Module Identifier
CR10410
Module Title
READINGS IN CRIMINOLOGY
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Miss Katherine S Williams
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminars / Tutorials 10 hours of seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Oral presentation  50%
Semester Assessment 1 x 1000 word assessed essay required in week 9  50%
Supplementary Assessment By retaking the failed element 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Read confidently over all the major disciplines involved in Criminology.
2. Display an understanding of the major theories, concepts, values, debates, principles and approaches in the study of criminology and of how crime, deviance and victimisation are socially and legally constructed.
3. Identify key issues, policies, processes, institutions, actors and debates in deviance, crime, law and criminology.
4. Display a reflective approach to the discipline and a critical understanding of analytical methods.
5. Display and understanding of how social science research should be read and critically analysed.
6. Critically assess the way in which official and unofficial structures, methods and processes of criminal law, law enforcement and punishment systems operate in the control and prevention of deviance and crime in the areas studied.
7. Relate criminological theory to policy debates and to use these to analyse such policy and practice.
8. Identify the key dynamics, processes and problems facing contemporary criminology, law and the legal system.
9. Explain and analyse the interaction between criminological theory and policy decisions in the area of crime and punishment.
10. Evaluate data drawn from disparate disciplines.
11. Analyse the way in which the different disciplines interact within the study of criminology.

Brief description

Each week students will be asked to read a set text or collection of texts or to prepare for a discussion. The contact sessions will be used to enable students to develop their understanding of those texts. Students may be asked to work in groups.

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 seminars for 10 hours
Prepare for seminars for 50 hours (about 10
hours per seminar)
Prepare for the coursework assignment for 20 hours (this should
be spread over a number of weeks)
Prepare for oral assignment 20 hours


Aims

The study of criminology requires an ability to read and digest many different types of research material from a number of disciplines. This module aims to help students in their quest to achieve the requisite skills.

Content

The exact content alters from time to time but it covers issues such as the following:

Session Week Subject matter
First 2 APPR
Second 4 'Young people have never been as out of control as they are today.'
Third 6 'The recreational use of classified drugs should be legalised or at least decriminalised.'
Fourth 8 'Crime is an integral part of a healthy society.'
Fifth 10 'Women and men should be treated differently by the criminal justice system.'

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4