CR4014 - Identity and Diversity in Criminology

This module will be delivered using a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures are used to convey core theoretical and substantive material, while seminars are designed to reinforce this knowledge via student-led discussions and additional case study materials. You will also be required to do some directed and independent study. Directed study generally takes the form of preparation for seminars (e.g. reading academic material or preparing written work) so that you can engage in informed discussions with your seminar group. Independent learning generally involves one or more of the following activities: consolidating your lecture and seminar material; engaging in further reading and study; and revising/preparing for the module assessments.

This is a team-taught module, with two or three staff members available to support you via lectures, seminars, scheduled tutorial hours and via email and the electronic learning portal. There is also substantial support from your fellow students during seminars and outside of class. Your academic development will be facilitated through engagement with the newly emerging academic literature and by debating with your peers and academic tutors about your understanding of the literature.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge and Understanding:
1. Reflect critically on the significance of power, identity, and diversity to the discipline of criminology.
2. Describe, critically evaluate, and synthesise relevant knowledge about the intersectional nature of crime, victimisation, and punishment.

Intellectual / Professional Skills and abilities:
3. Demonstrate an ability to engage in effective academic discussion around chosen topics.
4. Develop academically rigorous arguments and communicate them clearly in written work.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Display intellectual curiosity and openness towards different ideas when analysing specific issues and topics.

Formative:
Formative assessment is given continually during seminars where your tutor will encourage your participation and critical thinking and provide advice and feedback to assist with your knowledge development and assessments.

Summative Assessments:

Book Review (50%)
Students will review one of the books on the suggested reading list, or select your own book that is agreed in advance via email / the module blackboard site by the module tutors.
In the 1000 word review students are expected to:
• Provide an overview and critique/reflection of the book.
• Describe how the author(s) discuss identity and diversity (such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability and intersections of these).
• Discuss how the issues raised in relation to identity and diversity are linked to crime and criminal/justice.

Summative Essay (50%)
A 1500 word essay which entails a critical discussion of a set question/statement circulated by the module tutor. Students will be required to draw on key issues/case studies covered on the module in order to answer.

These assessments address MLO 1,2,3,4 and 5. Written summative feedback will be provided on the essays.

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This module encourages you to critically reflect on how individual and group identities (e.g. based on race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, religion) impact on people’s experiences of crime, victimisation, and criminal justice processes. You will explore understandings of what identity is and how it is done using comparative and international perspectives. You will critically engage with diversity and what this means in contemporary society. On this module, you will also be introduced to a range of theoretical, empirical and policy issues that demonstrate how diverse identities interact and intersect in the context of crime and the criminal justice system. Questions you may be asked to consider include: how does gender intersect with race and class to shape Black women’s experiences of violence? What impact does homophobia and the stigmatisation of LBGTQI+ communities have on experiences of hate crime? How are class and crime connected? Why are race, ethnicity, and nationality important when studying penal regimes, sentencing practices and border control? By the end of the module, you will have a deeper understanding of the significance of power, identity, and diversity to the discipline of criminology.