Module Identifier CR10220  
Module Title CRIMINOLOGY RESEARCH SKILLS  
Academic Year 2006/2007  
Co-ordinator Miss Katherine S Williams  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Professor Alan H Clarke, Dr Nathan J Gibbs  
Course delivery Lecture   30 Hours. 1 x 2 hour and 2 x 1 hour lectures per week  
  Seminars / Tutorials   6 hours - 3 x 2 hour seminars  
  Lecture    
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment 1 x 3000 word assessed essay required in week 11  100%
Supplementary Assessment 1 x 3000 word assessed essay  100%
Professional Exemptions Not required for professional exemption  

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Appreciate the value of empirical research to law and crime policy;
2. Critically appraise quantitative research studies;   
3. Critically appraise qualitative research studies;
4   Design a simple research study using quantitative and/or qualitative methods;
5. Understand the major methodological issues involved when undertaking cross-cultural studies;
6. Understand the benefits to be gained from interdisciplinary research and appreciate the potential pitfalls;
7. Appreciate the importance of linking or inter-relating qualitative and quantitative data;
8. Understand the relationship between criminological research and policy.
9.   Read and critically assess empirical research studies in criminology.
10. Recognise the limitations of empirical data and how they can be misused.

Brief description

The module will involve training in how to collect, interpret and use both quantitative and qualitative data in criminological research. The importance of interdisciplinary research, mixed-methods research designs and comparative studies will be emphasised.

PRIVATE STUDY
Students are expected to invest time in reading around the subject. As a rough guide, over the semester, we expect you to:
Attend lectures for   30 hours
Attend seminars for   6   hours
Prepare for seminars for   40 hours (about 13
hours per seminar)
Prepare for the coursework assignment for 40 hours (this should
be spread over a number of weeks)
Revise for the examination for   40 hours
Conduct additional private study for 44 (about 4.5 hours per
week)

Aims

The primary aim of this module is to provide students with a basic grounding in the fundamental principles of data collection and analysis. From a quantitative perspective they will be introduced to some basic techniques for handling statistical data. The emphasis will be on developing an intuitive understanding of statistical methods rather than the rigorous derivation of statistical techniques. As regards qualitative approaches, the core aim is to ensure that students gain an understanding of the principle methods and techniques for collecting and analysing qualitative data.

Content

An introduction to criminological research

Why undertake research? Who conducts criminological research? How does the knowledge produced from such research activity differ from the knowledge obtained from other sources? What is the relationship between criminological research and crime policy?

Theory and research

The role of theory in the research process: theory construction and theory testing. Topics covered include:

Methods and methodologies

Quantitative Approaches
Research methodology and design
Sampling
Surveying crime
Making sense of quantitative data
An introduction to descriptive statistics
Examining the relationship between variables
Hypothesis testing using inferential statistics

Qualitative Approaches

Theory and concepts
Data at the core.
Problems ¿ subjectivity, replication, generalization.
Criminal justice agency case-studies
Criminal justice policy-analysis papers
Participant observation
Interviews and surveys in qualitative research
Documentary analysis
Content analysis
Comparative research skills in criminology
Interdisciplinary research in criminology

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4