Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 8 x 2 Hour Lectures |
| Seminar | 3 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 1500 words to be submitted in appropriate semester | 33% |
| Semester Exam | 1.5 Hours Exam Candidates are not permitted to bring any books, notes or any other materials into the examination. | 67% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 1500 words - if essay element failed | 33% |
| Supplementary Exam | 1.5 Hours Exam - if exam element failed. Candidates are not permitted to bring any books, notes or any other materials into the examination. | 67% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the major theories, perspectives, and concepts in the study of critical criminology.
2. Identify how critical criminology differs from traditional and mainstream approaches to the study of crime and criminality.
3. Describe how critical theories view crime and deviance as socially and legally constructed concepts.
4. Explain how critical criminology accounts for the emergence and development of crime control policies.
5. Identify the key dynamics, processes and problems facing contemporary critical perspectives in criminology.
6. Display an awareness of how official and unofficial structures and processes of law enforcement and punishment are influenced by political, philosophical and ideological factors.
7. Analyse and evaluate the extent to which critical theories challenge or support contemporary policies designed to reduce crime and manage the `crime problem?
8. Appreciate the contribution feminist perspectives have made to critical criminology.
Brief description
Criminology is a subject which interacts with governmental, political and power structures. This module assesses the extent to which these impact on crime, criminals and victims and whether they should be considered as causing rather than solving the problem. It will therefore explore the role of the State in managing crime problems, the role of the media and gender perspectives. It will also consider punishment and issues such as abolitionism and the use of rehabilitation as an assimilationist tool.
Content
Early conflict theories
Marxist criminology
Modern radical theories
Left realism and the crime debate
The emergence of cultural criminology
Feminist perspectives: a general overview
Gender and crime: a critical analysis
Critical perspectives applied to: crime policy; policing; penal reform
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Understanding and evaluating relevant quantitative research data will be a part of the module, at least in relation to certain theories. |
| Communication | Oral communication skills will be encouraged and honed in seminars and also in lectures - not assessed. Written communication skills will be practised through note taking both in lectures and private study and in formal submission of written work in assignments and examinations. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be expected to read selected texts and from these materials build on their lectures and test their own learning, especially in seminars. This will enable them to take more control over their learning and to locate problem areas which they will be supported in overcoming. |
| Information Technology | Preparation for seminars, the assignments and the examination will all require use of the library databases and other electronic databases. Students will be referred to useful urls and be encouraged to retrieve data electronically - not assessed. Students will be encouraged to prepare their assignment electronically - not assessed. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Enhanced capacity for independent and critical thought. Good time-management skills in preparing for seminars and submitting work on time - not assessed. |
| Problem solving | Students will be studying legal, theoretical and sociological sources to ascertain how these interplay to solve some difficult issues of law and crime control. |
| Research skills | Students will be expected to locate material both on line and in the library and to use these materials for assignments and seminar preparations. They will be encouraged to develop individual research skills in order to perform these tasks effectively. |
| Subject Specific Skills | |
| Team work | As well as individual work, the seminars will involve team work tasks allowing students to support each other in interactive learning. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6