Sociology with Criminology 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.

• The 'global student' and the ‘global graduate’
• Introduction to theories of globalization
• Perspectives on economic, political and cultural globalization
• Globalized media, the internet & digital tech.
• Global economy & transnational corporations
• International organisations & social movements
• Migration, multiculturalism and interculturalism
• Introduction to decolonisation & education
• International security and security issues
• Introduction to international relations theory

1. To explore issues of global significance.

2. To develop and apply skills in critical thinking, research and communication and apply these to debates within the module's topics.

3. To deconstruct and reconstruct arguments by researching global issues.

4. To develop an awareness of global justice debates.

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.

• An introduction to creative and critical thinking concepts
• Considering credibility; belief and truth
• Identifying how language is used for persuasion
• Identifying how image is used for persuasion
• Recognising how media is used for manipulation
• An introduction to advertising and marketing techniques
• Representation and misrepresentation of data
• Applying critical thinking skills to contemporary media and technology

1. To introduce approaches to analytical and critical thinking.

2. To develop an understanding of critical thinking when applied to language, image, traditional and online media.

The following list is only indicative and will be annually updated according to changing requirements.

• What is theory
• Whose knowledge counts?
• What role did modernity and colonialism play in the development of sociology 
• Conflict theories
• Functionalism
• Bureaucracy, rationalisation and McDonaldisation
• Symbolic Interactionism
• Individualisation and Risk Society
• Theorising inequalities
• Postmodernity 

Rationale: The module is designed to provide an introduction to some of the key theoretical and methodological perspectives central to Sociology. The analysis of these perspectives will be related to contemporary times and events and explored to develop an understanding of the practical utility of “Sociological Imagination” to approach the study of society. The emphasis throughout will be on how “Sociological Imagination” provides a critical and analytical tool to interpret social phenomena and challenge dominant or conventional understanding of them.

Aims:

1. To provide a basic understanding of the perspectives which are central to contemporary sociology.

2.  To facilitate application of these perspectives to the study of the social structure of the contemporary world.

3. To make evident the role of modernity and colonialism in the development of sociology as a discipline and how this legacy is dealt with in sociology today.

The module provides students with a grounding in basic concepts in sociology and demonstrates the breadth of sociological investigation in contemporary society. These content-oriented elements are combined with the simultaneous development of the necessary practical and academic skills in order that students can themselves engage with the sociological understanding of the relationship between self and society.

Block 1 Introductory themes

• What is Social Science?
• What does social science do, and how does it do it?
• Social identities - individual and collective
• Social divisions - diversity and inequality

  Block 2 Thematic Applications of Social Science (illustrative content only)

• Education
• Work and Leisure
• Consumption
• Body, Health and Medicine
• Culture, Knowledge and Belief
• Impairment, normalcy and disability
• Cities and Communities
• Sociology and Sustainability debates
• Power and protest

  The following study skills sessions are embedded within the module, commencing at week 1

• Study skills audit
• Reading
• Information retrieval
• Note taking
• Essay planning
• Essay writing
• Referencing

The module is designed to give students a broad thematic introduction to key problems and issues in understanding contemporary society, whilst simultaneously building the study skills necessary for HE. Thus it provides a necessary basis for moving on to levels five and six. The content corresponds to the thematic and topical approaches within the subject benchmarking and introduces students to the potential breadth of the discipline, whilst providing an understanding of the particular qualities of the programme. Practical study skills sessions are embedded within the lecture series. The module provides a platform for all Social Science students to build upon and to understand the application of social scientific principles to particular cases, concepts and events, anticipating the development of more independent analysis, particularly in relation to third year dissertations.

Block 1: Origins and underpinning ideas

• Emergence of Industrial Society
• Political Discourse
• Welfare and Inequality
• Components of Welfare: Housing, Health, Education and Labour
• Liberal Solutions
• Public health, Private concerns
• Women, Children and Work
• Philanthropy
• The War Economy and Welfare
• The Beginnings of State Intervention

Block 2: Late 20th century

• Formation of the Welfare State 
• Welfare state and limitations of State provision
• Breakdown of consensus
• Privatisation and Free Market solutions
• The search for a 'third way'

[N.b. these themes are broadly indicative of module lecture content]

This module is a core module in the Sociology programme. It provides an historical background to the development of the welfare state, including its foundation and subsequent development under the market rationale. The module introduces a broad-based theoretical framework, which prepares students for more specialised study in subsequent years of the course.

• To locate the development of social policy within the context of major social, economic and political changes occurring during the nineteenth, twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. 
• To introduce the main traditions of sociological thought influencing the development of social policy during this period. 
• To develop a basic understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives drawn from sociology and politics. 
• To apply these theoretical perspectives in the critical analysis of historical welfare policy developments.
• To examine the changing role of the state in welfare policy and provision.

This module introduces students to the complex interrelationships between media, representation and society. As Stuart Hall argues, mediated forms of representation are not simply depictions of reality, they are constitutive of social meaning and reality. The module offers students:

• An introduction to academic theories and concepts of representation;
• An introduction to the relationship between media representation and power, and an understanding of the role that media representation plays in shaping social issues and inequalities;
• A consideration of how media shapes social identities, perceptions and realities in ways that go beyond simplistic models of media ‘effects’.

The module offers case studies of representations generated across a range of media sites, including television, film, literature, advertising, online news and magazines, YouTube, and social media. Students are given the opportunity to analyse the role of representation in relation to a range of contemporary social issues. The module also encourages students in the development of key study skills commensurate with Level 4, such as critical skills, independent research skills and academic writing skills. 

Indicative content

Part one of the module focuses on key academic works by media theorists such as Stuart Hall, Richard Dyer, bell hooks, Rosalind Gill, Andy Medhurst, Imogen Tyler, and Roger Silverstone. Indicative topics covered include:

• What is representation?
• Why does it matter?
• Audiences
• Othering
• Stereotypes and comedy
• Objectification and commodification
• Representing ‘reality’
• Self-representation.

The second half of the module explores in detail the role of media representation in shaping social issues, examining how media representation can be used to construct, heighten, or potentially resist forms of social inequality. Indicative topics may include:

• Welfare and poverty
• Body image
• Screen violence 
• Immigration
• Sex and relationships

The module aims to:

1. Introduce the complex interrelationships between media, representation and society;
2. Explain academic theories, concepts and contemporary debates related to media, representation and society;
3. Enable understanding and appropriate employment of specialist academic terminology;
4. Facilitate independent analysis of the role of representation in relation to a range of contemporary social issues.
5. Develop awareness of how specific representations are located within frameworks of power and social inequality.

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 engages students in socio-structural debates around the history and development of crime, harm and justice in the western world. It spans the last 2000 years, looking back to Roman Britain, through the 'Dark Ages' and the medieval period into the beginnings of western modernity, the age of European Empires and the development of liberal democracy and/or capitalism. 

In the process, students will explore the relationship between crime, justice and society through ideas like social contract theory, the changing form and nature of crime during the long run of western history, the obsolescence and emergence of crime forms, the connections between crime and social structure (politics, economy, culture), comparisons with other parts of the world, the concomitant development of judicial/penal systems and the parallel development of criminological scholarship.

The module is designed to aid level 4 students in developing their subject affiliation by focusing on the history and development of crime and justice. The approach taken by the module allows students to explore the connections between socio-historical structures and the sequential emergence and obsolescence of different forms of criminal offending and of judicial processes. These connections will encourage students to demonstrate an understanding of social, political and economic history, inducting them into the structural debates at the heart of their chosen discipline. 

In the process, students will practice skills vital to success throughout the long run of the programme by undertaking critical evaluation of diverse sources, engaging in historical debates about the nature and origins of crime and justice and exploring the influence of key historical figures.

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.

This module explores the significance of race in the making of the modern world. The module begins by covering the development of modern ideas and theories of race, reading these against the social changes associated with processes of nation-state formation, colonialism, industrialisation and the transition to capitalism. The second half of the module explores issues in the politics of race today. Perspectives from critical race theory, sociology, political theory, history, anthropology and political economy are drawn upon in order to interrogate and problematize transformations in racial thinking and racial politics in the modern world. Illustrative module content includes:

• Modernity, enlightenment, and race
• Whiteness
• Nations, nationalism, and race
• Theories of race and racism
• Intersections of race, class, and gender
• Human rights, citizenship, and race
• Borders and migration
• State racism and popular racism
• The post-racial
• Anti-racism and social movements

The aim of this module is to enable students to reflect critically on the role which race has played, and continues to play, in the shaping of the modern world. As such the module aims to:

• Introduce students to the critical study of race and racism
• Facilitate critical reflection on the relationship between the social changes associated with modernity and the development of modern ideas of race and racial practices
• Critically analyse contemporary transformations in the politics of race and racism
• Enable the development of research, writing and analytical skills commensurate with level 5 study

This module builds upon knowledge and understanding about sociological theory obtained to date. Key to the module is theoretically informed debate on contemporary social issues, applying theory to 'real life' situations. 

The approach to theory in this module is explicitly anti-canonical, which means it aims to encourage thinking theoretically and working with concepts/problems, rather than learning theologically about sociological thinkers, even if they are made a little more diverse than before. Theory here is understood as

1) a language for making sense of social reality that has some rules and procedures (but which are not fixed).

2) Theory is also a practice: it is about engaging with the concepts in the language of theory and applying them to 'real life' situations.

Indicative content includes:

Block One: theoretical and applied groundings

• What is Social Theory
• Ways of using theory
• Applied theories
• Critical theory

Block two: Theorising contemporary social issues

Themes explored may include topical issues such as:

• Mobilities
• Globalisation
• Status and social class
• Decolonisation

To provide an overview of debates within social theory and how they relate to wider social issues beyond the sociology classroom, in order to prepare students for a wide variety of roles after graduation.

To develop the students' capacity for critical thinking, to be able to articulate such thinking and to reflect critically on real world issues.

To enable students to understand how theory relates to research and to be able to apply and develop theories within their own research.

• 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.

This module is designed to enable students to identify and critically evaluate the nature of sociological knowledge and facilitates informed debate around what and why Sociologists do what they do. It builds upon knowledge and understanding about sociological theory obtained to date and further explores the concepts of epistemology and ontology.  Theoretically informed debate on key contemporary social issues will be facilitated. Illustrative content includes:

Block One: theoretical and philosophical groundings

• What is Social Theory
• Philosophical underpinnings
• Development of social theories
• Critical theory

Block two: Contemporary social issues

Themes explored may include:

• Mobilities
• Globalisation
• Health Inequalities

Advanced Social Theory will primarily explore the competing philosophical assumptions about society and the social world that underpin the different approaches to social scientific knowledge. The material throughout will allow the opportunity to reflect upon what we are doing as sociologists, and how that relates to the wider concerns we might have as citizens of the societies we study. The module will end by examining a selection of key contemporary sociological issues. 

• To investigate the scientific status of social science
• To provide an overview of major debates within social theory and how they relate to wider social issues and debates about the possibilities for a public sociology.
• To enable an understanding in detail of selected key sociological theories and an appreciation of the issues and tensions surrounding these theories
• To develop the students' capacity for critical thinking and to be able to articulate such thinking

This module explores the role that social scientists can play in communicating and raising awareness of key contemporary sociological, criminological and zemiological issues to the wider public. Students are encouraged to consider the role of social science beyond the university, and its potential to engage the public and contribute to social change.  

Attention is given to the role of power in how claim-makers can influence the framing of social issues as legitimate or illegitimate, and the differential levels of importance ascribed to issues pertaining to social and criminal (in)justice. This will be explored by considering narratives, debates and responses to key contemporary social issues. 

Within the module, students will also engage in discussion regarding the challenges associated with a move towards a more ‘public social science’ and will consider the arguments for making social science research more accessible to those outside of academia. They explore perspectives on social scientists’ social and political responsibilities to engage with, co-learn and educate wider communities. Students will critically consider their own roles and responsibilities as potentially informed advocates for progressive change on key social and political issues, on behalf of and in collaboration with marginalised groups. Through formative activities and summative assessments, they enhance their skills in communicating knowledge and alternative ideas to a range of audiences in an accessible way. 

The module is designed to develop students’ key skills as they assess contemporary and future aspects of sociology and criminology. The module will also help to develop students' critical thinking, as it will encourage them to consider complex and nuanced issues and debates, implications for social justice, and the potential for positive social change. Communication skills are also integral to the module, as students will be required to present academic ideas to different audiences.  

• To encourage understanding of ‘public social science’ and its potential value in engaging with wider audiences to inform public narratives and promote positive social change. 
• To help students develop a critical understanding of the role of power in determining how contemporary and emerging social issues and inequalities are framed and responded to within policy, media and public discourse. 
• To encourage an appreciation of the interdisciplinary relationship between sociological and criminological issues. 
• Explore the future of ‘public social science’ and the role that social science can have in engaging with wider audiences to inform and promote social justice narratives

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 focus upon representations of crime in diverse cultural forms. The module will advance student’s knowledge and capacity to analytically consider ‘the politics’ regarding crime production and reception across a multitude of platforms. Supplying students registered upon the module with the skills to critically contemplate criminal representations found embedded throughout practice and debate thematic issues uncovered with their peers 

The main themes of this module include – among others: 

• Crime and harm in the media, 
• Crime (non-)fiction, 
• Crime and social divisions, 
• Crime and digital/technology, 
• Representations of the criminal justice system, criminal events, offenders and victims.

The module aims to: 

Enable students to understand the significance of popular cultural representations of crime and criminal justice. By the end of this module, students should be able to deconstruct and critically analyse a wide range of criminal representations. Students will explore historical, geographical, social and political contexts of criminal representations. As well as develop the skills necessary to apply criminological and victimological theories and concepts to criminal representations.

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.