Course description
Course structure
Modules include Contemporary Criminology Theory, Contemporary Criminal Justice and Introduction to Quantitative Analysis or Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Qualitative Research.
You can specialise in your area of interest by taking the module Issues in Contemporary Criminology. Within the module, you may choose from a range of topics including violence, abuse and victimisation, crime prevention and reduction, drugs and society, policing, youth crime, terrorism, crimes of the state, and understanding race and crime.
Careers
Opportunities exist in the criminal justice system (including police, prison, probation and youth offending services). This programme is also ideal if you're interested in working (or already work) in social services and related voluntary agencies.
This programme has been developed in response to the need of statutory, voluntary and private organisations involved in developing crime reduction strategies. It creates and examines research-based evidence of which strategies work.
More information
Issues in Contemporary Criminology
This module critically addresses a range of key contemporary criminological considerations. The lecture series covers a diverse range of issues, to provide you with a broad understanding of ongoing debates within the discipline. You will also see how criminological theory informs a range of sub-disciplines such as youth and crime, masculinities and crime, race and crime, and organised crime.
Contemporary Criminological Theory
The module shares the concerns of contemporary sociological theory with modernity and post modernity, gender identity and cultural change, as key components in explaining the proliferation of criminality and deviance in contemporary society.
Contemporary Criminal Justice
The module will give you a substantive overview of the criminal justice field. It raises a range of key questions, issues and themes in contemporary society. You will look at a number of important areas within a conceptual framework that is underpinned by procedures, processes, power and politics.
Evaluation and Analysis
This module covers two broad areas of research methods. You will be introduced to different styles of research in the context of evaluation studies. You will consider the technical, ethical and political questions raised by planning an evaluation study. You will also be introduced to the basic approaches of analysing quantitative and qualitative data in social research.
Dissertation
You will plan and execute a piece of original research and write a 20,000-word dissertation on a criminological topic of your choice
This course is delivered by a combination of methods including lectures, seminars, tutorials, blackboard discussions and communication, and IT laboratory sessions. Assessment methods involve 4,000-word essays for Issues in Contemporary Criminology, Contemporary Criminological Theory and Contemporary Criminal Justice, and a portfolio and research proposal for Evaluation and Analysis.