BA (Hons) Sociology with Criminology

What is Going on? Making Sense of the 21st Century

This module invites you to engage in an investigation of contemporary global events by using current news stories as primary catalysts for academic inquiry.

Rather than viewing headlines in isolation, you will learn to deconstruct media narratives and breaking events through a diverse range of academic frameworks and multidisciplinary perspectives.

By bridging the gap between immediate current affairs and theoretical study, the curriculum explores how interconnected themes—such as neoliberalism, the climate emergency, and the rapid evolution of technology—manifest as live, unfolding issues in today’s social and political landscape.

You will develop the analytical agility to look beneath surface-level information and recognise the deeper ideological and economic shifts that drive 21st-century discourse.

The curriculum creates a space to make sense of the “now,” where unfolding phenomena, including modern “culture wars,” globalization, and changing class dynamics, are interrogated through various scholarly lenses.

By contextualising real-world incidents within competing academic perspectives, you will explore the highly contested nature of citizenship, power, and belonging.

This approach will equip you with the critical reasoning skills necessary to synthesise complex information and evaluate the most pressing, often chaotic issues of the modern age.

Ultimately, the module empowers you to transform your bewilderment at the daily news into a sophisticated, academic appreciation of the systemic forces shaping the world around you.

Truth, Post-Truth and Ignorance

This module investigates if and how one can know the truth in a society where social media shapes the perspective of many people.

Is truth something that can be measured? Is there reality beyond the material world? Or a reality beyond the world we experience?

The module begins by reflecting on contemporary culture’s questioning of knowledge in social media, film/TV and politics.

You will investigate the implicit epistemologies at work in these areas in order to understand how popular views of knowledge support particular ethical and political views.

This module aims to give you an understanding of key epistemologies with an emphasis on social epistemology and its ability to explain the world today. 

Structures and Systems of Inequality

The aim of this module is to provide you with an understanding of core sociological concepts, theories and debates around social divisions, identity and inequalities.

It will help you develop critical thinking through linking theoretical and empirical work and demonstrating how sociology can inform and address the existence of inequalities. 

Drawing on classic sociological theory, the module focuses on the relationships between social class, race, gender and inequality.

Beginning with a detailed analysis of the various definitions of social stratification and inequality, we will look at their impact, both on the life chances of individuals and the wider consequences for society as a whole.

The perspectives on inequality of foundational theorists in social structure, class, race and gender will be examined, and their relevance to contemporary society considered. Consequently, you will not only obtain an understanding of inequality, but also achieve an insight of the extent to which this inequality is constitutive of the structure of society itself.  

Social Interaction and The Self

This module introduces you to foundational sociological thinking regarding self, identity and society.

You will investigate the sociological construction of the individual. Shifting focus from abstract structures to the lived experience of everyday life, you will examine the “biographical” nature of our lives, analysing how personal identity is not an isolated phenomenon but a product of continuous social interaction and socialisation.

By exploring key perspectives on the “looking-glass self” and dramaturgical performances, the curriculum decodes the unwritten rules governing face-to-face encounters and the sophisticated ways in which individuals manage their identities across diverse social stages. 

Through a critical application of theory to substantive everyday contexts, you will develop the conceptual proficiency required to analyse how you have been shaped by, and in turn shape, the social worlds you inhabit.

This will equip you with the analytical tools to transform your understanding of the “ordinary” into a sophisticated critique of contemporary social reality. 

Intersectionality and Inequality

This module explores the complex relationship between personal identity and systemic inequality, providing a foundational understanding of sociological concepts through the analytical lens of intersectionality.

You will examine how social divisions such as sex, gender, race, and class are constructed and maintained, moving beyond biological determinism to explore the power of socialisation.

Using contemporary Britain as a primary case study, the curriculum investigates diversity in national and global contexts, tackling urgent issues including migration, Islamophobia, and various forms of resistance against patriarchy.

Ultimately, the module demonstrates how sociological theory can actively inform and address the existence of inequalities in modern society.  

Crime and Society

This module examines how society manages crime and criminals and introduces you to the wider judicial and prison systems. You will consider the role of the media, moral panics, emerging crimes, and world approaches to crime.

Analysing Social Problems

You will draw upon ethical principles to explore questions of ‘what is right and wrong?’ and ‘what should be done?’.

You will investigate how and why governments and other policymakers make decisions and, in doing so, gain deeper insights into how we, as individuals, view problems and make choices about the issues that affect our lives.

Human psychology will inform your discussions as you learn how people think and explore the common biases and mental shortcuts that can lead to prejudice and faulty decision making.

Being Human: Emotions and Behaviour in Social Life

What does it mean to be ‘human’? This question has puzzled humans throughout the centuries, and we often find answers in religion and philosophy as well as biology.

Recent advances in psychology, sociology and neuroscience have revealed the importance of emotions in shaping human behaviour, social attitudes and the social structures we experience every day.

Discussions in this module will aim to revolutionise how you see the world around you.

Criminal Law II

This module continues to develop your understanding of criminal law, including how to examine homicide and non-fatal offences, understanding a range of defences and developing your ability to analyse and evaluate related case and statutory law and proposed reforms.

Criminology Classics and Controversies

In this module, you will develop your critical knowledge of classic and contemporary criminological cases and your understanding of the role of criminology in understanding different forms of crime. You will have the opportunity to compare and contrast profiles of criminological cases.

Media and Society

In this module, you will consider key concepts in media theory, the representation and social groups (class, gender, race, age) and the changing forms of media in the digital age. In addition, you will explore the affects on and responses of audience within the media and popular culture sphere as you consider its power, agenda setting and influence.

Mental Health and Forensic Psychology

This module is an opportunity to explore a comprehensive range of key constructs, theories and research in mental health and forensic psychology.

You will examine the numerous ways that psychological research, methods and expertise are applied to the study of criminal behaviour and the issues that psychopathology creates within the context of the criminal justice system.

Researching Societies

The module introduces you to a range of sociological methodologies and research methods that will equip you to design a small-scale research project in an area of sociology in the following year.

You will participate in a series of activities involving research techniques, where you will need to reflect on your own experience.

The “qualitative versus quantitative” debate will be examined. Ethical issues in sociological research, innovative methods for research and how to research social media will be explored.

Sex, Sexualities and Society

Although sexuality is a relatively recent concept, issues concerned with sexuality have a long history in cultures across the world. In this module, you will explore how our contemporary views towards sexuality have evolved and the social forces that shape current debates, questions and arguments.

A Dangerous World? Risk, Anxiety and the Media

In this module you will explore how society constructs notions of risk, danger and dangerousness.

You will understand how the media functions in creating heightened anxieties in the population and how and why politicians respond to these anxieties.

You will critically analyse stories in the media and form your own judgements about phenomena presented as being a risk to society, exploring the social impact of themes as diverse as Covid-19, crime, mental health, Islamophobia and youth culture.

Aggression, Violence and Abuse: A Sociological Perspective

You will use a sociological perspective to investigate the causes and impact of aggression, violence and abuse. Drawing on historical sources, you will note how social attitudes evolve and discuss the influence of feminism and other social movements in framing current debates.

You will explore the life chances of victims of aggression, violence and abuse as well as themes as diverse as:

• Child sexual exploitation
• Domestic abuse
• Cyberbullying
• Harassment
• Hate crimes.

You will investigate implications of these topics for individuals, society and social change.

Independent Project

On this independent project, you will engage in in a longer-term analytical piece of research on a topic relevant to sociology and criminology.

You will conduct an in-depth investigation into an aspect of the course that particularly interests you.

You could undertake research that fits into a qualitative or a quantitative framework, complete a business-related project to consider the needs of students developing their own businesses, or choose a topic that prepares you for your future career.

Making A Difference: Preparation for Professional Careers

This module offers another opportunity to get involved in real social issues. You will develop your communication, problem-solving and other employability skills as you explore a topic of your choice.

Music, TV and Film in a Changing World

With a specific focus on the 21st century and the latter part of the 20th century, this module will take you on a journey through key social changes and movements as reflected and shaped by music, TV and film.

You will discuss a range of topics starting with the protest songs of the 1960s and explore how music has influenced and been shaped by key events and societal changes, and explore how film, TV and other media forms have highlighted society.

Sexual Offenders: Across the Life Course

This module will introduce you to the theoretical models that underpin sexually problematic behaviours perpetrated across the life course, while considering the typology of offenders in this cohort.

Young People and Crime

You will examine the factors that contribute to young people becoming involved in crime and consider crimes committed against them. You will explore the Youth Justice System in the UK and the interventions offered to young people to reduce their offending behaviour.