Examine the nature of society and criminal behaviour following an initial foundation year
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Overview
Explore how society works and its relationship to crime after an initial foundation year
Our BA (Hons) Sociology with Criminology with Integrated Foundation Year course is for you if you have not met the course entry requirements or feel like you may need a little more preparation to make the most of your university studies. On the course, you will apply the critical tools of sociology to the criminal justice system and explore the role it plays within society.
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Learning resources
Mental health and wellbeing
Build your academic skills with an initial foundation year
This four-year course includes an integrated, introductory foundation year that develops your academic skills and confidence, and provides you with an overview of core aspects of sociology and criminology that you will build upon in your further years of study.
Explore the complex nature of human society
This course helps you make sense of what is happening in this period of incredible, fast-moving change, as you consider what aspects have been positive and exciting and what areas have created conflict, confusion and challenge.
Apply sociological principles to the study of crime
Throughout your degree, you will consider how sociological issues such as race, gender, poverty, inequality and culture, affect our attitudes and responses to the core criminology topics of crime, punishment and the law.
Focus on contemporary issues through a global lens
Throughout the course, you will develop skills in cultural competence, research, critical and analytical thinking as you gain a deeper understanding of a range of social issues within both British and international contexts.
Consider a wide variety of issues that include:
- Social justice
- Poverty
- Discrimination
- Migration
- Developmental psychology
- Celebrity culture
- Consequences of the climate crisis.
Develop your own critical thinking skills
This course will not tell you what to think, but rather provide you with the knowledge and skills you will need to critically consider the world around you, as you follow your own passion within the subject and undertake your own independent research.
Gain the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference
You will develop key skills in research techniques, critical thinking and analysis that you could use in a wide range of potential future careers, especially in fields that make a difference to communities.
Learn from expert staff who really get to know you
Our small, interactive seminars mean you are seen as an individual and not just another face in the crowd, as our team of experienced experts get to know you and how best to support your academic and personal development.
On this course you will:
- Build your academic skills on an initial foundation year.
- Explore how the world works, why it works, and its relationship with crime and punishment.
- Consider a wide range of thought-provoking topics in both national and international contexts.
- Develop your own critical thinking, research and analysis skills that you can apply to a range of future careers.
- Learn in smaller classes that allow our expert teaching staff to really get to know you and your needs.
The Course
Apply a wide range of sociological principles to the study of crime
Integrated Foundation Year (Year One)
The initial foundation year develops the academic skills you will need to excel at degree level, and provides you with a broad overview of key aspects of sociology.
Year Two
Your second year acts a strong foundation of core sociology and criminology principles, on which you will build further throughout your degree as you gain grounding on social identities and elements of criminal law.
Year Three
Your third year provides you with the opportunity to begin to specialise in topics that interest you, as you explore contemporary views on topics such as sexuality, health and wellbeing, crime and the media.
Year Four
In your final year, you will work towards a final dissertation project that acts as the culmination of your learning throughout your degree.
Alongside this, you will examine the role of the media in the rise of anxiety in younger generations, how media reflects the world around us and the sociological principles behind aggression and violence.
Indicative modules
You will study a selection of core and optional modules in each year. Each module is worth a number of credits and is delivered differently, depending on its content and focus of study.
Modules
Select a year
Communication Skills
This module aims to develop the intellectual and practical skills that will be of value in a variety of situations and will include the development of self-awareness, problem solving, reflection and reflexive skills.
You will prepare to communicate effectively with a range of people in a complex and diverse society, enabling you to identify existing skills and knowledge, and to take responsibility for developing and using these skills in a competent way.
The module will introduce you to the ethical issues and professional codes of practice in relation to intervening in the lives of others.
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.
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.
Valuing Individual Differences
This module develops your knowledge of atypical development in children and young people.
You will focus on the medical, genetic and environmental influences on children’s development, and evaluate theories of child development to gain a deeper understanding of how individual differences can affect learning.
In doing so, it will develop your thinking on the current discourses about defining special educational needs and disability.
From Bognor to Bogota and Beyond: An Introduction to the UN and SDGs
You will be encouraged to look beyond your immediate surroundings to the wider world.
You’ll find out how global issues such as those outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals have an impact on people across the world as well as on your own life.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and its role in educational provision will also be considered.
Arts in Education and Society
You will engage with a range of discourses surrounding arts and society within the processes of teaching and learning.
A range of disciplinary subjects including performing arts, drama, theatre, music and visual arts will be explored.
In addition, key concepts such as creativity, design, performance and aesthetics will be considered from philosophical, pedagogical and social perspectives.
Ageing and the Life Course
What is ‘childhood’? How would you define ‘old age’? This module explores how childhood and old age are ‘socially constructed’.
You will explore the historical view of children as merely ‘mini adults’, the invention of the ‘teenager’, and the contemporary view of old age being defined as roughly 20 years older than the person defining it.
You will discuss how government policy has attempted to keep pace with changing social attitudes and ask questions about what kind of society we should grow up in.
Crime and Punishment
This module explores key issues and debates in criminology and gives you a solid foundation in these topics.
- The origins of crime
- Categorisation of crime
- Theories of crime
- Psychological frameworks of crime.
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.
Social Identities and Inequalities
Does family mean a place of safety, nurture and stability, or a site of oppression, conflict and turmoil? You will explore opposing views and perspectives of what it means to be a ‘family’, using sociological theory and contemporary research to develop your understanding of family and social change.
Why Sociology Matters
In this module, you will:
- Explore key sociological principles and theories
- Discuss the role of sociology in understanding the world we live in
- Develop the knowledge and skills you need to ‘think sociologically’.
In addition, you will discover why sociology provides fascinating insights into so many aspects of our social world and develop your ability to provide supporting evidence for your views and opinions.
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.
Teaching and Assessment
Feel the support of our experienced and expert staff
Smaller class sizes for better learning
You will build your subject knowledge and practical experience through lectures, workshops and tutorials in small classes, which means our expert teaching staff really get to know you and what support you need.
Assessments
You will be assessed through a range of assignments including:
- Essays
- Group and individual presentations
- Academic posters
- Vlogs
- Book reviews.
Experience
Discover our historic campuses and close student community
Close community
Our commitment to a friendly and close-knit student community contributes to a high degree of success for our graduates.
Learning Resource Centre
The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) contains the library, a café, IT/teaching rooms and the Support and Information Zone (SIZ).
Library
Our campus library holds more than 200,000 books and over 500,000 eBooks.
Subject specific librarians
If you have difficulty finding material for an essay, seminar or project, subject librarians will be happy to provide assistance.
Study Abroad
Explore the opportunity to study part of your course abroad
As a student at the University of Chichester, you can explore opportunities to study abroad during your studies to enrich your educational experiences.
It’s a chance to broaden your horizons, a great opportunity to meet new people, undertake further travelling and to immerse yourself within a new culture.
You will be fully supported throughout the process to help find the right destination and institution for you and your course. We can take you through everything that you will need to consider, from visas to financial support, to ensure you get the best out of your time studying abroad.
Careers
Where you could go after your studies
Our BA (Hons) Sociology with Criminology with Integrated Foundation Year degree prepares you for a range of careers across the industry. You could work in welfare careers like social work or the probation service, or in areas such as the prison service, police or the Home Office.
You could work in criminal justice, the legal system or HM Revenue and Customs. Other areas include counselling, education and working for local government.
Potential careers include:
- Social worker
- Community development worker
- Probation officer
- Prison officer
- Counsellor
- Human rights officer
- Advice worker
- Teacher.
Further Study
You may decide to continue your studies at the University of Chichester and undertake a postgraduate degree. Our postgraduate courses offer you the opportunity to deepen your knowledge and greatly improve your career prospects. Postgraduate study options available at Chichester include Masters, PGCE and PhD.
Course Costs
Course Fees 2025/26
UK fee - foundation year
UK fee - years 1,2 & 3
International fee
EU/EEA Fee Reduction Scholarship
EU/EEA students automatically pay the equivalent of UK fees via the EU/EEA Fee Reduction Scholarship
For further details about fees, please see our Tuition Fee page.
For further details about international scholarships, please see our Scholarships page.
To find out about any additional costs on this course, please see our Additional Costs page.
Entry Requirements
Applying through Clearing
We know that you are so much more than your grades, which is why we take your aspirations, passion and personality into account. Through Clearing, we’re taking a flexible approach. Even if your grades are a little different from those advertised, please contact us – we’ll consider every application individually.
Typical offers (individual offers may vary):
UCAS
IELTS
Non-standard Application Entry Routes
The University has an alternative entry route for applicants who have relevant skills and experience but who do not hold the formal minimum entry qualifications required. Applicants who demonstrate the necessary skills and experience to enter a course of higher education will be asked to complete an entry task involving the completion of specially set assignments.
Contextual offers
We believe everyone deserves an equal opportunity to pursue higher education, regardless of their background.
When we receive your application we consider your personal circumstances and the factors surrounding your achievements to see if you are eligible for a contextual offer. This is an offer with a reduced entry tariff – typically the equivalent of 8 fewer UCAS points for foundation year courses.
Find out more about our contextual offers.
