourses. It will challenge the notion of identity as fixed, presenting instead a conception of multiple identities which are negotiated through everyday social interaction. Different aspects will be considered such as gender, race and class in order to build a comprehensive understanding of the complexity of identities. The module will draw on case studies, critical discussion and analysis of contemporary criminological issues. Exploring topics such as nationalism, gendered boundaries and religious difference, students will engage with a mix of theory, real life experiences and media analysis. This module will assist in developing critical analysis skills as well introducing a wide range of theoretical perspectives alongside narrative approaches to understanding media and political representations of identity.

This module is designed to help you engage with concepts of identity, equality and diversity, which are terms often used within contemporary society. Using different settings and examples the module aims to explore the key issues of diversity within communities. Why do we as a society, feel that issues of equality and diversity matter?  This module will explore this subject from a range of theoretical perspectives. The module will also tackle the issue of rights and responsibilities, and confidentiality of information.

What constitutes ‘justice’ and how is this ‘delivered’? How did we come to contemporary concepts of “just punishment”? You will be introduced to the most important philosophical interpretations of the concept of punishment, and will discover the birth, evolution and socio-criminological characteristics of the main form of punishment (prison) and its alternatives.  Finally, contemporary penological approaches to the punishment of offenders will be analysed, from community penalties to restorative justice. You will be invited to practice and maintain a critical approach to the subject, in order to understand that theory and reality in criminal justice practice may be two different things, and to identify where some change in the policies could be needed.

• Choose one of the below modules:

  • Criminological Research - 30 Credits
  • Applied Research Skills - 15 Credits

   

  Optional modules:

  • Comparative Criminal Justice - 15 Credits
  • Volunteering for Sociology - 15 Credits
  • Violent Crime - 15 Credits
  • The Environment, Climate Change and Globalisation - 15 Credits
  • Disability and Society - 15 Credits
  • Gender and Sexualities - 15 Credits
  • Race, Ethnicity and Migration - 15 Credits
  • Religion and Spirituality in Contemporary Society - 15 Credits
  • Age and Social Change - 15 Credits
  • Understanding Urban and Rural Societies - 15 Credits
  • Volunteering in Criminology - 15 Credits
  • Young People, Deviance and Crime - 15 Credits
  • Criminal and Social Justice in Practice - 15 Credits
  • Criminological Narratives and Stories - 15 Credits
  • Digital Crime and Investigation - 15 credits
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It represents an opportunity for you to undertake a research project on your own.  You will identify a particular research problem to investigate.  Then, you will execute a small-scale piece of research.  This may be a primary or secondary (literature-based) piece of research.  You will produce a scholarly piece of work in the format of a dissertation, as well as produce a poster presentation.  The latter will be displayed at an event for all Sociology students to attend, allowing you to share your research findings with your Sociology peers.

• Criminological Investigation Miscarriages of Justice: The Justice Project - 15 Credits
• Drugs and Alcohol: Use and Control - 15 Credits
• Criminal Bodies - 15 Credits
• Sport and Crime - 15 Credits
• Crime and Humanity - 15 Credits
• Criminological Psychology - 15 Credits
• Human Rights, Social Activism and Public Sociology - 15 Credits
• Social Movements and Protests in the Internet Age - 15 Credits
• Substance Use and Misuse - 15 Credits
• Conflict and Humanitarian Crises - 15 Credits
• Globalisation, Beauty and the Media - 15 Credits
• Modern Slavery - 15 Credits
• Identity, Equality and Crime - 15 Credits
• Desistance from Crime: From Theory to Practice - 15 Credits