Programme And Module Handbook
 
Programme Specification


Date Specification Approved 06/06/2018
College College Social Sciences
School School of Social Policy
Department Soc Policy, Sociology & Crimin
Partner College and School
Collaborative Organisation and Form of Collaboration
Qualification and Programme Title B.A. Criminology Full-time
Programme Code 976C
Delivery Location Campus
Language of Study English
Length of Programme 3 Year(s)
Accreditations This programme has no outside accreditations
Aims of the Programme Criminology as a sub discipline, is the study of ‘crime’, its causes, as well as providing ways to understand social responses to crime A unique aspect of the programme will be the focus given to social harm to the study of crime. This will offer students the opportunity to think more broadly and critically beyond the confines of ‘crime’ that criminology traditionally offers. Therefore, students will be asked to interrogate the ‘old’ criminological questions from an alternative series of standpoints, serving to problematize the social construction of crime, to contextualise the causes of crime within their societal context and to re-evaluate criminal justice responses on the basis of the harms caused.

The programme is designed to develop the following knowledge and skills:
1. Key concepts and theories that explain the causes and societal responses to crime; 2. The development of the criminal justice institutions (police, prisons and courts) in the UK and a comparative context, as well as the inter-relationships between these systems, as mechanisms to respond to crimes and social harms;
3. Supranational policy and policing responses to crime and social harm;
4. How different social groups and individuals experience crimes and social harms, as well as the policies and regulatory responses that are purported to alleviate or ameliorate these issues;
5. The construction and representation of crimes and social harms, and of responses to these in policy making, mass/social media and public opinion;
6. The understanding and appropriate use of research strategies and methods in criminological research
Programme Outcomes
Students are expected to have Knowledge and Understanding of: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
The nature and appropriate use of research strategies and methods in criminological research
Key concepts and theories that explain the causes and societal responses to crime;
The applications of key concepts and theories to the study of a range of crimes and social harms;
The development of the criminal justice institutions (police, prisons and courts) in the UK and a comparative context, as well as the inter-relationships between these systems, as mechanisms to respond to crimes and social harms;
Supranational policy and policing responses to crime and social harm;
How different social groups and individuals experience crimes and social harms, as well as the policies and regulatory responses that are purported to alleviate or ameliorate these issues;
The construction and representation of crimes and social harms, and of responses to these in policy making, mass/social media and public opinion
Lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, presentations, student-led discussion groups, group project work
Essays at all stages, unseen examinations at all stages, reviews and reports at all stages, individual and group projects, literature review at stages 2 and 3.
Students are expected to have attained the following Skills and other Attributes: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
The ability to work individually and in groups
The ability to work flexibly and creatively, demonstrating independence and reflexivity
The ability to source, summarise, and critically engage with the existing theoretical and empirical material on a subject and deploy this, where appropriate, in constructing arguments
The ability to formulate research questions, select appropriate research tools, recognise ethical issues and collect and interpret data
The ability to work to a given length, format, brief and deadline, properly referencing sources and ideas and making use, as appropriate, of a problem solving approach
Presentation skills and audience awareness
Team based working
Writing skills, essays, reports, briefing papers; oral communication skills
Skills of critical analysis, logic and argument
Working with data
Reflecting on their own learning
Integrate and synthesise knowledge from a range of disciplines and apply it to particular social problems and social harms
Essays at all stages, project work at all stages, oral presentation on project reports at stages 2 and 3, examinations
Essays, unseen examinations, reports, individual presentations, group presentations, literature reviews, research outline, research project, dissertation, learning diaries, self-evaluation reports.