Criminology - BA (Hons)

This module explores and examines the origins of criminology, some of its historical debates, concepts, literature and research. It will outline what are often considered the core perspectives and theories related to crime and criminality. It introduces students to the history and development of criminology as an academic discipline.

This module introduces students to both qualitative and quantitative criminological research methods and students will develop a basic understanding of how to design research appropriately in relation to a specific topic. This module will equip students to: develop an understanding of the relationship between theories and methods; understand a range of research methods and methods of analysis and develop the critical analyses and practical skills that are required to carry out research.

This module is important in setting a foundation for students in understanding the political and historical contexts of crime and the response of the State to it.

It will provide an understanding of contemporary institutions and policies within the structure of criminal justice/criminology and show their development in historical practice and experience and that they exist within a political framework in which resources are limited and ideas contested. A significant section of the module will cover the essentials of the political structures and institutions of Britain and the manner in which policy, particularly criminal justice policy, is made set against the background of historical practice, party ideology and economic constraints.

This module introduces students to the discipline of Security Studies. The module provides an overview of different theoretical approaches to the study of security, the historical development of the discipline and a range of relevant and contemporary topics such as terrorism and cybersecurity.

Security is an area of tremendous contemporary and international significance and this module aims to provide students with the requisite knowledge and understanding to fully appreciate the international and contested nature of the concept, key areas of debate in the field and the manner in which “security” physically manifests itself in the world.

This module allows students the opportunity to develop a key understanding of policing and criminological concepts and theoretical approaches which have been developed in relation to models of policing.

It will allow students an opportunity to examine and conceptualise some of the key debates around crime, policy, human rights, crime prevention, security, and policing. Students will be able to conceptualise and explain the subject matter and develop an understanding which informs debate about crime prevention, justice and security.

This module will examine the ways in which criminological and sociological theorising help us to challenge common sense in order to widen our understanding of a) ‘deviant’ identities and b) the operation of social control.

This module will explore the ways in which crime and deviance are socially constructed through varying contexts and how differing ‘deviant’ identities and subcultures are socially controlled and represented. Furthermore, the module explores the relations of power through which ‘deviant’ labels are ascribed (focusing on social stratifications such as gender, class, race/ethnicity, sexuality and age in order to reveal the fluidity of so-called ‘deviant’ identities).

In this module we will take a critical look at the shifting nature of crime, criminal identities and criminal markets throughout the twentieth century as linked to the urban city as a social milieu. We will also investigate the nature of contemporary city living and how contemporary forms of culture are inscribed in twenty-first century criminal practices. We will also look in a little more detail at forms of criminological theory and consider newer emergent aspects of cultural and critical forms of criminology.

This module provides learners with the opportunity to develop a more in-depth knowledge and understanding of the different procedures used for qualitative data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation. Students will particularly be encouraged to think critically about the diverse assumptions that underpin criminological research enabling the wider focus of the programme concerned with the historical and political framework within which

Criminology is situated to be explored. More specifically, the module aims to develop an awareness of the partiality of all social research (focusing in particular on key stratifications such as ‘race’, gender and sexuality, and class).

This module is designed to develop learners’ understanding of the emergence and development of key theories of punishment through an exploration of the history of penal theory and its contemporary challenges and controversies. Furthermore, this module seeks to refine and expand upon traditional theoretical perspectives of punishment and the current reliance upon imprisonment as a dominant form of punishment in England and Wales. In doing so, it requires students to critically engage with some of the limitations of such an approach.

Most people learn about crime not through direct experience of it but through consumption of media about it – for example news, television drama, film, fiction, documentaries, reality television, blogs, websites and social media. These representations are often characterised by under-representation, over-representation, misrepresentation and distortion of the crimes, criminals and victims they portray.

As such, understanding the relationship between crime, media and culture is an important strand within our programme philosophy, which places an emphasis on developing a critical appreciation of the relationship between individual and social aspects of crime, punishment and victimisation.

Youth Crime and Justice aims to equip students with a sound theoretical knowledge of juvenile offending and justice. In essence, the understanding of the complex relationship between young people and criminality fits within the wider aims of the degree programme and associated pathways as it draws on sociological, psychological and criminological understandings, furthering students’ ability to understand and problematize crime and its causes.

The module also recognises that the separate and distinct administration to criminal justice to young people is a topic worthy of consideration in its own right, and considers important debates around justice, welfare, education and the construction of youth and childhood. It takes both a contemporary and historical focus, considering how the nexus of crime, control and youth have variously been considered during different historical periods.

This module considers the different forms of forensic evidence and the variety of methods and practices of forensic science. It explores the theories and academic debates surrounding current practice and examines the value of forensic evidence in criminal investigations.

The Working in Criminal Justice module is intended to provide a structured opportunity for students -who choose to take-up work experience broadly related to the criminal justice system - to gain academic recognition by undertaking a programme of academic activity and assessment that enables them to reflect upon the practice of criminal justice, within the context of theoretical insights gained elsewhere on the course.

The module will encourage personal development and employability through the use of reflection and encouragement of self-awareness within the context of professional practice.

This module considers the history and theories of victimology, connotations of the term 'victim' and the social construction of victims. The module also considers and reflects upon the links between social inequality and victimisation, particularly focussing on domestic violence, sexual violence, hate crimes, corporate crimes and state crimes. It also explores the role of the victim in the criminal justice process and the provision of victim support services.

This module will examine the nature of illegal and legal drugs and the changing practices and contexts within which drugs are supplied and consumed. It will critically consider the relationships between drugs use, misuse, abuse, deviance and crime. In considering these issues, the module will seek to discuss the differing normative perspectives on how the national community responds to the various potentially substances.

As such, it will examine the developing history of policy responses to issues of substance using behaviour. Finally, it will evaluate contemporary official policies and practices which varyingly, seek to regulate supply and consumption, punish those using illegal substances/related offending, and reform the problematic consumer or person with an addiction.

The module aims to develop an understanding of the role of intelligence agencies in combating insecurity with particular reference to Britain. The module fulfils this through an examination on key aspects in the field of security studies. It aims to provide an understanding of the role of the British Security Service [MI5] since the end of the Second World War. The focus will be on the manner in which the Service has dealt with changing security threats from Soviet spies, through to internal subversives, the Irish Republican Army and the more recent emergence of Islamic Jihadis within a more accountable and democratic political framework.

This module is designed to develop learners’ ability to explore the extent to which a so-called ‘globalised’ response to transnational corporate and organised crime can be understood as an example of the radical extension of the powers of the powerful internationally.

The module will engage with a wide range of issues such as drug trade, arms trade, smuggling and trafficking in humans and body parts. It will also examine the problems of corporate fraud, tax evasion, corruption, health and safety violations on a global scale. Fundamentally, students will be faced with critical approaches to crime and criminal behaviour, challenging conventional power dynamics and global structures in order to gain a richer understanding of how particular forms crime operates at a global scale.

This module provides students with an opportunity to critically explore the concepts, debates, literature and research relating to rights. It encourages students to develop an informed and systematic approach to thinking about rights and to develop their knowledge of the main theories of rights. Given the centrality of rights to liberal democracy, the module assists students to better grasp the ideological context within which criminological thinking takes place.

The aim of the ‘Live project’ module is to provide a framework for you to undertake a substantial piece of disciplinary-relevant project work combined with academic reflexion and knowledge and skills which will give you both experience undertaking project work (working on a specified and approved project rather than undertaking a pure research project) that links your learning with employability skills and a practice context in a socially beneficial manner.

It is founded upon Birmingham City University’s teaching and learning philosophy which integrates theory and practice, and the BCU aims for graduates of building Skills awareness, employability and personal development which is embedded in the curriculum and its strong emphasis on building a professional portfolio of work and experience to ensure easy work transition for students.

This single module provides students with an opportunity to critically engage with some of the key aims of their programme by examining some of the contemporary debates that surround the phenomenon of homicide and multiple homicide- and how various perspectives have generated their own arguments in an attempt to understand this unique form of offending. In doing so, students will be given various case studies of serial murderers, focusing on more historical cases before moving to more contemporary examples, whilst also providing how academic understanding and society has developed during this time.

By presenting both a theoretical discussion and real life cases of serial murder, students will be provided an opportunity to develop knowledge and critical understanding of criminology and related disciplines both in theory and in practice.

This module will explore the gendered nature of crime and criminal justice. In doing so, we will consider the gendered perspective of victims, perpetrators and those working within the Criminal Justice System. This module will draw on a broad theoretical framework; including feminist, psychological, biological and human rights perspectives. This module is central to the students’ development of critical appreciation of the relationship between the individual and social aspects of crime and victimisation.

This is a Level 6 optional module which will introduce students to hate crime and issues related to hate crime and how multi-agencies have to deal with such complex issues. It will examine the issue of vulnerable groups such as children, those with a learning disability and people who have suffered anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia as potential victims of religiously motivated hate crimes.

The module will introduce students to the complex world of cyber-crime and issues related to cyber technology and how the police deal with cyber issues from cyber terrorism, cyber bullying and cyber hate. The module will work well alongside the other modules related to security studies where students will examine the rationale of cyber-crimes.

With rising prison populations and high rates of reoffending, the problem of how to support people back into the community and thus, help them cease offending has long been ignored in mainstream Criminology. This module therefore, examines what theories might support this process.

The module adopts a Positive Criminological approach considering a range of strength based theories such as rehabilitation, desistance, therapeutic communities, restorative justice etc. and their relationship with criminal justice policy and application to practice. Aspects within the criminal justice system and wider communities that support the rehabilitation, reintegration and re-entry of people convicted of committing crime will be explored and critically examined.

The module examines a range of terrorist threats from some anti-colonial groups the British encountered in the final days of the Empire, through to the conflict in Northern Ireland and finally those driven by Islamic extremism. The module pays particular attention to the different methods employed in the battle against terrorism from negotiation through to overt and covert military operation.

The module will examine surveillance and the extent to which everyday life is now subject to an extensive array of monitoring and data collection. The module questions how and why state surveillance practices operate and also explores the extent to which civil liberties and personal freedoms have been affected by recent surveillance developments.

We will consider the revelations of Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, as well as theorists such as Foucault and Bentham. The module will expand on how governments, big business and new technologies are aiding and easing the collection of personal and targeted data.

‘Dark Leisure’ is tied to an emergent criminological research field that unites a multi-disciplinary network of academics, researchers and postgraduate students who explore the boundaries of crime, consumption, leisure and deviance. The topic is informed through critical engagement with a range of perspectives intersecting with the sociological interpretations of crime and deviance, drawing on criminology, law, sociology, urban studies, geography, and leisure and tourism.

The overarching theme of dark (or deviant) leisure therefore unites a wide range of research areas, including: leisure and consumption practices, intoxication, media, parkour/free running, urban exploration, sport and violence, dark tourism, sex work, pornography and bondage, domination, sadism and masochism (BDSM) subcultures and the internet/social media and their impact and correlation with issues of criminological and sociological theory.