Criminology and Sociology with a Year in Industry

Core Modules

Year 1

• Criminal Justice System

  This module introduces you to the development, role, function and operation of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. You will examine the stages of the criminal justice process, and in doing so develop an understanding of the key debates around the punishment of offenders, the process of achieving justice for victims and the theoretical positions on the purpose of punishment. You will also be encouraged to think critically about the treatment of different social groups within the criminal justice process, such as youth offenders, those with mental disorders and white collar criminals. The module comprises of weekly lectures and seminars, where you will have the opportunity to discuss key debates and apply your knowledge of the criminal justice process to case studies.

• Introduction to Criminology

  This module provides you with a general introduction to criminology and forensic psychology. You will explore official, populist, sociological and psychological meanings of crime through study of the development of criminology as a distinctive field of research and scholarship. You will develop sociological understandings of crime and the history of punishment, before turning to forensic psychology and its contribution to understanding offending behaviours, punishment and rehabilitation. 

• Introduction to Sociology

  This module introduces you to key classical and contemporary social theories, including the ‘founding fathers’ of continental European sociology (Durkheim, Marx, and Weber) and the originators of US sociology (including Parsons, Goffman, and Garfunkel).

• Social Problems and Social Policy

  This module explores contemporary social issues, including poverty, inequality, unemployment and discrimination. You will learn about the foundations of the welfare state as well as social policies in areas such as education, housing, health and family life. Key questions to be discussed include: What are the most important social problems in contemporary society? Is the welfare state in crisis? Why are young people more vulnerable to unemployment? How does the media influence our perceptions of social problems?

• Academic Integrity

  This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.

   

Year 2

• Key Perspectives and Debates in Criminology

  This module will enable you to develop detailed and more critical understandings of core criminological theory and key issues within the discipline. Drawing on sociological, biological and psychological perspectives as a way of understanding criminal behaviour, you will consider key issues such as drug use, organised crime, white collar crime and terrorism. Lectures and seminars promote the application of these theoretical perspectives through case studies and empirical research.

• Research Methods for Social Scientists

  This module provides you with an introduction to the philosophical issues in social research. You will look at ethics in social research and theory, quantitative versus qualitative methods, sampling, observation, interviewing, media analysis, and questionnaire design. You will be given the opportunity to work through the research process on a topic of independent study of your choosing.

• Sociology of Contemporary Society

  This module provides you with a sociological analysis of contemporary society, helping you to understand major social and economic changes in the contemporary world through key sociological debates concerning, amongst others, the changing nature of the organisation of production and the changing nature of class. You will also examine the transformation of cultural forms in contemporary society and apply these theories to contemporary social issues.

Year 3

• Year in Industry

  This year will be spent on a work placement. You will be supported by the Department of Law and Criminology and the Royal Holloway Careers and Employability Service to find a suitable placement. However, Royal Holloway cannot guarantee that all students who are accepted onto this degree programme will secure a placement, and the ultimate responsibility lies with yourself. This year forms an integral part of the degree programme and you will be asked to complete assessed work. The mark for this work will count towards your final degree classification.

Year 4

• Dissertation

  The dissertation will enable students to demonstrate their skills as independent learners, give students the opportunity to research a topic in an area of Sociology or Criminology in detail to a higher level and provide an opportunity to submit a substantial piece of written work.

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• Gender and Society

  Gender and Society will offer the following topics: Conceptualising femininity and masculinity (one lecture), feminist theory developments (one lecture), contemporary developments in the studies on masculinity (two lectures), contemporary developments studies on femininity (two lectures), gender and social exclusions (one lecture), gender, education and employment (one lecture), gender and family life (one lecture) and gender, politics and nationalism (one lecture).

• Madness and Society

  This module will introduce you to key topics in madness studies. We will review different approaches to understanding and responding to madness. A key theme of the module will be the relationship between social factors and ideas of madness — and the roles of key state agencies and professional groups. We will consider how concepts of madness have changed over time and how they differ across cultures. We will also explore the relationships between social stress, social division and stigma and conceptions of madness.

• The Digital Society

  The emergence of digital technologies has transformed the ways in which collective knowledge and imagination is generated in education, entertainment, the arts, domestic and foreign affairs. Profound, and mundane, moments are now collectively shared instantly across national and international borders potentially by millions of people. Digital technologies have become a deeply embedded feature of global social life; connecting individuals within and beyond their established social networks. The power of technology to ‘swallow up’ banking, retail, leisure and aspects of state and non-state governance, whilst creating and recreating personal online identities, has unleashed a force which would appear to have seemingly boundless and uncontrollable political and social consequences. This new course is timely in that it engages with the sociological implications of the global use of technology. It examines some of the most significant academic and research debates which have emerged in the digital society. Its sets out to give students an understanding of how digital technologies structure social relations and research into the impact of the digital on of social structures. It will also help students to develop and understanding of the diversity of digital use. Digital technologies have implications for social institutions and political discourse particularly with regard to citizen enjoyment. The idea of a digital polis will be explored critically. The course will also enable students to analyse some of the new manufactured risks associated with the digital including surveillance and the reconceptualization of privacy. Digital technologies and digital data will therefore be sundered as digital data objects. The course will also increase understandings of the long-term implications of artificial intelligence on employment education and social order.

• Violent Crime - Sociological and Psychological Perspectives

  This course will provide an understanding of the relationship between violent and criminal behaviour. It will examine the role of social, institutional and psychological factors in the definition, experience and management of violence and aggression and provide an understanding of sociological, historical and psychological perspectives on violence and aggression.

• Youth in Society: The Sociology of Youth & Youth Culture

  The aims of this module are:

  • To present an overview of key areas in the sociology of youth.
  • To cover the changing conceptions and meaning of 'youth' within western society.
  • To detail and examine the changing social and economic position of the young
  • To show the various ways in which wider society has sought to define the young and constructed social institutions (education, juvenile justice etc) to deal with the young as a distinctive social group in society.
  • The importance of the young as a cultural force in modern society
• Key Perspectives and Debates in Criminology

  This module will enable you to develop detailed and more critical understandings of core criminological theory and key issues within the discipline. Drawing on sociological, biological and psychological perspectives as a way of understanding criminal behaviour, you will consider key issues such as drug use, organised crime, white collar crime and terrorism. Lectures and seminars promote the application of these theoretical perspectives through case studies and empirical research.

• Research Methods for Social Scientists

  This module provides you with an introduction to the philosophical issues in social research. You will look at ethics in social research and theory, quantitative versus qualitative methods, sampling, observation, interviewing, media analysis, and questionnaire design. You will be given the opportunity to work through the research process on a topic of independent study of your choosing.

• Criminologists in Action

  The module aims to consider the current theoretical conceptualisations of issues such as group decision making, performance, collaborative learning and intergroup conflict. It will look at the ways in which psychological theories relating to groups can be used to better understand and address issues across a range of applied settings, including the workplace and roles criminology graduates may enter. The course will critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this application of understanding. A principal element of the course will provide a rich understanding of the range of jobs criminology graduates may enter and how students might go about successfully applying for these roles.
  Five of the lectures will provide understanding of psychological theory relating to group performance and how this can be applied to real work settings: 1) Group Performance, 2) The problem of Group Think, 3) Conformity and Influence, 4) Conflict within and between groups, 5) Social Categorisation and Social Identity Theory. A further five lectures will be dedicated to providing a rich understanding of the career paths of criminology graduates, including insight from previous graduates from the School of Law on how to develop their skills, the process of applying, what their role entails and how they will continue to work their way up within the organisation. These will include working in; the criminal justice system (police, probation, prisons and youth justice), the voluntary sector, working for government or local government or embarking on further study. There is provision within the course to tailor these towards career paths students might want to explore or understand further.
  Through a series of workshops students will work independently and as part of a group on tasks to enhance their negotiation and influencing skills, as well as dealing with conflict and increasing their self-awareness. Students will take part in team skills training, as well as workshops on developing their CV, completing applications forms, paring for an interview and assessment centres.

• Sociology of the Family

  Students will critically discuss the role, function and nature of the family in contemporary society as well as examining changing patterns of family life. The course also explores how social identities and different social positions (for example those related to class, gender, or ethnicity) impact upon the experience of family life. Families will also be discussed in relation to other areas of social life including education, the workplace and the community. Students will engage with questions such as: To what extent does the nuclear family remain seen as the ‘ideal’ family type? What are the experiences of lone-parent families in contemporary society? How easy is it for families to balance paid work and family life? What is the relationship between the family and social policy? The course will familiarise students with contemporary research related to families and family life and equip them to critically evaluate this material.

• Crime and the Law

  This module gives an overview of the substantive rules of criminal law within a wider social debate as to the nature of crime and the responses of the State. In particular, the course covers the general principles of criminal liability by examining a range of offences against the person and offences against property as well as assessing the available defences that limit or negate criminal liability.

• Youth and Crime

  This module provides the student with a critical understanding of parameters of the youth crime 'problem', the function of the Youth Justice System, whilst introducing a range of theories that can help us to understand why young people engage in delinquent behaviours. Teaching is delivered through a two hour workshop that comprises of a lecture and practical activities such as small group presentations, media discourse analysis and the analysis of 'mock' youth justice disposals. Lecture content is shaped so students will be able to provide historical context to the political and social factors that have shaped the way we treat young people today and will also give the students a practical basis for understanding the disposals (pre and post court) available to Youth Offending Team's when dealing with 'young offenders'. Lectures will also focus on critical unpicking key issues or 'problems' associated with young people, such as drug use, anti social behaviour and gang membership.

Year 4

• Crime and Literature

  This module will instil an understanding of the interactions between crime and society. It will deepen the students' existing criminological knowledge and understanding through focused discussion and analysis of literature and other media.

• Crime, Media and Culture

  This unit aims to enable students to understand and think critically about how media and cultural representations of crime have been produced and consumed, and the values and messages they convey. It also aims to deepen students' understanding of cultural and visual criminological theory and research, particularly as they relate to the role of the mass media in shaping public attitudes, consumerism, and systems of crime control. The module contains three components. The first enhances students' understanding of the patterns and tropes of media representation of crime, with material divided between some key theories that underpin the study of crime, media and culture, and case studies. The second module component introduces students to the consumption of crime, including debates about the relationship between the consumption of violent media and culture and violent crime, 'dark tourism' and crime 'fandom'. The third component develops students' understanding of cultural and visual criminology, specifically engaging in the study of crime images and how they impact on our understandings of crime and crime control.

• Drugs, Crime and Society

  In this module you will develop a knowledge of illicit drugs, their effects and how they have been used cross-culturally through time. You will gain an insight into the sociological and psychological theories that seeks to explain addiction and problem drug use, with practical knowledge of how drug users and drug markets have been controlled through policy, enforcement and legislation.

• Housing and Homelessness

  The aim of this module is for students to be able to reflect on work placement experience in the wider context of career planning. Content of the module itself is very simple, the student being responsible for their own research and reflection, as guided by the Careers Service. Required preparatory work for the course is attending two workshops provided by the Careers Service, along with undertaking of a short-term work placement.

• Sentencing and Penal Policy

  This module will introduce you to sentencing, its key principles, and current issues, such as the need for a defensible penal policy, the effects of expansionism, the need for reductionism and the desire to abolish. You gain an overview of the different types of sentences currently available, considering the potential for discrimination in sentencing, and the role of victims in the sentencing process. You will look at penal policy and the current penal crisis, critically evaluating a particular area of sentencing and developing a policy paper to propose reform to the current penal policy.

• Sociology of Health and Illness

  In this module you will develop an understanding of different sociological approaches to the study of health and illness, with an awareness of the social patterning and causes of ill health. You will critically examine debates in the sociology of health and illness, considering factors such as social class, gender and ethnicity.

• Terrorism Studies Part 1

  This unit provides students with an introduction to the study of global non-state terrorism. It examines the different perspectives relating to the history and development of terrorism. The unit also provides students with an insight into key debates within terrorism studies (e.g. critical terrorism studies and the definition of terrorism)
  The unit draws upon different criminological sociological and psychological approaches to the study of terrorism. In doing so it will address questions relating to why and how people become terrorist actors, whether there is a crime-terror nexus, and what role does an individual’s social ecology play in their involvement in terrorist. The course will be drawn to a close by looking at what the future of terrorism and terrorism studies may look like.

• Race, Crime and Justice

  At a time when issues relating to race, crime and justice are high on political, policy and academic agendas, this course draws on contemporary theory and research in order to critically analyse these debates. For example, students will assess competing explanations for the over-representation of particular ethnic minorities in the Criminal Justice System as well as under-representation as staff in the police, the courts, probation and prison services. The course aims to explore the mechanisms of discrimination and exclusion in relation to crime and justice as well as processes of mobilisation and resistance across disadvantaged groups.

• Criminologists in Action

  The module aims to consider the current theoretical conceptualisations of issues such as group decision making, performance, collaborative learning and intergroup conflict. It will look at the ways in which psychological theories relating to groups can be used to better understand and address issues across a range of applied settings, including the workplace and roles criminology graduates may enter. The course will critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this application of understanding. A principal element of the course will provide a rich understanding of the range of jobs criminology graduates may enter and how students might go about successfully applying for these roles.
  Five of the lectures will provide understanding of psychological theory relating to group performance and how this can be applied to real work settings: 1) Group Performance, 2) The problem of Group Think, 3) Conformity and Influence, 4) Conflict within and between groups, 5) Social Categorisation and Social Identity Theory. A further five lectures will be dedicated to providing a rich understanding of the career paths of criminology graduates, including insight from previous graduates from the School of Law on how to develop their skills, the process of applying, what their role entails and how they will continue to work their way up within the organisation. These will include working in; the criminal justice system (police, probation, prisons and youth justice), the voluntary sector, working for government or local government or embarking on further study. There is provision within the course to tailor these towards career paths students might want to explore or understand further.
  Through a series of workshops students will work independently and as part of a group on tasks to enhance their negotiation and influencing skills, as well as dealing with conflict and increasing their self-awareness. Students will take part in team skills training, as well as workshops on developing their CV, completing applications forms, paring for an interview and assessment centres.

• Cybercrime

  Internet technologies are borderless and have enabled an increase in transnational crime and security threats. This module examines the variety of contemporary cybercrime and issues surrounding policing and enforcement. It also examines international powers of collecting intelligence and evidence (including surveillance) and computer, device and network forensics. The module would include lectures and seminars on the following topics: 1. Introductory lecture on understanding cybercrime 2. Cyber-terrorism and cyber-warfare 3. Interception and surveillance 4. Online pornography and child sexual abuse images 5. Online harassment and revenge pornography 7. Fake news and online disinformation 6. Policing cybercrime 7. Computer Device and Network Forensics. 8. International co-operation. Considering that cybercrime is a rapidly changing landscape, it is necessary to maintain an element of flexibility on this course. As a result, some content may be changed to accommodate any new developments in this field.

• Lost in Music: The Sociology of Popular Music

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the sociological analysis of popular music concentrating on, but not only covering, recorded popular music since the mid-1950s. You will gain an insight into the historical development of popular music within a social context, considering the relationships between music and mass society, music and youth culture, and the usage of popular music as a form of expression by the socially and economically marginalised, and as a form of protest.

• Terrorism Studies Part 2

  The module will begin by exploring the discourses of terrorism, radicalisation, extremism and counter-terrorism and their parameters. It will explore the ideological motivations for terrorism and UK counter-terrorism responses. In particular, it will scrutinise the legislative response to terrorism and consider the extent to which civil liberties and human rights have been preserved in the response to terrorism. It will also assess the intelligence response, military responses to terrorism and the UK’s Prevent strategy. The module will go on to discuss state terror and will conclude with a conceptual discussion as to whether or not the contemporary international terrorist threat represents a new form of terrorism.

• Youth in Society: Culture, Subculture & Transgression

  In this module you will develop an understanding of youth culture and consider the key theoretical debates concerning youth subcultures. You will gain an insight into the interplay between gender and ethnicity in the formation of youth cultures and subcultures, including their representation in the media.

• Children, Society and Risk

  In this module you will develop an understanding of key debates in relation to children, society and risk, childhood, children's rights, citizenship and social harm. You will look at empirical and theoretical studies in these areas and understand the ways in which social policy, and criminal justics agencies, are adapting their responses to deal with crimes commited against children.

• Crimes of the Powerful

  This module aims to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of crimes of the powerful. It will include a wide range of crimes of the powerful with a broad focus on corporate crime and state crime. It will address the nature of corporate crime, white collar crime and state crime and conceptual discussions surrounding these concepts. It will then consider which criminological theories are most relevant when endeavouring to explain the crimes of the powerful. The course will then go on to include the following: how pharmaceutical companies have been implicated in corporate crime along with crimes against consumers; case studies of corporate crime – their causes and legacies; the nature of state political crime including state terror and corruption; genocide and international responses; conceptualisations around the concept of organised crime, with a particular focus on human trafficking and ‘modern slavery’ and responses to it; and environmental crime.

• Gender, Sexuality and Crime

  In this module you will develop an understanding of key sociological, psychological and criminal-legal approaches to gender and sexuality. You will think critically about how theories of gender and sexuality have informed the study of crime and shaped our understanding of sexual offences, and the relationship between gender, sexuality and criminal justice, from the 19^thcentury to the present day. You will look at case studies that have shaped the study of gender, sexuality, and crime historically and in the present day, such as the violations perpetrated against women through the diagnosis of 'hysteria', the development of the law of rape, sociological and psychological approaches to sex offenders, and debates about the criminalisation of pornography.

• Interpersonal violence and harm

  This module will provide students with a broad overview of violence and harm as committed by individuals or groups within society. Several forms of violence will be examined within the course including but not limited to intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual violence, and elder abuse. In addition to examining the nature and prevalence of violence and harm, the course will also examine the ways in which violence and harm are assessed, managed and communicated by professionals who work with perpetrators and victims of violence. Concepts related to violence or the prevalence and nature of violence such as psychopathy and gender will also be examined. Through a group presentation students will have the opportunity to learn about and present on an additional form of violence not covered in lectures.

• Madness and Society

  This module will introduce you to key topics in madness studies. We will review different approaches to understanding and responding to madness. A key theme of the module will be the relationship between social factors and ideas of madness — and the roles of key state agencies and professional groups. We will consider how concepts of madness have changed over time and how they differ across cultures. We will also explore the relationships between social stress, social division and stigma and conceptions of madness.

• Perspectives on Ageing and an Ageing Society

  This module will builds on the Level 4 module, ‘Perspectives on People in Society’. The lectures will introduce key theories, perspectives and diverse contexts for ageing in society, including family, work, care and caring, risk, citizenship and belonging. Students will also be introduced to the roles of key state agencies and professional groups working with older people in the welfare state. The seminar series will support students to gather a social history from an older person and to critically analyse this using theory and knowledge from the lecture series.

• Policing Turning Points: Scandals and Reform

  This module includes a single introductory lecture on the theoretical underpinnings of the police service of England and Wales. As such a good understanding of the British Police Service and policing by consent is requried. Followed by 8 lectures on police scandals and a concluding lecture exploring the police attitude to change and what change has been achieved during this period. This final lecture may include an external guest. An outline of the course might look like this 1. Politics of the Police 2. Accoutability and Corruption 3.The Guildford Four/Birmingham Six 4. Mugging, Brixton Riots, Scarman 5. Miner’s Strike 6. Lawrence/Tomlinson 7. Hillsborough 8. The policing of Rape 9.Child Sexual Exploitation 10.Radical change and revolution?

• Prisons

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the role, function and operation of prisons in England and Wales. You will think critically about the nature of imprisonment and the effectiveness of the prison system, using research, government reports, prisoners' account and other relevant sources to analyse recent policy initiatives.

• Race, Ethnicity and Migration

  In this module you will develop a historical and sociological understanding of the study of race, racism and ethnicity, with an awareness of the way in which these interact with other social divisions and inequalities. You will anylse the extent to which race and ethnicity are central to how society is organised and structured, with knowledge of the models of race relations and the relevance of geography and politics.

• Victims and Witnesses

  This module explores the current procedures in the UK surrounding the treatment of witnesses and victims of crime. You will examine issues surrounding vulnerable people, children, adults, and older people with respect to the different professional responses required. You will look at victims and witnesses in a historical context, identifying milestones that highlight key development. You will consider the long term consequences of involvement in the legal system, and look at research on victims and witnesses from a wide range of disciplines.