Criminology BA Honours

This module explores the ways in which crime is defined and constructed in law, politics, society and culture over time and space, highlighting its essentially contested nature. You'll gain a conceptual understanding of crime, challenging common ideas and misconceptions about crime and how it manifests itself.

Through engagement with key issues in crime, deviance and crime control, this module introduces the core skills required for successful engagement in criminological debates. These are essential for the completion of your degree and your life beyond university – formulating and exploring criminological ideas, how to communicate and engage with evidence, and how to work in academic contexts.

Through undertaking this module, you will develop a broad understanding of the major theoretical approaches shaping contemporary criminology. You will understand how criminological theory responds to social change, and how theory shapes competing understandings of crime and responses to crime.

This module introduces social research and enquiry as a way of seeing and interpreting the world we live in, and the behaviours and lifestyles in the cities and communities our lives are embedded within. You'll focus on qualitative research in criminology and the different ways qualitative studies are carried out to examine and form understandings of crime and deviance.

This module allows you to begin to explore the relationship between crime and culture. You will gain an understanding of how media and popular culture represent and engage with crime, deviancy and justice issues by considering issues such as race and crime, terrorism, suppression of the media, and societal understanding and acceptance of state narratives concerning violence and war.

This module examines a range of key criminal justice institutions and analyses contemporary issues and debates relating to them. You'll build on your knowledge of current policy and practice issues impacting on the operation of criminal justice institutions, including the police, the courts, prisons and probation, immigration detention, youth justice and the forensic mental health system.

This module introduces the English Legal System and aims to create a critical awareness of how the English Legal System provides a framework for the workings of criminal justice and state responses to crime, deviance and public insecurity. You'll examine a selection of criminal offences and the defences relevant to these offences.

This module introduces the basic components of quantitative social science research for Criminology. You'll focus on experiential approaches to developing key research and academic skills, and adopts a developmental style through individual and small group assessments including a range of skills-based tasks, an excel-based report and a small group or pair presentation.

This module gives you the knowledge and skills to use SPSS for data analysis and thematic analysis to analyse qualitative data. You'll have the opportunity to propose a methodological research project on a topic of interest and produce a mixed method project. Part of the project involves forming a conversational guide, collecting and analysing data, and writing a report. You'll be prepared to undertake qualitative and quantitative research for your dissertation and study advanced research methods during your studies.

This module will allow you to engage with recent theoretical developments and trends influencing criminological discussion, debate and research. These developments and trends are assessed in relation to emerging social, political and cultural patterns. Building on prior learning in Year 1, you'll be able to apply theoretical knowledge to a range of contemporary issues and trends of prominent criminological interest and concern.

This module introduces the areas of employment that can be considered for criminology career pathways. You'll engage with various forms of crime control, offending and support services and be able to explore the knowledge and skills required to perform in various positions.

Starting from the point that human rights are more than just a legal framework but also a powerful moral discourse, this module applies a human rights lens to contemporary criminological policy. This will allow you to reflect on what putting issues such as power and rights at the centre of criminological practice might mean for social justice.

This module will allow you to develop an understanding of theoretical perspectives on race and social justice in relation to lived realities. You'll explore race, power and privilege along with detailed discussions of white power and privilege across different spaces, racism and intersectional oppression. You'll then focus on the power of the state and legislation, providing a critical reflection through interdisciplinary scholarship. This module will prepare you for engagement with race and social justice topics for your dissertation and/or if you want to pursue a career in a related field.

This module will enable you to examine the historical context of policing. You'll develop an understanding of how the modern police service and wider policing family have evolved. Using current theories, knowledge and practice, you'll explore, assess and analyse the contemporary issues faced in policing.

This module introduces the prison system in England and Wales, with a particular focus on the aims of imprisonment and key developments in penal policy and practice. You'll build on your ability to apply theoretical perspectives to prison issues and analyse the impact of policy on the experiences of those who are imprisoned as well as the work of the key professionals and practitioners working in the prison system.

This module introduces the changing ways family, intimate and personal lives have been understood by sociology. You'll explore changing ideas of family structures and practices, and look at ‘family’ as a social institution, considering how it's shaped by government policy, social attitudes, religious practice, social spaces and institutions. You'll gain a broader understanding of intimate and personal life that include our relationships with friends, animals, colleagues, and ourselves.

This module will develop your understanding of the ways in which digital media touches on many aspects of social life, leaving our online and offline lives interrelated. The ongoing digitalisation of society presents important topics of investigation that range from everyday social to personal and political life. You'll develop a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which digital media is embedded in everyday life, for networking, political action and forming identities.

This module supports your personal and professional development by providing opportunities to gain practical experience within a community-based setting. You'll explore the links between academic study and community engagement in order to integrate and apply theoretical knowledge to real world issues. You'll understand the processes for structured reflection and gain an understanding of community concerns, cultural competence and ethical and social responsibilities. You'll gain a range of skills and knowledge useful for further studies and employment.

This module develops your understanding of the complex function of criminal law and legal processes within contemporary criminal justice as well as state responses to crime, deviance and public insecurity. You'll gain an appreciation of the legal and human rights issues arising from different punishment measures and criminal justice responses can give rise to.

The module will expand your thinking around victimisation and consider this topic from a broader perspective, assessing societal responses to victimisation and who we consider to be a victim. You'll explore multiple crime types such as sexual and domestic violence, homicide, sex work, hate crime, financial crime and state crime, and you'll compare and contrast different theories and perspectives in relation to the concept of victimisation.

This module introduces the contemporary issues in housing, welfare, education and care. You'll be able to analyse policy making and implementation and consider how people respond to policy and challenge policy decisions that impact their lives. You'll cover the history and development of the welfare state in the UK and the changes that have since taken place in government ideology, provision, and economics. You can develop your interest in the module themes in third year options that explore education, work and health in-depth.

One of the key challenges to mainstream criminology is that it often fails to consider gender as a factor of criminal and deviant behaviour. Gender impacts all aspects of crime and criminal justice as well as the regulation of people’s actions. This module develops your knowledge and skills to assess the gendered nature of crime and deviance.

This module will allow you to analyse the relationship between youth, crime and justice by situating contemporary debates about youth offending and victimisation within historical and comparative perspective. You'll explore the different settings in which young people are involved in or affected by crime, including the home, the school, the street and online spaces.

Cybercrime is becoming more sophisticated and widespread, as an increasing number of crimes are carried out online or have a link to cyber-space, the internet or social media. This module will create a foundation for understanding different cybercrime areas. The students will be introduced to criminological theories, legal and methodological issues around various types of cybercrime.

This module introduces key questions in urban sociology and criminology and covers the main approaches which have developed in these fields. You'll be able to engage with the evolution of cities and what it implies for those who live in the communities, exploring questions of intra-urban inequalities, crime, disorder and social harm. At a time of planetary urbanisation, it's essential to engage with the complexity of the social institutions and the physical infrastructures that make up their fabric, considering questions around urban insecurity, gentrification and social housing in these debates.

This module aims to synthesise learning from previous criminology modules and gives you the opportunity to study independently and investigate a topic in depth. It fosters academic curiosity; an inquiry-based approach, and the employment and application of research skills thus facilitating the development of a higher level of theorising.

You can choose to study this module OR Learning at Work

This module uses the workplace as a site of learning and inquiry. It supports the integration of theory and practice and provides opportunities to apply methods of inquiry to practice related problems in order to recommend solutions and improve work practice. You'll also be immersed in a process of reflection, cultivates knowledge of ethical and professional behaviours and builds some of the key understandings associated with the worker-researcher.

You can choose to study this module OR Dissertation

This module gives you the unique experience of studying alongside people accommodated in prison. You'll use the criminal justice system as a point of reference to examine contemporary issues and debates relating to crime control and theories of punishment, in which ideas of rehabilitation, system reform, and social justice are embedded.

This module will enable you to undertake comparative criminal justice analysis across jurisdictions. You'll learn how to justify the relevance and importance of the data used in a country (case) study approach. The module takes a comparative approach to understand the similarities and differences in criminal justice systems, penal policy, sentencing approaches and ‘cultures of punishment’ across jurisdictions.

This module gives you the unique experience of studying alongside people accommodated in prison. You'll use the criminal justice system as a point of reference to examine contemporary issues and debates relating to crime control and theories of punishment, in which ideas of rehabilitation, system reform, and social justice are embedded.

This module will develop your understanding in a range of digital and visual methods for conducting research and analysing data primarily through digital ethnography, semiotics and content analysis. You'll begin to look at innovative digital methodologies that are being developed in order to study digital media problems from a methodological and ethical position. You'll gain the practical skills needed to undertake visual and digital research and the knowledge to do this in an ethical way; useful for work and study environments in the future.

This module will allow you to critically review sociological perspectives on gender and sexuality. Drawing upon a range of theoretical frameworks, you'll critically review the ways in which gender and sexuality have been positioned within sociology. You'll be encouraged to critically analyse everyday experiences using theoretical material. You'll explore the ways in which gender and sexuality are intertwined with race, religion, age, dis/ability, class as well as other categories, and enables you to draw on sociological theory to evaluate the social world.

This module provides a critical understanding of violence as an organised form of action involving both state and non-state actors. From the work of the likes of Marx, Tilly, Mann, Arendt and Fanon, organised violence emerged as a key element in modern state-building, in Western countries and the global South. You'll look at how, in today’s world, organised violence is equally central, not only to the forging of political entities but also to their reproduction. You should choose to study this module if you want to work in human rights, conflict and peace, and terrorism areas.

This module aims to discuss the dynamics of violence from a gender-informed perspective, how it is used by perpetrators, controlled, and used to control. The module highlights the interconnections between violence, gender, sexuality and crime, and illustrates the blurred boundaries between interpersonal, self-inflicted, community and structural violence.

This module enables you to evaluate the various interventions used to reform or rehabilitate offenders. You'll critically assess key agencies involved in rehabilitation and punishment, analysing the experiences of those subject to community justice. You'll also learn to critically analyse the various barriers to successful re-entry, desistance and rehabilitation of lawbreakers and the role risk plays in assessing offenders.

This module provides an overview of models of investigation from a theoretical and practical perspective. You'll critically examine existing and evolving legislation, policies, processes and developments in investigative practice. You'll explore the role of investigations as a fact-finding exercise and the search for ‘truth’ within criminal, civil and administrative justice contexts.

This module will facilitate your critical engagement with crimes of the powerful, defined as illegal conducts perpetrated by offenders who hold an exorbitant degree of resources (both material and symbolic) as well as power when compared to those they victimise. The module follows the tradition of study established by Edwin Sutherland. However, the focus moves from the generic interest in white collar crime onto the crimes of the powerful (or power crimes).

The module introduces several questions concerning home and housing in contemporary society as well as the way sociologists should confront these issues as they occupy a central place in the political, public and mediatic debate. It offers a sociology of housing and of the home, looking at the relationship between self, society and state. You'll focus on the UK context with the aim to consolidate a knowledge base in terms of theory, social policy and politics, but will also explore home in a global context. You'll have the opportunity to complete a capstone project or a dissertation in that field.

This module introduces a range of topics and theoretical and empirical debates within the field of health and disability studies from a sociological life course perspective. You'll reflect on everyday social situations and challenges people with disabilities experience. You'll explore how they are shaped and framed by social, economic and political explanations of health and disability. You'll be able to apply sociological insights developed in this module to health and disability studies and to health care professions you may choose to enter after graduation.

This module will give you the Sociological and Criminological concepts necessary to explore personal and collective experiences of radicalisation and extremism, to critically assess current policy and practice responses to this development, and to propose future policy directions. You'll also engage with urgent societal questions around security and insecurity. This module will give you the relevant skills and knowledge if you're looking to undertake research or employment in areas relating to community support and prevention of violent extremism.

This module will give you the knowledge and understanding of the interaction of politics and society with a particular focus on social movements, collective action, and contention. This module adopts a global approach and you'll gain an overview of major ideas in political sociology and an explanation of the processes involving power relations between the state and civil society actors. You'll also begin to understand a number of political-sociological themes and locate their development within a variety of social and national contexts.

This module uses the workplace as a site of learning and professional development. It fosters the growth of key employability skills and a critical understanding of work place policies and practices. A central theme of this module is reflective practice and you'll be encouraged to engage in a process of action and reflection. You'll be supported in the meaningful integration of theoretical knowledge and placement practice as well as a critical awareness of ethical and professional behaviours. You'll gain a range of skills and knowledge useful for further studies and employment.

This module introduces the key theoretical perspectives surrounding mental health and offending. You'll gain a familiarity with the key legislation, policy and practice in this area. You'll also develop a practical understanding of the current legal framework and service provision in England for ‘mentally disordered offenders’, and be able to critically evaluate the key debates and controversies in the field.

This module will allow you to examine the relevant theories, literature and public discourses surrounding the concept of children as victims and the child protection system. You'll learn about the range of challenges surrounding child protection, including situations leading to failures in multi-agency approaches, child safety and protection strategies.

This module introduces the key debates in drugs policy, particularly focusing on the interface with the criminal justice system. You'll develop your abilities to critically analyse and evaluate the laws, policies and institutions of drugs control and their social, political and economic contexts.

The module will give you an in-depth approach to cybercrime challenges from a criminological cyber-security perspective. You'll be introduced to specific cybercrime methods, pathways and platforms as well as cyber-security responses in relation to financial, personal and political cybercrime.

Gangs and youth violence are a ‘hot’ topic in the media and a major concern of government and police, and joint enterprise has emerged as a significant issue of justice. Drawing on a rich history of gang research and theory, you'll explore debates over how these social problems should be understood and addressed.

This module explores a green perspective on crime and criminal justice as well as the implications of crime and criminal behaviour involving the environment and non-human animals. You'll explore perspectives on green criminology as a sub-discipline of criminology and examine crimes against the environment, crimes against animals, corporate environmental harm and ecological justice and species justice.

This module explores and critiques the globalisation of crime and the extent to which a ‘globalised’ response to transnational crime exists. You'll discuss, evaluate, engage and critically analyse various topics including corruption (corporate and public), democracy, legitimacy, the drugs trade, arms trade, and smuggling and trafficking in humans and body parts.