BA (Hons)
Criminology
Degree Programme

Core courses

• CRIM 4101 Introduction to Criminology

  The course immerses students in the fundamental theories and evidence that shape the field of criminology. It explores various approaches to understanding crime, criminal justice, and policing, engaging with a range of crime types including juvenile delinquency, white-collar crime, rioting, and crimes against women and minorities. Additionally, the course ex-amines organised crime, addressing the unique challenges and complexities it presents. Finally, it highlights the increasing importance of cybercrime in contemporary society.

• CRIM 4102 Crime Deviance and Society

  This course immerses students in the study of deviant and criminal behaviour, exploring the historical context, theories, and challenges surrounding the concept of ’deviance’. It invites students to engage with debates on how crime and deviance are socially constructed, ex-amining how public perceptions have evolved over time. The curriculum then shifts focus to the impact of social structures, highlighting issues of social exclusion and problematic forms of inclusion. Finally, students analyse historical behaviours once labelled as ’deviant’ that may no longer be considered criminal, offering insight into the fluid nature of societal norms.

• PSYC 4101 Introduction to Psychology

  This course introduces students to the major areas within the psychology discipline, through current empirical research and theoretical debate. Students discover how psychological re-search is conducted and how research findings can be applied to understanding human be-haviour. Topics include scientific methodology in psychology, and key contemporary areas of research, such as biopsychology, brain functioning; sensation and perception; evolutionary theory, development, personality, memory, consciousness, stress, psychological disorders, language, learning and social psychology.

Complete required L4 Academic Literacies course:

• LIBA 4301 Academic Research and Writing

  This course is designed to develop students’ critical research and writing skills to be effec-tive in the academic and professional world. It focuses on principles of good scholarship and academic practice that will be required throughout university study and in a future profes-sional work environment. These skills are enhanced throughout the course. Upon comple-tion of this course, successful students will become confident in using available resources to produce well-researched writing that demonstrates critical engagement with a self-selected research topic.

Complete required L4 Data/Numeracy course:

• MATH 4101 Probability and Statistics

  This course in probability and statistics includes theoretical and applied approaches which are primarily designed for business, data science, social science and psychology majors. The course coverage will include: descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory, random variables and expectations, discrete probability distributions (Binomial and Poisson distribu-tions), continuous probability distribution (Normal distribution), sampling distributions, es-timation and hypothesis testing about the mean and proportions of up to two populations, Chi-square tests, One-way ANOVA and F Distribution, linear, multiple and non-linear re-gression and Non-parametric methods. SPSS lab sessions will be included targeting appli-cations of statistical concepts to business, data science, social science and psychology. All practical work will be produced using SPSS statistical software.

Choose one L4 Arts/Humanities course from the following:

• ADPR 4101 Introduction to Advertising, PR and Media

  This course explores fundamental concepts, principles and tools in advertising and public relations, specifically in relation to the broader media industries and the professional con-texts of both disciplines. It traces the history and evolution of advertising and public rela-tions and how they interconnect, as well as investigating the political, economic, social and cultural contexts that they operate within. In examining advertising and PR in practice, it identifies key persuasive and creative aspects and techniques used in these fields, along with the planning and skills used to produce them. It also addresses advertising and PR practices in relation to contemporary issues and developments, including criticisms of the industries’ role and a range of ethical debates.

• COMM 4103 Introduction to Intercultural Communication

  Reflecting strongly the University’s mission of unity in diversity, this course provides theo-retical and practical understanding of the role communication plays within and between cultures to build cohesion and/or create division. It provides students with a strong sense of their own complex cultural identities before moving on to teach them the theories underly-ing the study of International Communication. There will be opportunities for practical ap-plications of these theories in case studies, simulations, and project work.

• COMM 4101 Introduction to Communication and Media

  The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the evolution of mass media and communication in a constantly changing global landscape. Starting by looking at how this has evolved from physical forms such as print and broadcast to digital forms such as differ-ent iterations of the internet, social media and the use of AI. This will incorporate both pro-duction and consumption of media within industries such as advertising, public relations, journalism, television, film, music and gaming. Important contemporary issues will be ad-dressed alongside recent events and tools and theories to understand these issues will be applied in order to develop student’s media literacy. This will also be applied to complex topics that circumvent the media and communication world such as media ownership.

• FILM 4101 Introduction to Film Studies

  This course explores film as a medium across cultural and historical contexts. It covers films in its varied form, from the first projections in the late 19th century to online distribution today. Using examples of noteworthy films, it takes an introductory examination of the most important film theories and concepts, in the process examining how ideologies and meanings are imbedded in this vibrant medium.

• HIST 4101 Atlantic Slavery and the Spectre of Capitalism

  This course examines the expansionist nature of Atlantic colonial societies and their eco-nomic impact, from early contact with African societies to the abolition of slavery in Brazil. Emphasis is placed on the Atlantic slave trade’s role in consolidating slave labour systems and shaping industrialisation. The course further explores how colonial economies drove the rise of modern capitalism through racial and economic exploitation. Beginning with the ex-propriation of Indigenous land and resources, it traces the development of plantation slav-ery and later industrial labour systems. Key topics include: resource extraction, debt, coloni-al economies, trade in goods and globalisation. These topics are analysed not only in eco-nomic terms, but also in their social and racial dimensions. Resistance movements and the evolving discourse on reparations will also be examined to understand their influence on economic structures today. Students will investigate the economic mechanisms behind col-onisation and slavery, as well as the resistance to these systems, engaging in debates on the memory and legacy of these processes.

• HIST 4102 The Global Cold War

  This course introduces students to the major events and themes of the Cold War, demon-strating how it shaped the modern world system. In addition to providing students with a foundational understanding of the major themes and events of the Cold War, this course explores the interpretive controversies surrounding them. Students are encouraged to en-gage with the changing historiography of the multifaceted, multi-polar Cold War from a variety of challenging perspectives, with particular emphasis given to its global context. Students will examine the period in the light of changing historiographical interpretations and with reference to its economic, cultural, ideological, military, political and social di-mensions.

• LANG 4101 Korean Language and Culture 1

  This is an introductory course to Korean language and culture with an emphasis on oral communication in everyday situations and contemporary South Korean culture and society. This course introduces fundamental communication skills including the Korean alphabet and character construction, pronunciation, vocabulary, and essential speech patterns. It also ex-plores contemporary South Korean popular culture with the aim to develop a keen aware-ness and broad understanding of how the Korean culture relates to the language.

Choose one L4 Social/Behavioural Sciences course from the following:

• INTR 4101 Introduction to International Relations

  This course introduces students to both the study of International Relations (IR) and key is-sues in contemporary global politics. Conflict, cooperation, and power are unpacked and ad-dressed while the course introduces and reflects on the fundamental approaches, concepts, and theories used in the discipline. Issues to which these are applied then include migra-tion, the relationship between humans and the environment, terrorism, security, and disin-formation. Throughout, different actors, institutions and ideas are engaged with as the course assesses contemporary global politics through an array of contemporary case stud-ies.

• PSYC 4102 Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology

  This course engages students in an overview of the main philosophical, scientific and social ideas that formulated psychology as we know it today. We will cover conceptual and meth-odological positions underlying different paradigms and research trends in the study of hu-man behaviour. We will examine the following questions: what is science and to what ex-tend is psychology permeated by the characteristics of science; what is the extent of social and cultural construction in psychology; is or can psychology be morally or politically neutral; what can we learn from the history of psychology so far? In addition, this course will ad-dress the issues involved in acquiring knowledge through various scientific methodologies, the critique of traditional methods in psychology, the relationship between facts and values and the significance of the standpoint from which values are understood. Finally, we will discuss ethical issues in psychology, their origins, the moral underpinnings of theory, re-search and practice and how psychologists construct ethically responsible practices within a social environment.

Choose one L4 Science course from the following:

• ENVR 4101 Earth System Science

  This course introduces the major concepts studied in Earth System Science, addressing the Earth’s origins and evolution as an active planet within the solar system. The fundamental processes and interrelationships between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and litho-sphere are investigated to serve as a basis for understanding natural systems, particularly near or at the Earth’s surface, and the ways in which human activities impact those sys-tems. There is mounting concern about global warming, biodiversity, energy and sustaina-ble development, all of which if not governed poses a threat to the delicate balance of the Earth system. Thus the need to understand the Earth as an interrelated system is more so than ever before.

• ENVR 4102 Ecology and Conservation

  This course provides an examination of the principles of ecology and their application to conservation. Students will explore the complex relationships between organisms and their environments, including population dynamics, species interactions, ecosystems, biodiversi-ty, and natural/anthropogenic causes of species’ decline and extinction. The course covers key topics such as habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, and conservation strategies at local, regional, and global scales. Special emphasis is placed on understanding and addressing the threats to biodiversity and developing practical solutions for conserva-tion. Through case studies students will gain the skills necessary to critically evaluate con-servation challenges and design effective conservation strategies.

• ENVR 4103 Introduction to Environmental Science

  This course covers environmental science topics such as global warming/climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain, pollution, population issues, energy issues, land and water is-sues, and an introduction to environmental ethics. All topics are addressed from scientific, economic, politico-sociological and ethical standpoints. An awareness and appreciation of global, local, and personal environmental problems are developed, together with the impli-cations of possible solutions. The concept of interrelatedness is a unifying theme through-out the course. Students are encouraged to become aware of/develop an understanding of their own environmental identity.

Core courses

• CRIM 5102 Criminal Justice Institutions and Processes

  This course is designed to enable students to build expertise in the main institutions and processes of the criminal justice system. We look at the key agents of state that are in-volved in criminal justice - law enforcement agencies, the judicial system, corrections and rehabilitation - as well as an in-depth look at alternative models, including non-custodial sentencing and privatised agencies of justice. We critically assess the various controversies and problems in the activities of these institutions over time, and the weaknesses and limi-tations of their processes.

• CRIM 5101 Criminology and the Media

  This course is designed to enable students understand the interaction between the disci-pline of criminology (and its focus on criminality and criminal justice) and the changing me-dia landscape. The course primarily engages with the mass media, particularly television and newspapers with their reporting on crime and criminal justice, and the rise of social media, and the impact of these on both the theory and practice of criminology (for example the role of the media in causing moral panic, trial by media, and accusations of criminogen-ic fallout from these). Finally, students can engage with representations of crime and crim-inology in popular culture, from ’penny dreadfuls’ to ’true crime’ television, and in crime and forensic criminology dramas (e.g. CSI, Mind Hunters & Law and Order).

• INTR 5101 International Law and Human Rights

  This course enables students to investigate the international politics of law-making, com-pliance, and enforcement in various issue areas, and to consider how fragmentation and self-regulation impact upon the effectiveness of international law. The course highlights the intersection of human rights with modern challenges such as public health, national se-curity, and environmental issues. Through critical analysis, students will evaluate the power and limitations of international law systems in protecting human rights and explore poten-tial reforms for enhancing their effectiveness.

• PSYC 5102 Human Science Research

  Human Science Research engages students with the study and interpretation of lived expe-rience. The course covers a range of qualitative models that govern human science re-search, with a special emphasis on the common features that distinguish them from natu-ral science and quantitative research frameworks. One of the special features of the course is its practical emphasis, whereby students are encouraged to generate human science re-search questions, to carry out interviews and to complete a series of writing exercises that stimulate their capacity to interpret lived experience. The course also covers the relation-ship between writing and reflection, the value of narrative approaches, and research ethics in qualitative research. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding by means of descriptive interpretations and thematic analyses on key topics.

Complete required L5 Research Methods course:

• CRIM 5301 Research Methods in Criminology

  Introduces students to research methodology, key research methods, and research practices used in the discipline of Criminology, with an emphasis on qualitative methods. Students will learn research skills that translate directly into the workplace, including in NGOs, chari-ties, the corporate sector, and intergovernmental and development agency contexts. This course also trains students for practically undertaking academic research such as that re-quired to complete a dissertation. Students are prepared to carry out a range of methods (i.e. textual and visual analysis, interviews, focus groups, and ethnography) and learn prin-ciples of data collection and analysis. Writing research proposals and literature reviews, and pitching research are both taught and assessed, and students are introduced to widely used and newer creative and participatory modes of research.

Complete required L5 Service-Learning course:

• LIBA 5301 Service Learning: Global Citizenship and Migration

  This course helps students make a real difference in the world. Service Learning as experi-ential learning combines community service with academic study. This course will apply service-learning to the theoretical, political and sociological concep-tions of citizenship and their limitations. Students will work on live projects and challenges to address real-world issues and critically reflect on their role as agents in communities and as legal and social citizens. Skills will be gained from working on a project with charities, NGOs, or non-profit organisations on citizenship concepts which will enable the student to critically reflect through service-learning. This course builds professional, entrepreneurial and personal skills to engage with a variety of stakeholders. This course is underpinned by JEDI approaches to justice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the global community.

Plus two Level 5 electives from across the curriculum. These can be selected to support a minor in an area outside of your subject discipline.

Core courses

• CRIM 6101 Counter-Extremism and Counter-Terrorism

  This course explores some of the main national and international efforts to counter terror-ism, extremism and transnational crime. We examine types of terrorism and extremism and the theories and strategies underpinning state responses. We explore the phenomenon of transnational organised crime and consider where it intersects with terrorism and ex-tremism. We discuss these phenomena from the perspectives of victims and perpetrators, processes of violent radicalisation, typologies of terror, and the strengths and weaknesses of strategies to counter and/or limit terrorism and extremism, including de-radicalisation. We also consider the capacity of institutions and international cooperations to thwart and restrict transnational crime, and explore the intersections between traffick-ing, terrorism and the commission of atrocities.

• POLS 6101 Policy-Making in a Globalised World

  This course investigates the process of policymaking in modern states. It explores the role of ideas and institutions in policymaking, how in the new globalized world governments “import” and “borrow” policy ideas from each other, while analyzing how the different ac-tors (i.e. states, bureaucrats, think-tanks, policy-networks, lobby groups, global civil society, and citizens) participate and influence the policy-making process. Through active learning activities (such as mapping the agenda-setting of ideas, identifying policy networks, advis-ing a President) students will understand the complexities of policy-making and the chal-lenges that the modern state faces in the era of globalization.

• PSYC 6101 Clinical Psychology

  Combines lectures, case studies, and audiovisual sessions to introduce students to the field of clinical psychology, psychiatry, and mental health work. An examination of the symptoms and treatment options for a range of mental and emotional disorders, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, raising several important issues for discussion. These in-clude cultural variations in the definition and diagnosis of disordered states; the social psy-chological problems of the move from asylums to community care; and criticisms of the medical model of abnormality. This course will explore how modern Clinical Psychology im-plements evidence-based treatments to improve psychologically based distress or dysfunc-tion and promote subjective and behavioural well-being and personal development.

• CRIM 6110 Senior Dissertation in Criminology

  Senior Dissertation in Criminology is the capstone course of the major. Students produce a dissertation of between 6,000 to 8,000 words in length, on a topic relevant to the discipline. Students are guided through the various stages of the dissertation by a supervisor. Students orally present their research according to conference standards.

Plus EITHER:

• CRIM 6401 Internship in Criminology

  The Internship in Criminology is a student work placement that aims to provide students with the experience of working in a discipline-related industry. It provides students with an experiential learning opportunity in which to develop intellectual, professional, and personal skills and prepares students to function effectively in culturally diverse working environ-ments across a range of career paths and employment sectors. Internships are supervised by faculty and each student will also complete a series of learning activities throughout the internship. These activities are designed to help students reflect on personal development and key skills attained, the benefits gained from the internship experience, and to shape and determine goals for future career pathways.

Or TWO of the following Major Options:

• COMM 6101 Contemporary Issues in Global Media

  This course examines current media issues in relation to cultural, social, economic, and po-litical aspects of global society. It views media as a key player in public culture and democ-racy, exploring how its role as vital source of entertainment and information is impacted by an evolving technological landscape, and by new challenges posed, such as sustainability and promotion of equality, inclusivity, and diversity, within the global village. It looks at media practices and professionals, considering the impact of celebrity politics and influenc-ers on the media environment, while also addressing the relationship between the public, government, and media institutions, as it discusses ethics, law, and regulation. Ultimately, it seeks to consider the place of media in achieving a sustainable and just world.

• INTR 6102 Rethinking International Relations

  This course provides students with a set of conceptual and analytical tools in order to ac-quire a deep and nuanced understanding of the discipline of International Relations (IR) and global politics. It does so by examining IR theories and approaches to international politics, scrutinizing and problematizing their historic foundations, and exploring contemporary chal-lenges and critiques. The course begins by introducing philosophical debates regarding the purpose of theorizing and the importance of understanding ontological and epistemological assumptions and examines the difference between and implications of ‘understanding’ and ‘explaining’ in international relations theory. The course then critically evaluates grand and middle range theories of IR as well as approaches focused on everyday global politics. Throughout, the course scrutinizes challenges presented by a multitude of multidisciplinary interventions into IR including post-positivist critiques and approaches centralizing gender and colonialism as key variables in global politics.

• INTR 6101 Diplomatic Studies

  This course offers an overview of the history and practice of contemporary diplomacy. It be-gins with analysis of what a modern diplomat currently does, both at home and abroad, set within the context of diplomatic history and theory. The normal practice of diplomacy and the various techniques of international negotiation will be addressed by using both histori-cal and contemporary examples. It will familiarize students with the activities of a modern diplomat within a wider historical and theoretical context.

• BUSM 6102 Project Management Skills and Methods

  This module provides a comprehensive overview of programme management principles, processes, and techniques. Students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to ef-fectively manage complex programmes within a variety of organizational contexts. Con-temporary project management methods will be explored. The module emphasizes the strategic alignment of programmes with organizational objectives and the importance of stakeholder engagement, risk management, and benefits realization. Furthermore, it ex-plores a range of programme management methodologies, equipping students with the ability to select and apply the most appropriate approach for diverse project scenarios.

• BUSM 6104 Leadership and People Management

  This module provides a critical exploration of leadership in the context of managing people and talent within organizations. Students will develop a deep understanding of contempo-rary leadership theories and their application to the challenges of attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining talent in a rapidly changing world. The module emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion, ethical leadership, and social responsibility in creating a high-performing and sustainable workforce. Through real-life examples, case studies, and interactive discussions, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to lead effec-tively in today's complex and dynamic business environment.

• PSYC 6104 Health Psychology

  Although nowadays people live longer and are currently ‘healthier’ than in the past, not eve-ryone has a sense of improved health or wellbeing. Health Psychology analyses the biopsy-chosocial factors which contribute to and maintain illness/disease in contemporary society. Health Psychology aims to improve wellbeing by applying psychological theories, methods and research to the promotion of health; prevention and treatment of illness and disability; analysis and improvement of the health care system and; health policy formation.

• PSYC 6103 Psychology of Happiness and Wellbeing

  Positive psychologists argue that traditional psychology has tended to focus on dysfunction and unhappiness and that balance needs to be restored by research into what makes life go well. This course focuses on the science of happiness and wellbeing, integrating findings from Positive Psychology studies and theories. During this course, students will critically evaluate the teaching of Positive Psychology as a means of enhancing happiness and under-stand the difference between weaknesses and strengths, and how positive psychology em-phasises the latter in contrast to traditional psychology’s emphasis on the former. Students will appreciate some of the factors that lead to happiness and learn how to capitalise on these factors in order to achieve lasting happiness, especially by getting to know their own strengths; students will also understand and use a variety of techniques and interventions designed to enhance happiness and wellbeing.

Plus one elective of your choice, which may support a minor.