Societies expend huge amounts of intellectual and financial capital attempting to understand and explain the problem of crime. The module will provide a general introduction to the different types of crime that occur throughout the social structure in Western democracies, from the mundane, quotidian crimes of everyday life, to crimes perpetuated by the most powerful members of society. To that end, the module will contain lectures on subjects such as the nature and extent of violent crime, the process and effects of victimisation, and the relationship between key social divisions (age, gender and ethnicity) and patterns of offending. The module will also include a focus on how the media and popular culture intertwine with the practices of crime and crime control.
Total contact hours: 22
Private study hours: 128
Total study hours: 150
BA criminology and joint honours criminology programmes
Main assessment methods
Essay (2500 Words) – 80%
In-class test (30 Mins) – 20%
Reassessment methods
100% coursework.
Croal, H (2011) Crime and Society in Britain, London: Pearson.
Ferrell, J, Hayward, K and Young, J, (2008/2015) Cultural Criminology: An Invitation. London: Sage
Hale, C., Hayward, K., Wahidin, A. and Wincup, E. (eds) (2009) Criminology.
Oxford: Oxford University Press
Jewkes, Y (2011) Media and Crime, London: Sage
Maguire, M, Morgan, R, and Reiner, R (eds) (2012) The Oxford Handbook of
Criminology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
McLaughlin, E, and Muncie, J, (eds) (2013) The Sage Dictionary of Criminology, Third Edition, London: Sage
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Understand the structure of the criminal justice system and the development of the institutions on which it is founded.
8.2 Recognise the criminological importance of discrimination in shaping our understandings of crime and punishment;
8.3 Identify and make use of different sources of media and other empirical data on crime and victimisation, and assess its usefulness for
understanding the nature and extent of crime in society;
8.4 Understand the value of criminological theory and how it is both applied within and used to critique practical criminal justice issues;
8.5 Demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of how race, gender and age affect offending and victimisation;
8.6 Demonstrate an awareness of different sources on crime and victimisation and be able to assess their usefulness for understanding the
extent of crime in society.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Demonstrate skills in written presentation and debate, and in the utilization of research and empirical data
9.2 Synthesise the theoretical contributions of different schools and disciplines of enquiry
9.3 Gather appropriate library and web-based resources for undergraduate study and make critical judgments about their merits
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