Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce students to theoretical ideas and empirical material that will further their understanding of crime, deviance, transgression, punishment regimes, and formal and informal means of social control in neoliberal societies, with a focus on power, social change, and inequalities.

It will offer a deeper understanding of core issues within Sociology, which will inform students' second and third year modules, including their dissertations.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus includes four to five core sections covering social theories, sociological and criminological approaches to crime, and relevant examples (including classic and contemporary studies of crime topics):

Punishment, power and social change;
Cultures and representations;
Geographies;
Contemporary crime and crime control debates.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Provide students with an introduction to a range of conceptual tools within the social sciences (Realist approaches, Social Constructionist approaches, etc.), the means to critique them, and the ability to apply them to better understand social change and contemporary social issues.

Intended Skill Outcomes

The skills outcomes of the module are as follows:
•       To identify different sources of evidence and to rank them by their relevant scholarly authority
•       To have developed improved reading, writing, note-taking and critical thinking skills
•       To identify the benefit of essay plans and to be able to prepare a range of styles of essay plans, identifying, which format is best for them
•       To improve their presentation skills, including verbal or written skills
•       To develop their evaluation skills
•       To develop their listening skills and the ability to constructively critique the work of others

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The 2 hour in person lecture at the start and end of the module will give students a detailed introduction and then summary of key concepts and theories in the Sociology of Crime.

In the 8 whole-group workshops (3 hours long) the emphasis will be on pair/small group discussions and interactive exercises between students and students/lecturer, within the larger group. The workshops will be a mixture of 'traditional' lectures, and these exercises.

The 4 hours of Assessment Support Workshops gives students an opportunity to receive peer/lecturer feedback on their essay ideas and plans.

The second lecture (2 hours) looks at 'the pains of imprisonment' and acts as a bridge between social theory (history of the prison estate) and contemporary crime and crime control debates (drugs in prisons).

Students listen to at least 4 of 12 available podcasts on crime topics, and in Workshops they will discuss the podcast of their choice. This will further their understandings of contemporary issues in the Sociology of Crime, as well as debates about how sociological research on crime and punishment is undertaken and the challenges it poses.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first assessment will be focused on understanding the background theories, concepts and approaches within the Sociology of Crime. It consists of a standard essay with references chosen from a list of questions (1500 words).

The second assessment (2500 words) will task students with exploring the implications of social control for certain populations, drawing on material from the whole module.

The students thus have the opportunity to write a first short essay on Sociology of Crime core concepts and then a longer, more detailed second essay, capturing issues from across the entirety of the module rather than on specific weeks.

General Notes

N/A