BSc (Hons) Criminology with Integrated Foundation Year

Foundation in Knowledge and Skills

In this module, you will develop your basic knowledge and skills to support your academic development and improve your confidence in your academic writing and reading.

Foundations in Psychology 1: Being and Feeling

In this module you will explore ‘being’ and ‘feeling’ — two components that enable us to experience the inside and outside worlds. Understanding these primary aspects of human psychology will create the foundation of your learning.

Foundations in Psychology 2: Thinking and Developing

This module is designed to develop your personal study skills. You will undertake an independent study into an aspect of education under the guidance of the module co-ordinator. You will accommodate new principles and new knowledge through your own study. This will involve knowing the complex interactions between education and broader contexts. Through carrying out your personal study, students should learn how to analyse the complex situations concerning human learning and development.

Project

This module is an applied piece of work related to your chosen degree. It will require you to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the foundation year and will enhance your ability to work individually and as part of a team.

During the project, you will develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen future specialisation. You will be encouraged to demonstrate creativity in the design, planning and execution of a project.

Crime and Punishment

This module explores key issues and debates in criminology and gives you a solid foundation in these topics.

You will explore:

• The origins of crime
• Categorisation of crime
• Theories of crime
• Psychological frameworks of crime.

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
• World approaches to crime.

Crime, Diversity and Duty of Care

This module will explore the broad concepts that underpin human rights, diversity and duty of care.

You will focus on the development of social identities and the relationship between diversity, discrimination and oppression.

Your research will be based on the initial premise that British society is diverse and includes a wide variety of cultures and will explore racism to exemplify the impact of oppression on marginalised people.

Criminal Law I

This module introduces you to the different aspects of criminal law, which examines the theory underpinning criminal law and the elements of criminal liability, as well as providing an understanding of a range of criminal offences and the ability to analyse and evaluate related case law. You will also continue to develop legal reasoning, research and referencing skills.

Everyday Experience & Psychological Methods: Exploring Positive Psychology

The module explores the experience of positive psychology relating the need to understand one’s own motivation, aspirations, and goals to:

• Self-development
• Personality
• Need for achievement
• Self-efficacy
• Self-esteem.

You will explore psychological theories and empirical findings from investigations into needs, motivation, and self-concept.

Foundations of Research Methods

This module will introduce you to the statistical skills required to conduct research in criminology. You will learn to generate a research question and hypotheses as well as sources and types of error. You will examine additional parametric statistics including the application of t-test to compare experimental conditions.

Religion, Ethics and Violence

This module will introduce you to the historical study of religion and ethics and investigate the important contemporary question of the relationship between religion, ethics and violence.

Study & Research Skills for Social Scientists

This module is an opportunity to advance your personal, research and study skills and will support other content-led teaching. You will be assessed through a report and research participation.

Contemporary Security Studies

This module will give you a critical understanding of security studies that goes beyond the disciplinary boundaries of International Relations.

You will question the meaning of security, its referent objects and issues, and how security is supposed to be achieved. You will engage with various theoretical approaches to security, ranging from the realist tradition and game theory to peace studies and critical theory.

You will also explore contemporary security challenges, such as counterterrorism, migration and human security.

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.

Cybercrime and Security

In the age of technology and digitalisation, crime has become more diverse and often easy commit. This module introduces cybercrime and cybersecurity and will cover key emerging research on this contemporary topic.

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 create within the context of the criminal justice system.

Research Methods: Experimental Designs & Analysis

This module will develop your understanding of experimental designs and associated methods of analysis, and introduce you to research ethics.

Research Methods: Survey and Qualitative Designs and Analysis

The module aims to develop your understanding of survey and qualitative designs and associated methods of analysis.

Law of Evidence

This module will introduce the legal, procedural, and evidential rules relating to criminal evidence from arrest to court. You will study a fictional case study to examine the different types of evidence, the admissibility of evidence, the use of evidence in court, and its probative value. In addition, you will continue to develop legal reasoning, research and referencing skills.

Criminology in Professional Practice

This will introduce you to the practice in real life of criminology and give you an idea of where you could apply your skills.

You will explore jobs relating to criminology degrees, including:

• Community development worker
• Detective
• Police officer
• Prison officer
• Probation officer
• Social worker
• Youth worker.

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.

International Law

This module introduces you to international law: the body of law which governs the legal relations between or among states and nations.

You will study the theories, principles and processes of international law, including its sources, legal personality, jurisdiction and realms of responsibility.

In addition, you will also be introduced to debates about the regulation of international activities, including the use of force, dispute settlement processes, human rights, and the role of the UN.

Project Management and Presentation Skills

This project will support you to develop a wide range of skills from project management to the ability to present your research results in an accessible form. You will develop their scientific reasoning and reporting skills and produce a poster to present your research work.

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.

Mental Health Law

Mental health law is a growing area of law and has its own body of regulatory systems and this module introduces you to the historical developments of mental health law and the provisions for seclusion, restraint, and compulsory treatment of patients.

It will also consider the law and policy relating to offenders with a mental health diagnosis, as you continue to develop legal reasoning, research and referencing skills.