Teaching & Learning
Combine the study of contemporary psychology and criminological theories and research, as you develop a critical appreciation of these two interlinked fields. You will hone your research methodology and understand how psychology and criminology inform debates over a multitude of social issues. The tabs below detail what and how you will study in each year of your course. The balance of assessments and overall workload will be informed by your core modules and the option modules you choose to study; the information provided is an indication of what you can expect and may be subject to change. The option modules listed are also an indication of what will be available to you. Their availability is subject to demand and you will be advised which option modules you can choose at the beginning of each year of study.
What you'll learn
Develop your study and employability skills through a range of activities and tasks throughout the academic year such as lectures, group tutorials, and individual tutorials. You'll be introduced to academic skills including referencing, essay writing and using sources. This module will also explore key transferable skills such as workload management and developing independent learning skills.
Learn about the criminal justice process within England and Wales. You'll study the actors and institutions that make up this system, along with some underlying social theories.
Discover the role of the individual psychology in modern offending and victimhood. Consider how psychology has been applied to offender rehabilitation and crime reduction.
What you'll learn
Develop an integrated and multifaceted understanding of psychological approaches to studying more complex behaviours. You'll explore a range of extreme behaviours and crime types ranging from predatory crime, sexually motivated crime, and violent crime types to nuanced behavioural manifestations. You'll explore how complex behaviours are dealt with within aspects of the criminal justice system.
Prepare for independent research by exploring a range of research methods, along with key employability skills. You'll understand a range of research methods that you'll utilise in your independent research project in year three. This module will highlight methods' strengths and weaknesses alongside key employability skills that you'll develop as a researcher.
Option modules may include
Study the idea of intersectionality within criminology and criminal justice. You'll develop a critical understanding of the relationship of aspects of diversity such as social class, gender and ethnicity in relation to crime and victimisation. This module will also explore responses to these phenomena.
Understand how psychological knowledge and methods can be applied in the process of law. This module will explore the contributions psychology can make to advancing our understanding of diverse practices and processes within the criminal justice system and forensic realm.
What you'll learn
Understand how psychological principles are applied to the investigation of criminal behaviour, the detection of crime and offenders, and people's responses to legal processes.
If you choose the Dissertation module, you'll design and develop a research project in criminology. You'll plan and carry out investigations within your chosen area by collecting existing or generating new data. You'll then interpret and critically analyse empirical or conceptual data and evaluate the findings of the study. If you choose the Extended Essay, you'll explore a criminological topic in detail, focusing on the existing literature. You'll engage in extended research on a topic of your choosing. Through your extended essay you'll present your material to demonstrate research skills such as the use of bibliographical resources, the investigation, comparison, and synthesis of different kinds of evidence, and the critical review of primary and secondary sources.
Option modules may include
Gain an overview of overview of abnormal and clinical psychology, and the complicated links between mental disorders, personality disorders, and crime.
Explore criminological theory and research. This module will build on your existing knowledge of criminological theory. You'll develop an understanding of both new and developing areas of study in this field.
Gain theoretical and practical understanding of the nature of gender, crime and criminal justice in both domestic and international contexts.
Conduct a critical, sociological exploration of the prison - more specifically, the experience of imprisonment. You will deal with concepts such as time and liminality, renegotiations of identity and masculinities, coping, and negotiations of gender to unpack the implications of being in the prison environment on individual prisoners.
Explore the crimes that have shaped the 20th and 21st century, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Consider the experience of vulnerable people within all areas of the criminal justice system including the police, courts, probation and the prison service. You will engage in critical debates about the criminal justice process and explore how each stage can impact on vulnerable groups including people with mental health difficulties, young people, older people, mothers and people with drug and alcohol dependency.
Trace the historical, economic, and social contexts wherein race and ethnicity come to be associated with crime, victimisation, and disproportion in the criminal justice system. From individual racist violence to state crime, you'll examine race and ethnicity in relation to both visible and hidden victimisation. You'll also explore these factors as a source of fears of criminality and threat to social order.
Critically examine terrorism, policing and security from an interdisciplinary perspective. You will analyse how terrorism, policing and security have emerged as political and law enforcement priorities and analyse the impact this has had in the respective areas of human rights, civil liberties and the criminalisation of particular groups in society. You will be equipped with the ability to think independently and critically about terrorism, policing and security while at the same time challenging orthodox understandings of the subject matter.
Look into competing explanations for acts of violent and sexual offending in both domestic and institutional settings, touching on gender, ethnicity and age issues.
Explore the complexities of the sex industry, and related criminological issues and policy. This module will consider both the motivations of those who purchase sexual services and the diverse reasons why individuals are involved in the provision of sexual services. You'll identify the cultural factors which impact on this global industry and the nature and extent of crime and victimisation in indoor and outdoor sex work. This module will also address theoretical understandings of sex work/prostitution, their influences, and the way they impact on the way the industry is controlled. This will include law and policy in Britain and internationally. You'll also understand how these policies impact on sex workers and communities.
Enlighten and expand your criminological knowledge by learning how the artificial distinction between crimes depending on the status of the criminal has been deliberately constructed through the historical development of law and its application by the state institutions. You will understand the debate about the constitution and definition of what is crime, the socio-legal status of crimes and harms, legal, regulatory and enforcement bias, and questions of power in crime.
Engage with the development of criminal justice policies at a national and global level, drawing on sociological, social policy and socio-legal perspectives. You'll investigate the complex inter-relationships between theory, policy and practice in the field of criminal justice. You'll also be encouraged to evaluate different sources of knowledge about crime and criminal justice, and focus on the role of academic research in shaping and evaluating criminal justice policies.
Explore a range of competing explanations for gendered violence with a particular focus on domestic violence.
Study the historical and socially constructed nature of freedom, crime and criminality within the law. You'll look at examples of social movements that illuminate how the law itself is a field of contestation, including piracy, file sharing and poll tax rebellion.
Gain a critical understanding of the lived experiences of individuals who are seeking support to stop offending and recover from substance abuse. You'll explore the connections between theory, policy and practice, in order to support desistance and recovery, to reduce reoffending and improve resettlement.
Taught at HMP Full Sutton as part of the Learning Together Network initiative, you will explore the core elements of penology with a specific focus on the philosophy of punishment, the prison as a total institution and prison sociology. This module involves a selection process.
Look at the cultural and social relationship between tattoos and crime, including the symbolism of tattooing and criminal identity.
Engage with the practice of criminology in a real world context through a period of work-based learning. You'll gain practical experience of a professional work area related to your course.
Study the recent history of youth justice. You'll gain an understanding of the historical developments and origins of youth justice policy and practice, from within the UK and from an international perspective.