ÉëÒ÷Ö®Íõ

Introduction to Studying Criminology helps you develop the skills and confidence to begin your university studies. You will explore topics such as how crime and justice are represented in the media and everyday life, while learning to connect these debates with criminological ideas and evidence. Through practical activities and discussion, you will develop your academic reading, writing and critical thinking, including how to evaluate sources and use AI responsibly. The module provides a foundation for becoming an independent, curious and reflective criminology student.

This module introduces you to the principles of social research. You will recognise and apply critical thinking, explore the concept of ethics in research, and reflect on biases and positionality. You will explore philosophical questions and how different world views shape our understanding of crime, harm and justice.

This module explores a range of contemporary crime types, case studies, and responses to criminality. By the end the module your opinions and perceptions of crime will have been challenged, and you will be able to describe the characteristics of contemporary crime types, and identify the links between crime, politics and society. If you're curious about white collar crime, intrigued by international organised crime, or angry about violence against young people, women and girls, this module is for you as it encourages discussion and debate.

You will explore the concept of justice and what it means in the context of criminology. Through examining the institutions of criminal and social justice such as police, prisons, probation, courts and the community sector, you will explore pathways through justice and how it may or may not be achieved. This module encourages critical reflection on the complexities, inequalities, and challenges that shape contemporary understandings of justice. You will critically assess whether contemporary justice systems can deliver fair and equitable outcomes.

This module builds on ‘Contemporary Issues in Criminology’ and explores core criminological theories in relation to crime, harm and victimisation. From the classical to the contemporary, these criminological theories are positioned within wider debates and applied to complex problems in crime, harm and justice. You will develop your ‘criminological imagination’ as this module prepares you for the module ‘Emerging Issues in Criminology’.

This module builds on ‘Journeys Through Justice’ and explores the Institutions, practices & interactions of justice. You will explore the debates on the nature of imprisonment, punishment, rehabilitation and desistance. This module will consider debates on race, power, gender, criminalisation, youth justice as they apply to communities of justice.

Choose two from:

Domestic Violence and Abuse:

This module considers the changing social, political and legal recognition of domestic violence and abuse and its impact. Students are encouraged to examine the varying context, nature, signs, triggers and impact of domestic violence and abuse.

Children and the Criminal Justice System:

This module presents academic research, government policy, and practical knowledge to enable students to explore and discuss contemporary issues for children and the criminal justice system, across community and custody contexts. Running through the module, including the assessment, is a strong focus on uncovering what we need to know about children and the criminal justice system such as their interactions with policing, prosecution, courts, prisons, youth justice services and wider society. The journey fosters a greater understanding of connections between theory, policy and how youth justice functions in practice, as well as evident tensions.

Animals and Criminology:

This module covers the different ways in which animals are victims of harm and draws from research from subjects including criminology, sociology, law, and philosophy. Students will be introduced to a broad range of topic areas such as animal abuse, wildlife trafficking, conservation, and animal advocacy.

Genocides and mass atrocities: 

This module explores a range of genocides and mass atrocities. You will examine issues around defining genocide, explore theoretical explanations of genocides and mass atrocities, and assess approaches to prevention, intervention and justice.

Restorative Justice in Practice:

This module is relevant to students interested in working with offenders and/or victims in a community justice setting. You will explore the various origins and applications of Restorative Justice and the critical theoretical analysis which has followed.

Alcohol and Other Drugs, Crime and Society:

This module explores alcohol and other drugs, their historical role in society and links to crime. You will develop a critical understanding of how UK and international drug policy shapes societal perceptions. You will examine how drug policy also connects with local patterns of drug use, risks and harms, and the international trade in both legal and illegal drugs, affecting diverse groups. In addition, this module critically examines treatment modalities and their effectiveness in reducing harm, considering how these are shaped by policy and evidence.

This module builds on your knowledge from ‘Principles of Social Research’ and develops your research skills leading into the third year. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of how to research crime and society through exploring key research methodologies.

Building on what you have learnt, this module supports you to design your final year research project. You will be challenged to identify a research area you feel passionate about and craft an academically robust research proposal. The teaching team will help you to explore advanced ethical, theoretical and philosophical fields of debate in relation to your chosen topic, supporting you to become an expert in your field of speciality.

In this module, you will explore advanced theoretical and philosophical perspectives on crime in a global context. You will develop a critical understanding of current global justice issues including transnational crimes such as human trafficking and arms trafficking. You will also develop your knowledge and understanding of international justice organisations and prevention/response mechanisms.

This module aims to promote a culture of curious and continuous enquires as part of a lifelong learning mindset. You will explore immediate issues that emerge within society such as crime in space, environmental crime and technological change and examine these using knowledge and understanding from their undergraduate degree programme.

This module is designed to enable you to complete an independent project. You will integrate your  knowledge and skills from across the degree programme to complete a final project. This project will be in the form of one of the following:

• An extended essay
• An empirical based research project
• A social activism project based on your project proposal from module Planning Social research.