Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LC Crime and Society
School	School of Social Policy
Department	Soc Policy, Sociology & Crimin
Module Code	08 31461
Module Lead	Laura Kelly
Level	Certificate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Exclusions
Description	Exposure to crime in contemporary society can be an everyday occurrence. Societal change has provided a wealth of new opportunities alongside those that are better established, while coverage of such events gains greater momentum through social media. Yet questions still remain about the ways criminal engagement, victimisation and criminal justice treatment are unequally experienced. Students on this module will consider a variety of traditional and contemporary societal features, connecting them with crime and criminal justice systems in order to understand more about crime and society at a local, national and global level. The module will be divided into three key areas: Initially this module will start by examining how crime is experienced and represented, including different social stratifications such as gender, age, class and ethnicity. The capacity of the existing criminal justice apparatus to provide an effective response in these diverse contexts will also be critically examined. This module will then take a contemporary turn, focusing on crime and criminal justice in the context of recent societal developments such as internet crime, crime and the media, human trafficking, substance misuse, crimes of everyday life and austerity. Finally, this module will consolidate previous content by raising broader questions about need, risk, rights, (in)justice and inequality.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module, students should be able to: Define different ways in which crime and criminal justice systems connect with society at a local, national and global level Analyse recent manifestations of crime and representations of crime within contemporary society Describe how crime, victimisation and criminal justice remains unequally distributed in a contemporary societal context Apply broad philosophical underpinnings to crime and criminal justice in contemporary society
Assessment	31461-01 : Canvas Quiz : Coursework (25%) 31461-02 : Essay : Coursework (75%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	2500 word essay (75%) and Canvas quiz (25%) Reassessment by failed component
Other
Reading List