Sociology and Criminology BA Honours

This module provides a critical vocabulary for exploring and understanding the relationship between the self and society. It introduces classic and contemporary accounts of identity and critically explores sociological accounts of identity and its formation.

This module offers an introduction to core disciplinary skills and methods. Taking research on London as a focus, you will learn how to formulate sociological and criminological questions and how to identify research methods appropriate for answering them. The module also introduces the academic skills essential to degree-level learning: sourcing and retrieving information, referencing and academic writing, critical reading and analysis, and presentation skills. It assists in supporting your transition to higher education.

This module is an introduction to how classical sociological theory has explained social structures and divisions in society. The work of Marx, Durkheim and Weber is introduced to explain the transition from traditional to modern society. Drawing on key features of contemporary society the module also questions and critiques the classical theorists’ applicability to 21st century global society.

This module provides a broad introduction to criminology as an inter-disciplinary and critical subject area. The three key questions addressed will be: What is criminology? What is crime? And finally, what is knowledge? By the end of the module you'll be able to contrast traditional definitions of criminology, crime and knowledge with contemporary and critical approaches to defining these terms. The module will also provide level 4 students with a chance to develop study skills.

The module will focus on developing your understanding of key theoretical perspectives within criminology, including classicism, positivism and critical perspectives. You'll investigate how these perspectives have historically developed and continue to shape contemporary criminological thought and policy. By the end of the module, you'll be able to describe, identify and evaluate different theoretical perspectives from within criminology.

Criminal justice policies and practices are shaped by competing political and social values surrounding notions of justice and human rights. This module explores and debates the efficacy of some of the most contentious issues in criminal justice, including police stop and search, victims’ rights, child imprisonment, prisoner resettlement, human trafficking and the global ‘war on terror’.

How much do you actually know about London's criminal underworld? This module considers the complex, diverse and widespread nature of crime as an unremarkable everyday feature of modern urban life. The module focuses on London, in particular the East End of London, from the earliest times and goes on to explore the changing nature of London's criminal 'underworld' from modernity to late modernity. Notorious criminal families such as the Krays as well as other colourful underworld characters will be explored. Finally, the emergence of specialised law enforcement agencies to deal with this newly discovered threat will also be considered.

This module provides an introduction to gender and sexuality studies via feminist, queer and intersectional social thought. The first part of the module sets out the interconnections between sex, gender and sexuality, critiques of essentialism and ethnocentrism, and questions of privilege and inequality. The rest of the module explores a range of contemporary topics in gender, sexuality and LGBTQ studies including gender-based and sexual violence, masculinities, bodies and cultural representations.

This module offers a critical examination of major institutions of justice; roles played by Parliament in producing criminal law, to the roles played by the police, prosecution, probation and prison service in law enforcement and punishment; roles of courts in adjudicating, sentencing and rectifying miscarriages of justice. Particular attention is paid to the consequences of British membership of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights.

London Explored takes the city as a context to explore the urban sociology literature and to undertake a research project on London which culminates in an individual project proposal. You will choose a topic of interest and write an individual literature review, and then formulate a research question and develop a quantitative research project proposal which explores your research question.

Society’s fascination with the ‘criminal mind’ is apparent in popular television programs depicting fictionalised criminal psychologists ‘at work’. This module explores psychology’s contribution to understanding the nature and management of crime and provides a basic introduction to the ‘psychology of crime’, introducing key concepts/theories that have developed psychological understanding of crime.

This module provides an introduction to contemporary debates in the sociology of race. Each week is organised around a key concept, challenging ‘common sense’ ideas about racial difference, ethnicity and culture. Exploring the significance of race in the organisation of social and cultural life, this module assumes no prior knowledge of the topic, and provides an excellent foundation for the further study of race at levels 5 and 6. This module includes an external visit such as a walking tour of ‘black London’ led by a professional tour guide.

This module explores the development of social theorising in the 20th century, continuities and discontinuities in social theorising and how core concepts of classical theory have been reworked in response to changing times. Theories include the Frankfurt School, Marxism, feminism and postcolonial critiques. Module outcomes include becoming a critical and creative thinker, a literate and effective communicator, global in outlook and social awareness.

This module explores contemporary debates in radical criminological theory from the 1960s to date. By considering radical perspectives (including labelling, feminist, abolitionist and late modern theories) you will critically analyse contemporary criminological theories and apply theoretical argument to current issues concerning crime and its control.

In this module, students will develop their understanding of a range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. We pay particular attention to practical and ethical issues involved in designing and conducting research, and how to choose the most appropriate methodological approach to answer different types of research questions. The module adopts a critical approach to research methodology, focusing on how sociological and criminological research can help us understand and challenge power and inequality, and how we can develop collaborative and respectful relationships with research participants.

This module provides work-based learning (WBL), requiring you to prepare for employment through evaluating skills, producing a CV and LinkedIn profile, undertaking WBL activities and reflecting on the skills gained with reference to the wider structure of the labour market and graduate employment.

This module examines contemporary issues in education practice and policy. Through study of the sociology of education literature and of English education policy, you'll examine the inequalities of the English neoliberal school system, through the lenses of social class, gender, race, (dis)ability, sexuality and beyond. You'll also examine assessment and accountability (including school inspection), early years education, school discipline, mental health and wellbeing, and alternative and home education. We include a guest session with a secondary school teacher, in the context of a week looking at teachers' experiences.

Emotions are not just a private matter. This module explores the centrality of emotions to interpersonal and social life such as love, shame and anger. It examines theories which challenge our assumptions that emotions are solely psychological cognitive states. It will offer alternative models which make the case that emotions emerge out of the social relations in which you are experienced, and are thus tied to social inequalities of gender, class and race. The module includes a reflective assessment, in the form of an individual interactive ‘interview’, which addresses how the sociology of emotions can be used to transform professional practice for psychology, counselling and sociology.

Concerned with psychological aspects of the criminal justice process; aligned with investigative and criminological psychology: applying psychological theory to criminal investigation and understanding psychological problems associated with criminal behaviour; exploration and critical engagement with range of topics in forensic criminal psychology and approaches to criminal/offender profiling.

This module is designed to encourage you to critically reflect on the contribution of feminist theories to criminology; to understand the significance of gender in understanding crime, victimisation and criminal justice; and to analyse the role of the law, criminal justice and discourses about crime in the reproduction of gender relationships. It considers current social policy in this area and considers issues of gender in an international context.

International trends in crime and justice, and relationship to globalisation and its implications for the discipline of criminology; case studies of national and transnational crime and justice, including urban crime and policing in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the ‘cocaine trail’ from Latin to North America, to the perils faced by African migrants being smuggled across borders into ‘fortress Europe’

This module provides a critical examination of how race and racism shape criminal justice practices, policies and procedures; possible explanations from perspectives of theories of race and racism; criminological theory; sociological concepts; historical analyses; socio-legal accounts of criminal justice process; social policy work. External guest speakers help to inform students about current developments in areas of race, racism, criminal justice and anti-racist resistance. Assessments will develop key employability skills, in relation to written and verbal communication, presentation of information, managing workloads and planning and organising.

The module will consider the history of youth crime and justice with a key focus on the history of childhood and key debates concerning the age of criminal responsibility. Perceptions of young people and the ‘crime problem’ in late modern societies will be reflected on, where understandings of ‘youth’ as a social problem, the relationship between social exclusion and young people’s offending and experiences of victimisation will be examined. Additionally, the module will consider the structures and technologies of the youth justice system and the ways in which race, class and gender operate alongside understandings of youth crime and state responses to it, exposing inequalities persistent in this area.

The dissertation is about doing sociology and/or criminology. Students select a topic of their choice for in-depth research, which normally relates to their experience or something of interest in a module. Students showcase the knowledge and skills gained throughout their degree in setting their own question, operationalising key concepts in a coherent research framework, conducting, analysing and critically evaluating their research.

The module examines family diversity, family practices and intimate relationships, drawing on contemporary sociological work in family studies and in childhood studies. It uses cross-cultural perspectives to explore transformations in family structures, love and intimacy, parenting, childhood, and queer families, and it examines family policy and how this shapes and is shaped by the ways we live together.

This module introduces you to the theory, practice and scope of civil liberties and human rights in a global context. It enables you to examine human rights through different disciplinary lenses; as a system of law, as a social and political practice and as a claim made by spokespersons of certain groups. In adopting a transdiciplinary approach, the first part of the module problematises the linear narrative of continuous human rights progress and global redemption through human rights. The module instead sees human rights as unstable signifiers that are always translated, reconfigured and adopted in concrete ways in specific contexts. The second half of the module then looks at the relationship between human rights practices, reconfigurations and translations in different empirical contexts; global health, counter-terrorism, migration, surveillance and artificial intelligence.

In this module, you'll explore state and state-corporate crimes. Informed by critical criminological perspectives, the module interrogates issues such as the definition, causes, culpability and adequacy of responses to state and state-corporate crime. It explores these issues vis-a-vis a series of contemporary and global case studies.

The relationship between the media and crime is a topic of lively debate and research. This module provides a critical exploration of the field and offers students the opportunity to study media representations of crime, criminality and criminal justice across a range of media forms – from newspaper crime reports and television news to reality crime television, film, television drama, literature and video games and websites.

In this module, you'll consider ways in which psychological theories have developed understandings of criminal behaviour and explore the influential role of these theories in informing criminal justice policy, crime reduction/prevention initiatives and strategies. You'll evaluate psychology’s contribution to the study of crime, and consider the arguably contentious role that it plays in this field.

In this module, you'll examine increasing levels of punishment in contemporary global society, including the growing harshness of prison regimes and community-based punishments. You'll examine and critique the nature of penal punishment. The module considers current trends and forms of punishment in detail, focusing on the UK and elsewhere, with particular attention to the worldwide importance on the use of imprisonment.

Critically engaged with ongoing debates and designed to illuminate and validate your personal experiences, this module explores the cultural politics of race. From the issue of representation in the media and cultural industries to controversies about ‘cultural appropriation’ and ‘colourism’ to debates about racism and digital technology, this module considers the production and contestation of racial meanings in contemporary culture.