Criminology with Cyber Crime and Security BSc (Hons)

• Reading and writing critically.
• Constructing and evaluating an argument.
• Note-taking techniques for reading and listening.
• Understanding plagiarism and academic integrity.
• Introduction to reflective practice.
• Preparing for, and delivering, powerpoint presentations.
• Referencing and citation.
• Summarising and paraphrasing written sources.
• Literature searching.
• Report writing.
• The culture and expectations of higher education.
• The assessment process including the role of assessment criteria and feedback.
• The nature of research journal publishing.

Whilst much of the content above is generic, students will be encouraged to situate skills within the context of the undergraduate discipline they are entering, which leads to some variation in emphasis for certain skills.

1.To raise awareness of the range of study skills required for successful higher education studies, including the process of academic writing, reading strategies, seminar skills, organisation of time and materials, planning for and meeting deadlines, understanding and responding to feedback.

2. To introduce students to concepts such as plagiarism, academic integrity and appropriate use of artificial intelligence tools.

3. To facilitate an effective transition into higher education by exploring, and providing guidance in, the key elements of successful undergraduate studentship including students' understanding of taking responsibility for their own learning.

4. To teach students how to undertake a literature, visual or data review for their discipline and be able to differentiate between a valid, reliable source and an unsubstantiated or irrelevant source.  

• Research and planning skills.
• Becoming familiar with topics that comprise their undergraduate degree subject.
• Developing a knowledge base for a discipline of study.
• Identifying areas of interest.
• Application and development of critical analytical skills.
• Development of self-directed study.
• Use of learning resources.

1. To develop students' skills in planning and writing an essay.

2. To familiarise students with the process of tutor supervision for a written piece of work.

3. To give students an opportunity to focus on a topic within their undergraduate degree subject.

4. To write a piece of work that allows the student to broaden and deepen knowledge on a topic of their choice.

5. To prepare and deliver an academic poster presentation outlining the student's research topic.

• Society, social structures and socialisation 
• Social scientific ideas, theories and ‘lenses’ on society 
• Social scientific research and basic research methods  
• Digitalisation of society, smartphone technology and social media platforms 
• Consumerism and consumer culture – definitions, impacts and debates 
• Inequalities related to gender, social class, ‘race’ and ethnicity, and LGBTQ+ communities 
• Social issues and problems related to knife crime, riots and uprisings, prostitution and sex work   
• Social justice, power and movements for social change

1. To examine contemporary society from some key perspectives of social science.

2. To introduce students to research in the social sciences.

3. To introduce students to contemporary themes and issues in the social sciences.

• Introduction to fundamental principles and basic structure of the English Legal System
• Sources of law
• Key legal personnel
• Concepts of criminal law and the Criminal Justice System
• Principles of the Tort of negligence and bringing an action in a civil court

1. To introduce students to the fundamental principles and basic structure of the English Legal System
2. To enable students to develop awareness of key principles, legal institutions and areas of law in the English Legal System
3. To gain an understanding of the role of legal personnel
4. To develop basic knowledge of areas of legal learning, namely criminal law and the law of negligence
5. To begin to develop key skills in the context of legal research, critical evaluation and legal problem solving

How do we define a crime? How do we understand what causes crime? How does criminal behaviour affect individuals and society as a whole and how does society respond to criminal behaviour?

This module introduces students to fundamental debates surrounding the questions above, and more. Indicative content includes: 

• The meaning and scope of criminology
• Defining and measuring crime
• The effects of crime
• Explanations for and causes of crime
• Responses to crime and the role and functions of the Criminal Justice System

This module has been designed with the specific aim of enabling students to understand criminology in a realistic and contextualised manner.  By the end of the module students will be able to answer key questions about what is meant by crime and will appreciate trends in criminal behaviour and who criminals are.   Students will have an overview of the criminological theories and the question of why people commit crime. Students will understand criminology to be a scientific form of study which cuts across the disciplines of sociology, psychology and law.  Students will be able to analyse social, philosophical and legal issues relating to crime, criminal justice and social policies.

• Cybersecurity terminology
• Cybersecurity tools and technical security solutions
• Programming from a cybersecurity perspective
• Introduction to Information and System Security
• Core threats to Information and System Security (technical, social engineering, organisational structures) 
• Introduction to Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) e.g. the CIA triad, risk management, security policies and standards
• Introduction to penetration testing
• Social engineering

1. To provide students with an understanding of the core concepts within cybersecurity.

2. To identify core threats and their impact.

3. To familiarise students with the basics of Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).

4. To present how hackers operate and cybersecurity tools. 

• Linear algebra: Vectors, Matrices (2D and 3D);
• Geometric and trigonometric problem solving;
• Logarithmic functions;
• Simple differential equations;
• Set theory;
• Simultaneous equations;

A good mathematical grounding is essential for all computing scientists. The mathematics in this syllabus provides the foundation for deeper analysis and understanding of computing subjects, and enhances the student’s ability to make sound judgements regarding the appropriate technology that they will use in the course of their career.  Wherever possible, mathematical theory is taught by considering a real example, to provide students with the context for the mathematical tools they will use.  Solutions are considered by both analytical and numerical techniques. Where basic principles are involved, some proofs will also be taught.

• Computer architecture
• State machines
• Basic computing mathematics - binary and hexadecimal number systems; simple uses of binary/hexadecimal; basic probability and random numbers
• Computer systems components, data representation, fetch-execute cycle, logic gates and Boolean algebra, how computer systems work, interrupts and Input/Output
• Levels and types of software, memory and secondary storage, operating systems (local and network), user interfaces, process management, memory management, file management
• Computer performance, modern computer systems and concepts
• Foundations of networking (Routing, IP Addressing, Network topologies, OSI model, TCP/IP)
• Network traffic, packets, headers, encapsulation
• Virtual Private Networks

To gain a knowledge and understanding of how various software and hardware components interact to produce working computer systems.

To gain an understanding of the fundamentals of networking

An introduction to the Cybersecurity realm:

• Foundations of computer systems, software, and networking, with respect to the Cybersecurity perspective
• Threats, resolutions, and auditing, relating to IT systems and governance
• Speaking Cyber - Core understanding of Cybersecurity terminologies
• Implementing secure systems. Illustrative of what may be covered include:
  • Design and development considerations
  • Selecting and applying core technologies
  • Cryptography
  • Human factors
  • Auditing (security audits, logging, digital investigation
    etc.)
  • Defense-in-depth
  • Pentesting
  • Access control

• To give a solid whole-picture foundation which can then be harnessed later in CO5606 and CO5607 where the modules build upon challenging concepts
• To empower the students with core understanding of the key terminologies in cybersecurity
• To provide students with the understanding of the common cybersecurity concepts and technical security controls available to prevent, detect and recover from security incidents

The content of this module fulfils two functions. First, to introduce students to the breadth of criminological scholarship, providing a pathway into the discipline by identifying and exploring key debates and ideas. These will include such issues as the nature of 'crime', its distribution and patterning, major conceptual paradigms, the effects of crime as well as a range of criminal justice challenges such as victimisation. 

In addition, the module also places an emphasis on developing academic and transferable skills, encouraging students to develop beyond the preceding sections of the education system by placing an emphasis on the requirements of independent learning and practical means of getting the most out of higher education. In so doing, it also encourages students to reflect upon how their developing academic skills might transfer over into purposeful and rewarding forms of employment. 

Foundations in Criminology and Criminal Justice is a core module on the level 4 programme in criminology. It is intended to give students a comprehensive introduction to the key issues and debates in criminology that they will develop in levels 5 and 6 of their degree. Students will consider how crime is constructed, perceived and responded to within society. They will explore the interrelationships between crime, social problems and their context. The module is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of subject knowledge and to develop a range of key skills, including research, scholarship and academic practices, thus enabling students to identify, summarise and comment upon a variety of subject matters in a criminological manner, and to organise and articulate ideas and arguments. This module also requires students to consider their own academic and professional skills, and how (and in what ways) this will/can be developed.

This module offers a critical excursion of theory, legislation, policy and practice in the domain of contemporary youth justice.

Broadly, this module introduces and develops learner’s thinking around themes of: 

• A historical mapping to determine the antecedents of contemporary youth justice approaches.
• A critical investigation into the social construction of ‘children’ and ‘youth’ and an interrogation of knowledge claims made about young people and crime (e.g. constructions and reconstructions of 'youth cultures' and crime, young people and ‘gangs’). 
• An analysis of theories and perspectives such as ‘developmental’ and ‘life course’ perspectives, ‘positivist’ approaches, ‘radical’ and ‘realist’ perspectives and ‘(sub)-cultural’ theory.
• An evaluation of young people within the criminal justice system as both offenders and victims of crime.
• A critical exploration of contemporary policy and legislation (e.g. Crime and Disorder Act 1998).
• An in-depth appreciation of youth justice work, the activities of criminal justice professionals and the wider children’s workforce.

Specifically, this module deals with:

• An introduction to criminological explanations of youth offending and victimisation
• Current legislation and policy climate
• Measuring youth offending
• Challenging the criminalisation of young people and critically reviewing alternative approaches and discourses of ‘youth crime’.
• Policing young people
• Prosecuting young people
  (Police, CPS, Courts, Panels)
• Custody and Young People
• Community Punishments and Young People
• Young People and Restorative Justice
• Intervention Projects and Programmes

This module provides students with a critical insight into criminal justice and societal responses to children and young people in conflict with the law. The subject of young people and deviance is one which frequently attracts substantial public, political and media attention and so this module aims to provide students with the key skills to develop an alternative assessment of the ‘youth crime problem’.

Students will engage with relevant theoretical and conceptual underpinnings in their assessment of approaches and responses to youth crime and offending as well as the policy and practice implications (e.g. welfare, justice, punitiveness, diversion, prevention).

Underlying the module is an exploration of the role of policing within liberal democratic society. It will critically analyse the developments in policing and the police and detail the complex policy environment, theories and research on police and policing. This analysis will continue and evaluate policing institutions and operations in the UK and elsewhere with reference to their legal, political, social and cultural implications.

The study of policing has become one of the most contested and debated areas of criminology This module evaluates the historical, comparative, and contemporary development and nature of policing within a broader understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political changes of the last half-century. It provides an assessment of historical and comparative perspectives; dissects and reflects upon the politics of the police, critically reviews areas of doing policing, and explores contemporary debates. 

Within the module, students explore the role of the police and contemporary policing in society and its impacts. This will be reviewed within the context of the emergence, development, and contemporary transformation of policing in regional, national and international settings. We will evaluate the aims, functions, models, and cultures of contemporary policing, the marketisation of policing services, police powers, and accountability. The relationship between law, governance/regulation, and social order will also be explored. Major developments in contemporary policing will be appraised and students will evaluate future prospects for policing modern society. 

This module is intended to provide level 4 students with an introduction to Forensic Psychology & Criminal Justice. In this module, you will gain further knowledge about how criminologists theorise crime, who commits crimes, and how. This module scrutinises how investigative methods have evolved and influence the detection and management of criminality alongside courtroom procedures and ethics. Forensic psychology brings a heavy psychological application to criminology as we consider topics such as the influence fear of crime has on the general populace, prisoner mental health, prison-based therapeutic communities as a form of rehabilitative treatment, and the trustworthiness of memory recall in eyewitness testimonies. 

This module critically engages learners in the study of forensic psychology and criminal justice through an in-depth appreciation of custodial and community sanctions. In doing so, the contemporary academic, political, legislative and policy contexts of criminal behaviour, forensic assessment, the psychology of law enforcement and the legal system, correctional psychology, victimology, and ethical treatment are investigated in this module. Each of these aspects are investigated through a critical academic lens that aims to scrutinise our understanding, investigation, and management of criminality.

• Malware analysis and investigation
• Low-level concepts of Operating Systems
• Understanding endpoints (smartphones, servers, PC/Mac/smartphones) and how they are configured
• Data collection and mitigation of surveillance

• To understand and use data collection tools
• To be able to capture data and audit computer systems
• To be able to process, analyse, and categorise logged entries to determine causes and effects
• To be able to perform live/dynamic analysis of programs and malware to understand its operation
• To understand the workings of encryption and its effect on digital forensics analysis and identification

• Software attack techniques, approaches, and methodologies
• Exposure to exploitation techniques, including for example, buffer overflow, stack overflow, heap attacks, and UAF (Use After Free), amongst others.
• Attack methods including system, host, network, and web-based attacks.
• Social engineering awareness and mitigation
• Network security and attacks
• Use of penetration testing tools
• Network tapping/sniffing and detection
• Wireless and mobile hacking
• Ethical issues in software exploitation and penetrations testing

• To understand basic assembly code of a given program
• To practice previously acquired skills in theory and apply them using software tools
• To plan and develop attacks on systems
• To understand the inner working of common technologies and demonstrate the flaws that exist
• To understand network attacks and security, and to be able to critique the security of a network

Part A:      

Preparation for Experiential Overseas Learning will take place at the university of Chester during level 5 and will include:  

• The multiple facets of Global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Theories and models Intercultural competence
• Theories and models of Integration and Multiculturalism

• Critical thinking skills and models of Reflection
• Experiential learning models
• Self-directed experiential learning

Personal and placement-related skills

• Enhanced independence
• Improved command of multicultural behaviour
• Increased knowledge and confidence in their individual facets of personal identity
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development
• Team building and team work

Part B:            Overseas

Students will engage in experiential learning activities overseas for at least 150 hours 

The purpose of this module is to enhance students’ prospects of completing an overseas placement to the best of their ability consequently it aims to:

• To equip participants with appropriate knowledge and skills to study or work in a different cultural, linguistic and/or social environment; enhancing ethical, cultural and intercultural awareness.
• To enhance students understanding of the ethical issues related to living and working abroad.
• To increase students Global Citizenship skills
• To provide an opportunity for students to reflect critically on their experience of living and learning within an unfamiliar culture, to their 'home' culture or ethnic group.

To challenge students to learn about themselves as global citizens in terms of life skills, career choices and academic development outside the classroom.

Preparation for the year abroad will take place in Chester during level 5 and will include:

• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Host-country orientation, study methods– economic, political and social reality of the country
• Orientation specific to exchange – health, education, gender issues
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Practical matters relating to living and studying in the wider world

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Critical thinking skills, experiential learning       and models of reflection

Personal and placement-related transversal skills

• Effective self-motivation and independent resourcefulness
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development

Whilst abroad:

Students will undertake study at one of UoC’s partner universities; it is expected that students will choose a series of modules at the university abroad, which equal a full-time study load. This must be agreed by the host institution and the International Tutor. Students must supply details of their courses/modules on a learning agreement within 4 weeks of arrival at the host university, note students who fail to supply this within 4 weeks may have the opportunity withdrawn.

1. To experience academic life in country outside of the EU, enhancing cultural and intercultural awareness and increasing transversal skills.
2. To reflect on the impact of the experience in their destination on one’s own personal, academic and professional development.
3. To engage with the experience of study at a partner university to gain extensive first-hand knowledge and understanding of the relevant society from the perspective of the resident.
4. To further develop independent learning techniques.
5. To foster critical evaluation.

• Foundations of research - ontology, epistemology, methodology
• Philosophy of the Social Sciences - Positivist, Interpretivist and Critical Philosophy.
• Methodology of the Social Sciences - Qualitative, Quantitative and Participatory Action methodologies.
• Ethics of the Social Sciences.
• Research Design in the Social Sciences - developing research questions; objectives, aims and hypotheses, literature review, sampling, correlation.
• Research Methods in the Social Sciences - archives, documents, surveys, observation, focus groups, interviews, ethnography, visual methods, evaluation research, PAR, dialogue.
• Analysis - statistics; contextual, content, narrative and discourse analysis; triangulation; implementation.
• Writing and dissemination of research.

This module is designed:

• To introduce students in the Social and Political Sciences to the foundations of social scientific enquiry.
• To enable such students to distinguish between, and to apply, a variety of ontological, epistemological and methodological approaches.
• To enable students to assess the strengths, weaknesses and 'fitness for purpose' of research methodologies and methods.
• To enable students to understand the significance of, and to choose between, the methods of the social sciences in a variety of contexts.
• To make students aware of the significance of ethical practice when planning and conducting research.
• To enable students to choose between different forms of research analysis.
• To enable students to critique research and to select different forms of research design.

• Classical & Positivist Criminology 
• Biological  Criminology 
• Chicago School and Environmental Theory 
• Anomie and Strain Theory 
• Subcultural Theory 
• Labelling Theory 
• Realist Perspectives 
• Gendered Criminology 
• Cultural Criminology
• Peace-making Criminology 
• Public Criminology 
• Zemiology and Social Harm 
• Contemporary Developments in Criminology

This core module is designed to develop discipline-specific abilities in the competent use of criminological theory and concepts to understand crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance.  It is intended to:

• Provide students with a comprehensive grounding in the varieties of criminological theory.
• Familiarise them with the different assumptions, explanations and proposed solutions embedded within these theories.
• Sensitise students to the importance of the social contexts in which theories are produced.

The module is also designed to develop students learning about 'crime' and 'criminal justice', in that they are not fixed and settled entities but complex and shifting processes whose different characteristics are revealed (and concealed) when viewed through the lenses of different theories. 

• Crime, harm, and victimisation
• Victimology, victims and zemiology (the study of social harms)
• Non-conventional forms of crime and harm including crimes and harms that go beyond traditional frameworks
• Crimes and harm committed by the powerful
• Regulatory frameworks, criminal justice, social justice and injustice
• Resistance and redress

• To explore non-conventional victims and victimisation.
• To examine harm and victimisation beyond traditional frameworks.
• To investigate crime and harm committed by the powerful.
• To introduce students to victimology and zemiology.
• To examine regulatory frameworks and to assess the extent to which they deliver criminal and/or social justice.
• To acknowledge and understand resistance and redress.

Pre-placement:

• Structured approaches to researching, selecting and securing a suitable work placement relevant to the student’s interests and career aspirations*.
• Writing an effective CV. Constructing a letter of application.*
• Interview skills.*

 *Note: Students are required to undertake these pre-placement tasks during term 1 level 5, as part of the placement acquisition process and will be supported by the Work Based Learning team and the Careers and Employability department.

 Induction Programme and Placement:

• The organisational context: research-informed analysis of the placement organisation’s aims, structure, culture.
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess. (Employability Skills: e.g. verbal and written communication, analytical / problem solving capabilities; self-management; team working behaviours; negotiation skills; influencing people; positive attitude, resilience, building rapport).
• Devising a strategy for integrating into the workplace and work based teams
• Completion of online assignment tasks covering sourcing and obtaining placement; health and safety procedures in general; general workplace integrity; placement requirements. 

During and post-placement: Learning effectively in and from the workplace:- 

• Devising and implementing strategies to improve own approach and performance
• Critical analysis/evaluation of approach to skill development and performance in the workplace;
• Influencing the Placement Provider’s appraisal;
• Devising an action plan to develop gaps in transferable skills based on the placement experiences;

This module aims to enhance students’ prospects of gaining graduate level employment through engagement with a University approved work placement**, which will enable them to:

• Develop their understanding of workplace practice and lifelong learning;
• Enhance their work readiness and employability prospects through development of transferable skills;
• Take responsibility for their own learning and acquisition of workplace employability skills;
• Articulate, in writing, their employability skills.

• Public/private key composition and usage
• Certificates – for code signing and identify management
• Block/stream ciphers
• Cryptographic algorithms
• History of and modern day cryptography
• Modern day tools for enterprise and personal use for protection of data and relevant confidential information
• Encryption attacks (e.g. Ransomware) and attacks against encryption (anti-encryption)

• To give an understanding and usage of symmetric/asymmetric encryption
• To explore basic cryptographic calculations
• To understand how cryptographic algorithms work
• To give an appreciation to system and data security using cryptography
• To explore case studies and advise on the right actions to take to ensure continued data protection
• To explore the history of cryptography and cryptographic attacks

• Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
• Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT)
• Human Intelligence (HUMINT)
• Cyber crime
• Cyber activism
• Cyber espionage
• Information Operations (INFO-OPS)
• Incident Response

• To discuss the various methods by which intelligence can be applied from various sources
• To understand and critically evaluate strategic and tactical intelligence
• Develop understanding of complex cyber-warfare techniques and mitigations
• Apply a variety of incident response techniques

Content will vary according to individual dissertation proposals

The Dissertation is designed to provide an opportunity for sustained and independent study in the final year of social science programmes. It intends to develop knowledge of, and critical insight into, a topic of the student's choice within the subject area under study. Students are enabled to undertake first-hand enquiry and encouraged to develop an analytical and reflective approach to the subject identified for study. The module aims to encourage the articulation of a critically informed perspective on the subject being studied. It also intends to enable the production of a coherent document of rigorous academic standards.

This module will enable students to critically analyse and evaluate theoretical and philosophical justifications of punishment together with political ideology that impact upon penal policy and practice. In addition, this module will locate this analysis in an appreciation of the consistencies, contradictions and conflicts that relate not only to theoretical discussion but to the less abstract level of policy formulation and actual penal practice. Considerations of class, gender and ethnicity constitute key aspects of the conceptual framework and the principles of ‘security, control and justice’ are critically examined in the operational context. A critical assessment of the ethos of incarceration will be a major theme of this module. 

The main themes of this module include – among others:  

• Philosophical and theoretical understandings of punishments, 
• Policy developments in penal practice, 
• The wider instrumental role of prison in the criminal justice process, 
• Determining contexts and punishments; gender, race, age, class, disability, 
• Comparative penologies and penal abolitionism.

This module aims to: 

Develop a student’s critical knowledge of penological research, through debate and exploration of punishment and its justifications in a wider societal context. Students will analyse the links between crime and its control, building a critical understanding of penal policy formation, implementation and practice. Critical knowledge of contemporary penal policy and practice using comparative contexts will be developed and allow students to locate major perspectives and paradigms in the sociology of punishment. With connections made between social theory, critical analysis, and political debates regarding the development of penological knowledge. Finally, the module content will enable students to approach the subject of punishments using skills that appreciate the structural contexts of gender, race, class, age, and disability, inclusive of their impact on community and custodial punishments.