Criminology and Social Research Methods

The Crime and Criminal Justice in the 21st Century module introduces you to the nature and extent of crime and criminal justice policy in contemporary society. You will have the opportunity to gain an overview of crime and criminal justice statistics, with a critical understanding of how such statistics are socially constructed. You will also have the chance to gain an overview of current and recent trends in criminal justice policy, and an in-depth understanding of some of the key social dimensions of crime and justice (eg age, gender, race, social class) and some key criminological challenges for the 21st century (eg Cybercrime, Corporate Crime, Environmental Crime).

The module aims to:

• Develop a critical understanding of the concepts (for instance, ‘crime’, ‘offender’ and ‘victim’) central to criminological study and their relationships to each other;
• Foster a critical awareness of the role of power (including individual, corporate and political power) in defining crime, developing policies to deal with it and in labelling offenders and victims;
• Identify, debate, analyse and understand emerging patterns of crime and criminal justice that look to characterise and dominate the early 21st century;
• Critically study contemporary bases of crime and criminalisation and its intellectual and historical antecedents.

The Criminological Research in Practice module presents research to provide you with insights into the realities of criminological research in practice, the process of research from inception of idea through development of research proposals (and applications for funding) and execution of fieldwork to dissemination of findings and contributions to development of theory and knowledge. Lectures showcase individual research projects, highlighting methodological (including practical and ethical) difficulties and how they are overcome, and the relationship between the research process and expanding the body of knowledge within the field of criminology.

The module aims to:

• Develop a critical understanding of the realities of criminological research from project inception through to dissemination of findings.
• Foster a critical awareness of experiencing unforeseen methodological, practical and ethical challenges in the research process and ways to overcome these.
• Provide a working familiarity with a range of funding sources and how to apply to them.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of developments in a selection of criminological topics.

The Criminological Theory module provides you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the key concepts and theoretical approaches that have been developed, and are continuing to develop, in relation to crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance.

The module gives you the opportunity to further develop the critical, analytical and written skills necessary to conceptualize and explain criminological problems— as well as the evaluative skills necessary to assess and put criminological theories into operation through research.

The Criminology Dissertation gives you the opportunity to further develop your practical skills relevant to the study of criminology that inform decisions about the design and application of research and the use of critical analytical perspectives on applied research in the field or in library based research. You will engage in your own piece of research (empirical or library based) and produce a 15,000 word dissertation based on this.

This module offers an introduction to qualitative research methods that are commonly used in the social sciences. The modules includes sessions on interviewing, ethnography, text analysis, focus groups, mixed methods research and other approaches. These approaches will be discussed looking at examples of studies from different subject areas and in relation to students' own planned or current research.

This module is a general introduction to statistical analysis for students in the arts and social sciences. It assumes some background equivalent to FASS508 or FASS509. After a brief review of that background, the module looks in more detail at the nature and calculation of probabilities; at different approaches to intervals and hypothesis testing; and at the analysis of relationships between variables using correlation and regression. The course is split equally between theoretical input and practical work on the computer using the "R" environment for statistical analysis. Students taking the course for credit undertake three short data-analysis assignments using "R".

This module will provide you with the core conceptual and theoretical approaches that have been developed to explain the problem of violence within criminology. You are given the opportunity to further develop the analytical, critical and written skills required to assess, explain and conceptualize the impact and prevalence of criminal violence on contemporary society. Topics typically include:

· Violence and Civilization

· Violence and the Great Crime Decline

· Violence and Gender

· Violence and the Domestic Sphere

· Violence and Nonhumans

· Drugs and Violence

· Violence and Hooliganism

· Violence and Hate

· Violence and Youth

· Media, Violence and Crime

What are the merits of international criminal justice? And what are the main challenges that present themselves in this area of law?

This module provides you with an opportunity to consider these key questions as you benefit from an introduction to substantive international criminal law.

You will explore the central theme of international crimes, deepening your understanding of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Within your analysis, you will address the role of international courts and tribunals, mixed and hybrid courts and tribunals, as well as developments in national courts.

This is your chance to critically engage with stimulating examples of prosecution and punishment, which are central to the subject of international criminal law. Your studies will be informed by the convenor’s cutting-edge research on transitional criminal justice and retrospective justice.

A combination of independent reading and regular seminars will provide you with a sound grasp of this fascinating legal discipline.

How do international laws protect, govern and shape your human rights?

This module provides an overview of the various rights that are protected through international instruments: civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

You will also be given a general introduction to regional and universal systems for human rights protection and promotion. This will focus on the UN human rights system but you will be encouraged to take a comparative view of regional human rights protection systems.

You will have the opportunity to gain a substantive and procedural knowledge of human rights through the international system. And you’ll engage with some key debates in this legal arena, such as the development of human rights and the human rights obligations of non-state actors.

To get the most from this module, you will have some knowledge of general international law and have a law or social science background.

Our Law School is home to research-active academics, you will have the chance to benefit from some of their expertise as many teach on areas closely aligned with their own research interests.

Terrorism continues to be one of the greatest global challenges we face in the pursuit of international peace, stability and security.

This is a stimulating module that explores concepts from many areas of the law, including civil liberties, international law, criminal justice and human rights.

During the course of your studies you will look at the legal definitions of terrorism – from a regional, national, and international perspective. And you will have the opportunity to use counter-terrorism case studies to examine specific aspects of preventative justice measures.

This is a fast-moving and unpredictable area of law, so the material that we cover may change in order to track the prevailing issues and latest developments. However, typically you will consider civil liberties alongside some of the contemporary challenges facing domestic and international legal systems.

The examination of the topics is carried out through a vigorous interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach – offering you greater understanding and appreciation of the subject matter.

Our Law School is home to lawyers and research-active academics - you will benefit from their expertise as they teach on areas closely aligned with their own research interests.

This module provides first-hand experience of organising and undertaking a group research project on a subject of your own choosing. You will work through processes of research design and strategy, developing research questions, planning and carrying out fieldwork and analysis, and presenting and evaluating research. Working together in small groups, you will produce a research proposal, a journal article based on your project, and an oral presentation of your work. You are also encouraged to keep a research diary of the process. This will provide the basis for an individual reflective essay to be submitted after the module has finished. Although the module is essentially practical, it also provides an opportunity to learn about generic issues involved in doing social research and about the contemporary context of research policy and funding.