Course descriptionThis new degree focuses on the changing nature of crime and criminal justice in the twenty-first century, including society’s fear and fascination with media and popular cultural representations of crime and criminality, and the latest developments in crime control, policing, security and surveillance. The degree stresses the importance of theoretical analysis and research skills as well as the application of theory and research to current criminological issues and debates. These issues and debates are located in the context of wider discussions about the changing nature of contemporary society.
A particular strength of criminology at City is that you can combine your criminology studies with a range of sociology options that focus on the media and contemporary culture, post-modernism, risk society, gender, race and ethnicity, the metropolis, globalisation and human rights.
The couse provides an excellent foundation if you wish to pursue a wide variety of graduate-level careers in criminal justice, community safety, crime prevention, commercial security and the voluntary sector. It will also prepare you for further postgraduate study and research in criminology and criminal justice and related fields.
Modules: BSc Sociology and Criminology
Year 1
In the first year you are introduced to the different theoretical perspectives used to understand the problem of crime and societal reactions to it, and you take the following three core modules of 30 credits each, and select a fourth 30 credit module from a wide range of options.
Core modules:
* Introduction to Sociology
* Sociology Workshop
* Introduction to Criminology
Optional modules include:
* Criminal Law
* Introduction to Media Studies
* Theories of Global Politics
* Global Political Issues in the Late Twentieth Century
* International Organisations in Global Politics
Year 2
During the second year the degree begins to concentrate on media, crime and criminal justice, criminal justice institutions and crime control practices. In this year you take three core modules of 30 credits each, and a fourth 30 credit module from a range of options.
Core modules:
* Theories and Research Strategies in Contemporary Sociology
* Media, Crime and Criminal Justice
* Key Issues in Criminology
Optional modules include:
* Understanding Social Change
* New Media Challenges
* Media Culture and Society
* News and Society
* Culture, Community and Identity
* Political Sociology
Year 3
In the third year you take at least one Criminology module and select two options, which can include other criminology modules or selections from a wide range available in sociology or media studies, and undertake a supervised research project on a topic of your choice.
Modules include:
* Policing: Theory and Practice
* Victims, Crime and Society
* Youth, Crime and Society
* World Media Industry
* The Information Society
* Sociology of Race and Racism
* Migration, Refugees and Globalisation
* Gender and Society
* Sociology and Sexualities
* Globalisation, Social Difference and Human Rights
Duration of course
3 years
Teaching
Description of the teaching elements of the course including: laboratory work, tutorials, lectures, field trips. etc; and the format of work submitted, ie, essays, exercises, case-study analysis, etc.
Teaching is through a combination of lectures covering the main theories, concepts and ideas associated with each module and classes/workshops which follow on from the lectures, revisiting the more difficult topics, conducting problem solving and applications sessions and allowing greater opportunity for students to reflect on their understanding of the material through discussion. Some teaching takes places in computer laboratories so students can learn about the specialist software SPSS. Assessed work is in the form of essays and presentations.
Assessment
You will be assessed throughout the programme by coursework and by examinations. In the final year there is also an assessed research project. Your final degree classification will depend on results from coursework and examinations in your first, second and final years.