Skip to main content

SOC1035 - Introduction to Criminology

  • Offered for Year: 2027/28
  • Module Leader(s): TBC
  • Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0

Aims

This module aims to equip students with a thorough foundational yet critical understanding of 'crime', victimisation, policing and punishment. It aims to engage students with foundational studies in Criminology, and support their understanding of Criminology as both a distinct discipline and an interdisciplinary endeavour.

A further aim is to enable students to think critically about Criminology as a discipline with particular (and problematic) historical roots. We will cover a range of perspectives in Criminology about the nature of 'crime', including explanations for criminality that emerge from those perspectives, for eg. the 'biological', 'psychological' and 'social'. Students will also start to engage with Criminology's many subdisciplines, such as Cultural, Feminist and Green Criminology. Another aim is for students to gain confidence in exploring different types of data on crime, victimisation and punishment, and understand how such data is produced at different scales (local, national international). Finally, students will also be given the opportunity to explore contemporary crime topics of interest to them and of relevance to this module's Learning Outcomes. This means that the final weeks of this module are focused on contemporary crime issues. Ultimately, the aim of the module is to start students on the journey of developing their 'criminological imagination' over the course of their studies.

Outline Of Syllabus

  • Welcome to the Module
  • The 'Criminological Imagination'
  • Crime and Classicism
  • The 'Birth' of Criminology?
  • Explaining Crime (may include): Biological approaches; Psychological approaches; 'Social' (but not sociological) approaches
  • Cultural Criminology (interdisciplinary links)
  • Critical Criminology / Crime and the Economy
  • Green Criminology / Crime and the Environment
  • Feminist Criminology
  • What is Victimology? (interdisciplinary links)
  • Policing Studies and Penology (interdisciplinary links)
  • Contemporary Crime Topics

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities Lecture 10 2:00 20:00 PIP Timetabled Lectures
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities Small group teaching 4 2:00 8:00 PIP timetabled seminars
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities Workshops 2 2:00 4:00 PIP Timetabled workshops to support assessment
Guided Independent Study Independent study 4 1:00 4:00 Listening to podcasts to discuss in class (not timetabled)
Guided Independent Study Assessment preparation and completion 1 34:00 34:00 N/A
Guided Independent Study Independent study 1 130:00 130:00 N/A
Total 200:00  
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures introduce students to key concepts and frameworks covered in the module in order to help them understand the set and recommended readings.

Seminars and workshops will encourage students to explore their developing understanding of the discipline of Criminology, and to discuss how this understanding might be applied to analyses of specific cases and examples. During the seminars the students have the space to gain key insights into Criminology as a discipline, by reflecting on and discussing ideas and approaches (within literature and other knowledge sources) amongst their peers, as well as an opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings with the seminar leader. Seminars will enable students to develop their critical listening, argumentation and presentation skills via discussion facilitated in small groups. Students will listen to four hours of a choice of podcasts on crime topics that they will then reflect on in class through peer engagement.

The guided independent study will involve each student reading and reflecting for the forthcoming seminars, developing their own skills and preparing for the assessment.

Two Assessment Support Workshops will give students time to discuss and prepare for their essay and case study submission.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Case study 1 1 M 50 Summative assessment 1500 word case study
Essay 1 1 A 50 Summative assessment 1500 word essay
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The essay is particularly connected to the learning outcomes associated with developing knowledge about theoretical perspectives and key concepts/concerns in Criminology and the study of crime. In terms of skills, students will develop their critical thinking, exploring a topic in depth by requiring they draw from and organise academic sources to support an argument. The essay will also help enhance students' writing and analytical skills.

The case study will further enhance student's critical writing and analytical skills by enabling them to apply a 'criminological' lens to an historical or contemporary 'crime issue'. Students will be given the opportunity to explore this issue in more depth. Alongside set readings relevant to case studies, students will be encouraged to critically engage with a range of material such crime media and crime statistics.

Timetable