Criminology and Criminal Justice MA
1 Year Full-Time | September Start

This module is designed to ensure that you are equipped to undertake social science research at postgraduate level, regardless of the extent to which you have previously studied research methods. After some consideration of the contribution of research to understanding issues in the social sciences, you will be taken through the different stages of a research project, using a range of exercises to show the practical questions that can affect each stage. You will consider also some of the challenges that arise in seeking to undertake research into Criminological issues in an international / comparative context.

On this module you will gain a detailed and contemporary understanding of criminal justice debates relating to custody and community based punishments. You will analyse penal policy and its relationship to wider issues associated with economic, social, cultural and political developments in an international context. Through engaging with historical and contemporary literature and research you will develop your knowledge of penal policy, as well as the underlying philosophies of punishment. Additionally you will develop an understanding as to why some western societies have adopted a more 'managerial' approach towards criminal justice, including the development of 'risk-based' and ‘deficits’ models of interventions, versus ‘strengths based’ approaches favoured in other jurisdictions. The module will also consider the ethics and role of the private sector in criminal justice systems, both prison and also community based sanctions.

You will understand contemporary perspectives on crime, harm, policing, and security in their global context and how these are related to wider process of globalisation and economic, social, cultural, and political developments that operate at transnational levels. You will develop foundational knowledge of governance, risk and security and how criminology operates beyond the nation state. Critical debates about the architecture of international policing, global crime investigation and the pluralisation of international policing and security are explored. These are related to challenges including transnational organised crime, cybercrime, state crime and strategies to countering these threats. You will learn how cases of global crime and harm provide an alternative perspective on the globalisation thesis and underline the links between local, regional, national, and global dimensions of policing and security.

On this module you will explore the issues of social exclusion and victimisation in the UK and internationally. You will discover and challenge the theoretical underpinnings of these concepts and their manifestations in contemporary society. The module will therefore begin by exploring the two concepts, their links to each other, as well as their relationship to related concepts (such as harm and vulnerability, inequality and injustice). The module will then move on to examine case studies in depth such as poverty and homelessness, violence against women, and sex work. Throughout the module, you will consider the ways in the concepts of social exclusion and victimisation have been framed within the policy process and public debate in the UK and beyond, and how such framings have influenced the nature of public policy.

In this module you will demonstrate advanced and independent critical thinking skills about the research process and a specific, substantial topic of your choice. In doing so you will develop robust, coherent and substantiated, advanced academic arguments in an identifiable area of enquiry. There are a number of options for the dissertation: literature-based, empirical, or placement-based dissertations. In formulating, research, and writing your dissertation you will be guided by your dissertation supervisor. The dissertation is the culmination of your taught experience and will enable you to deploy the skills develop during the taught programme.

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Effective reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
• Discussing ethical issues in research, and analysing results.
• Describing bias and limitations of research.