Undergraduate BSc (Hons)
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Develop your understanding of crime, its causes and its impact; gain the skills to improve lives.
Develop your understanding of crime, its causes and its impact; gain the skills to improve lives.
Why do crime rates rise and fall and what can authorities do to reduce criminal offending? Does prison work? How can you prepare for a successful career in criminal justice? By choosing Criminology and Criminal Justice at Kent, you'll discuss all these questions and more, developing the knowledge and skills to answer them.
You’ll learn about criminal justice systems across the world, including our own prisons, police and courts, discovering the challenges each of them face. You’ll also explore key debates around crime policy through a critical and career-focused lens.
At Kent, you’ll be taught by world-leading academics and experienced criminal justice professionals who have worked with Kent Police, the Metropolitan Police, HM Prisons Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Probation Service, the legal profession and charities supporting victims and communities.
Our diverse and cutting-edge range of modules covers areas such as cybercrime, criminal psychology, drug policy, violent crime, youth offending and hate crime, giving you the chance to explore a full range of criminological topics and tailor your degree to your own interests.
'I have met so many amazing people from my course and from where I live. Everyone has such interesting stories from all over the world.'
Criminology at Kent achieved the highest score for research quality in The Times Good University Guide 2024.
Develop practical skills in criminal justice: train in the UK's first Restorative Justice Clinic or volunteer with one of our partners.
Gain first-hand knowledge via our partnerships with the Police, HMP Prisons Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Probation Service and many charities.
We work with you to build your skills, networks and opportunities via workshops and shadowing schemes with criminal justice professionals.
Our typical offer levels are listed below and include indicative contextual offers. If you hold alternative qualifications just get in touch and we'll be glad to discuss these with you.
BBC
Distinction, Merit, Merit
112 Tariff points from your IB Diploma, Typically H5, H5, H6 or equivalent
English Language at grade C/4
Pass the University of Kent International Foundation Programme.
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
Obtain Access to HE Diploma with 45 at level 3 Credits with 18 credits at Distinction and 24 credits at Merit.
The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.
How can we explain criminal, deviant and harmful behaviour? You'll explore a range of criminological, sociological and psychological ideas that attempt to answer this question. Each week, you'll be introduced to academic theories designed to explain the causes of crime, deviance, and/or harm. You'll be taught about the contents of such ideas, the historical context from which they have emerged, approaches to crime control they have been used to support, and their apparent strengths and limitations.
Focusing on theories that have emerged between the late-18th century and the modern era, you'll engage with a range of debates around crime and punishment that have raged throughout criminology’s history – and debates that, importantly, continue to shape ongoing understandings of (and responses to) crime and harm in the contemporary social world.
What is criminology, and what does it mean to study it? This module provides students with an overview of the field of criminology, exploring a range of theories, research methods, and key concepts related to crime, deviance, and social control. You'll examine debates relating to the causes and consequences of crime, the strengths and limitations of approaches to criminal justice, and the role of various institutions in determining and responding to criminal behaviour.
You'll explore these topics in a thematic format to better understand how crime and criminalisation are informed by social processes and environments. Through discussions, debates and practical exercises, you'll develop a foundational understanding of criminological principles and their application to real-world issues. You will also develop key study skills – and familiarity with academic evidence and materials – that will enhance your ability to successfully study criminology at a university level.
What does it mean to possess an 'imagination' as a social scientist – and as a criminologist more narrowly? You'll cover the important work of C Wright Mills on the sociological imagination, before moving on to explore Jock Young’s seminal work on the criminological imagination. In taking this module, you'll learn that criminology is an interdisciplinary subject, with specific links with related disciplines such as sociology, social policy, law, psychology and many more.
Each week, your lecture will debate one key (and topical) question as it relates to criminology and criminal justice, and will explore differing theoretical perspectives related to that question. Your studies will be devoted to providing a series of examples of the extent of criminology’s real-world relevance via a variety of formats, including presentations of current research, roundtables and debates on issues currently in the news, films and documentaries.
Society is complex, and there are many different approaches researchers have taken to studying it. In fact there has been so much written – so many thousands of books and articles of research and theory on every aspect of how society works – that it can seem overwhelming. Where do we even start?
On this module, you'll learn how we, as social scientists, study society. What is the difference between evidence and theory? How do we know when we know something, and how confident can we be in that knowledge? What are the different kinds of evidence social scientists use to investigate how people organise themselves?
After completing this module, you'll have a much deeper understanding of how social scientists study society – how we gather, describe, and, importantly, evaluate social scientific knowledge. You'll be able to make sense of the mass of social scientific information, and organise it to make clear, evidence-based arguments about vital social topics such as crime, gender, the environment, education, and culture.
What do we mean by the term ‘criminal justice system’, and what is its role in contemporary society? What agencies make up the criminal justice system? How are those agencies funded, and who gets to decide how they are run or if changes should be made? How do we know if the criminal justice system is working, and how can it be held to account? How is criminal justice policy made?
You'll explore these questions and more on this module, by looking in depth at the criminal justice systems in the UK and how the agencies that operate within in work. You'll develop your ability to understand and critically assess how the political problem of ‘crime’ is interpreted and applied through the criminal justice system, and how this relates to wider issues about states, democracy and human rights. You'll gain knowledge about the criminal justice system and its constituent agencies, and understand different positions and perspectives on how criminal justice systems could be organised.
What can a criminology and criminal justice student do beyond their degree? The module proposes answers to this question and outlines the different roles within the criminal justice system often occupied by those with criminology degrees. You'll also be encouraged to explore the areas in which criminological skills can be useful (including working for third sector organisations, government departments, non-governmental organisations and research institutions). The potential for criminology and criminal justice studies to bring about political change – for example through activism, or to contribute to civic responsibilities, for example via voluntary work – is addressed in relation to the concept of public criminology. You'll also explore the working lives of those in different crime-and-criminal-justice-related careers, the key issues confronting different professions, and academic research on criminological and criminal justice roles and occupations.
Exploring a range of topics that serve as topical case studies, you'll be introduced to a range of contemporary issues within the field of criminology and criminal justice. With each topic chosen because of its significance to emerging debates and perspectives within criminological studies, you'll examine these debates and discover how contemporary criminological ideas and concepts can help us understand real-world events. You'll also learn how policy and practice impacts our understanding of key theories and concepts.
You'll be asked to watch or listen to media content that relates to the topic for each week, while discussing how its content relates to criminological issues and the topics covered for that week. You'll explore the issues on the module from a range of theoretical and conceptual perspectives, evaluating the merits of these approaches and analysing their importance in relation to the case studies presented. Indicative case studies may include issues such as: urban crime, crime in the global south, environmental crime, crimes of the powerful.
In what ways are various inequalities relevant to crime and the delivery of criminal justice? This module examines the complex relationship between social inequalities and the criminal justice system, focusing on how disparities in socioeconomic status, race, gender, and other factors contribute to patterns of crime, victimisation, and access to justice. Through theoretical analysis and empirical research, students will explore the ways in which structural inequalities intersect with criminal justice processes, shaping both the commission of crimes and responses to crime within society. By critically engaging with issues of inequality, this module aims to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and possibilities for achieving justice in diverse communities.
Explore the major issues and controversies that have shaped key developments in contemporary social theory. We will survey the development of social theory through the second half of the twentieth century and up to the present day. Following on from the the earlier module on ‘classical’ social theory, it questions the distinction between the ‘classical’ and the ‘contemporary’ to highlight the intellectual decisions, values and problems involved in the packaging of social theory under these terms.
You will further explore social theories that extend beyond Eurocentric and anthropocentric perspectives. Examining evolving perspectives on core concepts such as biopolitics, habitus, ethnomethodology, recognition, shame, civilising process, intersectionality, coloniality of power, subaltern, cosmopolitanism etc. Upon completion, you will have gained a deep understanding of contemporary social theories and their applications in analysing current social issues. Being able to critically evaluate societal developments and contribute thoughtfully to debates on social change.
We live in a deeply unequal world – one in which your education, wealth, power, and even health can be determined not by your intelligence or character, but by the social group you belong to. The study of these social inequalities has been central to Sociology right from its beginnings as a discipline.
In this module, you'll learn how deep social divisions by gender, ethnicity, and social background really are, how they come about, and how they might be challenged. You'll read what classical and cutting edge sociology has to say about how and why inequality develops, and how it has been maintained. Engage with important ongoing debates about how society should be organised, and what can be done about social divisions that seem so intractably engrained.
Inequality is one of the most important issues of our age. Barack Obama described it as 'the defining challenge of our time'. And yet so much of the conversation about social inequalities is superficial and uninformed. At the end of this module, you'll have a much deeper knowledge of the real issues that underly these debates, and of how sociological research and imagination can help us to resolve them
Society is becoming ever more digitally centred – from work to leisure, our activities are centred around 'the digital.' Do the ways we study society need to change in line with the ways we live within it? This module provides you with the chance to critically assess this, and related questions, while offering digital methods training to conduct your own research. To do this, though, we need to do two things.
First, you will critically reflect on issues around digital data and methods. This includes the implications of digital technologies on contemporary culture and society (e.g., online social networks, algorithmic mediation, online participatory culture, etc.); an evaluation of what digital culture and data are and why it’s distinct; and a grounding in the ethics of digital research via critical evaluation (e.g., algorithmic bias).
Second, you will put these critical reflections into practice using digital data and methods. This will allow you to develop your digital research toolbox, learning about methods like Social Network Analysis; Quantitative Text Analysis; Geographic Information Systems; and others. These skills will prepare you for both research in university, and future careers in the digital world.
What next for policing? How have recent scandals damaged its reputation? Does the institution still have legitimacy and can it continue to ‘police by consent’? You will address these questions and many more.
You’ll explore contemporary events which have shaped the modern practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion. You will be encouraged to think critically about issues of legitimacy, policing by consent, community-based policing and state power.
Each week on the module, we’ll explore the ways in which these developments have had an impact on the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Focusing on important socio-historical developments in policing, you will be equipped to critically engage with the debates surrounding policing in modern society.
Why and how did today’s criminal justice system in Britain come to take the shape it has? Why was a modern police force introduced? Why was there a shift away from transportation and corporal/capital punishments? How and why do some things become criminalised and others decriminalised over time? Over the course of this module, we explore these questions and many others as we examine how crime, policing and punishment have evolved in Britain over the last three hundred years.
You will explore the development of key criminal justice institutions, such as the courts and the police, as well as the factors influencing change. Through hands-on work with primary sources, you gain rich and varied insights into our subject matter and build your skills in assessing evidence.
In addition to gaining knowledge about the history of the criminal justice system, you also develop the ability to critically reflect upon how crime and society interrelate, and to construct your own, evidence-based arguments as contributions to ongoing debates about the past, present and future of criminal justice.
Through exploring the modern prison system in England and Wales, you will learn about how prison came to be the mainstay of our penal system, what different rationales are put forward to explain its purpose, and who we typically send to prison. Various topical issues of imprisonment will be interrogated during the course with a view to understanding whether the current prison system is in a state of crisis. You will start by being introduced to the question of whether our prisons are legitimate and will consider the arguments for and against prison reform and abolition.
We will incorporate lived experience elements, drawing on account of those who have lived and worked within the prison estate. Classes throughout the course will be grounded in both theoretical concepts and statistical information, and will refer to current cases as examples to enliven discussions and further the development of new views and ideas surrounding prisons.
This is your introduction to Criminal Psychology. You will explore the roots of criminal psychology and pioneering debates that have shaped the field, mapping both historical and contemporary debates.
We will outline a variety of debates and theoretical perspectives in criminal psychology and expound the utility of criminal psychology within criminal justice contexts. In doing this, you will begin to explore the history of criminal psychology, how the field has been shaped, biological and developmental theories of psychology and offending, the emergence, persistence and desistence of offending from various standpoints.
By the end of the module you will have developed an understanding of criminal psychology and how developments in the field are shaping criminal justice practice in policing, sentencing in the courts, and offender rehabilitation in prisons and probation contexts.
Restorative justice has emerged in recent years as a new way of thinking about how we should view and respond to crime. Restorative approaches are making significant inroads into criminal justice policy and practice, and through your studies, we will provide you with an opportunity to engage in an increasingly dynamic and interesting field in (and beyond) contemporary criminal justice.
Our main aim of this module is to equip you with a critical understanding of restorative justice in theory and practice. The first part of the module (Theories) explores key values, issues and debates in restorative justice set in the context of theoretical arguments and criminal justice policy and practice. While the second part of the module (Practices) equips you with hands-on skills to analyse and respond restoratively to micro-social conflicts and harms using a learning-by-doing approach.
What is globalisation, and what forms does it take? How does globalisation reconstitute our relationship to society? How is global development experienced across the world, and what power relations does it (re)produce?
To help develop your critical understanding of globalisation we will present contemporary modes and challenges of doing sociology in an increasingly complex and interrelated world.
You will critically evaluate explore key topical debates relating to global economic interdependence, migratory flows and experiences, and the work of development agencies and NGOs. You’ll also explore forms of resistance to global processes, including alter-globalisation movements and the national populist backlash. Underpinning these themes and debates is a theoretical investigation of how we might frame and analyse globalisation and development processes, including ‘creolisation’, ‘McDonaldisation’ and postcolonial perspectives.
As digital spaces become more present and crucial to our everyday lives, these spaces not only impact out social and cultural understanding of the world around us, they also lead to new cultures and social groups.
You will concentrate on how the internet in particular has challenged some of our more traditional notions of identity and self, the body, relationships, community, privacy, politics, friendship, war and crime, economics, among others. In your lectures you will discover how some of the basic components of society and culture such as notions of identity, space, work, the body, privacy, community, and even the very notion of what it is to be human, have been complicated by the rise of virtuality, cyberspace, social networking, algorithms and artificial intelligence.
Through examining these issues through case study phenomena unique to digital culture, including gaming, music, dating, and social networking, you will build an understanding of digital culture, these ideas, and ways to communicate them are increasingly in demand in by employers as our society becomes more intertwined with digital spaces.
Why do we care so much about whether other people respect us? Why does it feel so bad when people look down on us – so bad that people will take dramatic, and sometimes even violent action avoid it? What consequences does this have for society as a whole?
Your exploration of ‘social status’ provides answers to these questions. On this module, you will learn how status is different from the types of inequality we normally study in sociology like wealth, power, and social class. You will explore why human beings value status so highly, and why they often take such dramatic steps to avoid losing it. Through using the lens of social status, you will be able to understand a whole host of social issues, including crime and violence, mental and physical health, cultural taste, and morality and identity.
This is a unique opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’ – to understand one of the hidden forces that shape how society works.
To understand race and ethnicity in society, the self is a crucial place to start. We will encourage you to think about your place in your own social worlds, and in particular the importance of your ethnic and racial backgrounds/identities in shaping this sense of belonging in multicultural contexts.
What is the nature of ethnic ties and membership? How do understanding of ethnic group and race-based identities and membership influence our interactions with one another, and structure our opportunities in the wider society? How do our ethnic backgrounds intersect with our gender, religion, and sexuality? These issues are now critical in multi-ethnic societies such as Britain, where our use of ethnic and racial categories and terms are central to societal organisation and function, whether in the census or in everyday interactions.
But given the dizzying speed with which our societies are become super-diverse, via various forms of migration, and interracial and interethnic unions, the terms and categories we use are much less ‘obvious’ than they may have been in the past. Membership in ethnic or racial groups themselves is now increasingly contested, and we also question what we mean by terms such as ‘minority’ or ‘BME’ and if these terms are still suitable for our society today.
Migration might be the most pressing issue of recent times, namely, migration, and its relationship to politics of identities, belonging and citizenship in global societies. Over the course of the term, you will explore migration through a series of key themes and issues. You will participate in debate and critically explore the ways in which migrants, refugees and diaspora communities shape their societies of settlement and origin and how they have become key actors of a process of ‘globalisation from below’ at different social and spatial scales.
You will critically discuss key concepts and theories deployed to analyse contemporary processes of migration, transnationalism and diaspora and assess their relevance across a wide range of migration case studies.
Examples of the central questions this module will address are: what are the main drivers of contemporary migration? To what extent can migrants become transnational citizens? What is the link between migration and homeland development in third world countries? How are gender, class and race relations affected by migration? By the end of this module, you will be able to accurately construct potential answers and debate points around these questions, giving you the toolbox to find resolutions to global discourse.
If you’re seeking to work in or make an impact in the world of teaching and education, understanding education is a global context is a great first step to making your voice heard and starting your career.
You will be encouraged to explore problems, challenges, and questions about education through a global sociological lens. You’ll cover the history of education in the local and global context, and an examination of the intersections, hierarchies, ethics, and dynamics of power and inequality in the classroom.
You’ll delve further into other topics such as the marketisation and digitisation of further and higher education; the rise in ‘radical pedagogies’, alternative, and inclusive curricula. We will ask you to consider ideas around the purpose of education and educational policy and their sociological implications, as well as encouraging comparative analysis of international education systems.
There will be a specific focus on your own reflexive experience of education, and how it might be experienced as a UK, international, widening participation, or non-traditional student considering current discourse and educational policy. You will also get hands on, being introduced to educational research methods, including the principles of action research and autoethnography, which will inform the work you do for your main assignment.
You have the option to add a year in industry to this course. We already know you have the confidence and commitment to thrive in the workplace and kick-start your career. This is your chance to prove it, to yourself and to employers.
When should I start looking? In the summer of your first year; placements must be secured by 31 August in your second year.
Where can I get help finding a placement? Book an appointment with a placement adviser via the careers service.
Will I get paid? Most of our placements are paid.
Do I have to pay tuition fees? Yes, you’ll pay a substantially reduced fee, currently £1,850, which for UK students is covered by Student Finance.
Where can I get visa advice if I’m an international student? Kent Union can help with any visa queries for your Year in Industry.
Does the University keep in touch? You receive four-weekly check-in emails, a visit from the team every three months and you can reach out to us any time by email or phone.
Do I work for a full year? The minimum requirement for an industrial placement is 44 weeks.
What could you do in a year?
My year in industry couldn’t have gone better. I secured a role at IBM, working in their sports and entertainment department – it was perfect for meTom Tillin Find out more
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stages 1 and 2 to proceed to the year abroad. If the requirement is not met, you will be transferred to the equivalent three-year programme. The year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification.
For further information, please see Go Abroad.
Where could you go in a year?
My ‘You only live once’ decision to study in Japan is one of the best I’ve ever made. I had a fantastic year.Cheyenne Nolan Find out more
This module aims to develop your quantitative research skills into a more advanced quantitative research skillset. These skills are highly valuable in several fields, from the social sciences to political research and beyond.
On the module you will: Learn ways to work with and manipulate data to make them ready for statistical analysis. Critically understand the limitations of simple (OLS) regression, with particular emphasis on omitted variable bias and confounding. Learn a number of advanced methods for investigating the social world through quantitative research (e.g. those under the umbrella of the general linear models).
You will first consider the rationale for a method (its strengths and limitations), and then use the method in hands-on statistical analysis sessions using appropriate statistical software (e.g. R); Learn how to communicate and present data and quantitative analysis (e.g. with various types of data visualisations).
What would you do with £2,000 that you had to give to charity – which cause(s) would you donate to and why? These are the real-life questions you will explore in this module, giving away real money, to real charities each seeking to raise funds for important causes impacting the communities of Kent and Medway.
Philanthropy in Action is like no other module, working collaboratively with Kent Community Foundation, you will hear directly from charities working within fields specific to your discipline, assess real-life assess real-life requests for funding and structure your own decision-making processes to culminate in hands-on engagement through the allocation of philanthropic funding to grassroots community initiatives.
As well as the practical decision of how to allocate £2,000 you will be supported to critically analyse the societal dynamics of philanthropy. We will explore the motivations behind philanthropic acts and their societal outcomes to assess the strengths and criticisms of this funding mechanism. We will draw on economic, social and moral frameworks to critically question the notion of ‘voluntary action for the public good’ so that you can reach conclusions about philanthropy’s role and impact across all spheres of civil society.
There is a well-established correlation between illicit drug use and other forms of crime. In order to understand this connection, and how to reduce related harms, we need a thorough and critical understanding of: the scale and type of illicit drug use; the causal connections between drugs, crime and other social factors; and the policies and practices that are used in response.
You will explore these matters, while also examining the inequalities in drug use and related harms across social groups, by class, race and gender. By the end of the module, you will be enabled to gather and analyse data on illicit drug use and markets, their links to other forms of offending, and the policies and practices that can provide just and effective means for preventing and reducing harm and inequalities.
To gain understanding and offer solutions for offender rehabilitation, we need to critically examine the role, use, and rehabilitative work of correctional services for adults in the prison and probation estate as part of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Services (HMPPS).
You will review the recent history and contemporary concerns of prisons and probation, and the various models employed in attempting to help offenders to change. We draw upon relevant theory, research, and practice to consider how these services may, or may not, contribute to the rehabilitation and resettlement of serious offenders. You will also explore the idea of desistance and how this can be facilitated or undermined within prison and probation contexts.
By the end of the module, you will have gained a detailed and sophisticated understanding of the central importance of prisons and probation to the criminal justice system and of the potential for, but also pitfalls so often associated with, offender rehabilitation.
Cybercrime is an increasingly relevant and important issue of our time. You will explore the phenomenon of cybercrime within the context of contemporary criminological theory and practice. You will also examine the emergence of cybercrime, its impact on society, and the challenges it poses for law enforcement and criminal justice systems. Through a multidisciplinary approach, you critically analyse various forms of cybercrime, such as hacking, identity theft, online fraud, cyberbullying, and cyberterrorism.
We cover key theoretical perspectives relevant to understanding cybercrime, such as routine activity theory, strain theory, social learning theory, and subcultural theories. You will aim to understand the motivations, behaviours, and techniques of cyber offenders, as well as the socio-cultural, economic, and technological factors that contribute to the prevalence of cybercrime.
Additionally, you reflect on the implication of the legal and regulatory frameworks governing cybercrime, international cooperation in combating cyber threats, and strategies for cybercrime prevention and intervention. You will use case studies and real-world examples to illustrate theoretical concepts and practical implications.
Why has crime become such an important political issue in recent years? And how has the politicisation of law-and-order transformed the criminal justice landscape?
You will explore the way in which criminal justice and criminal justice policy-making has been subject to increasing political scrutiny in recent years. You’ll engage with topics such as terrorism, dangerous offenders, penology and capital punishment to highlight the interaction between popular opinion, research, policy formation and the criminalisation of particular groups within society.
Each week you’ll be introduced to some of the contemporary debates surrounding the creation of criminal justice policy, and the potential unintended consequences that those political decisions can bring about. Focusing on important ideological shifts in the practice of criminal justice, you will be equipped to critically engage with the debates surrounding the politicisation of law-and-order.
How do we explain the enduring fascination with young people who commit crime? And what happens to children and young people who break the law?
On this module you will explore the range of sociological and criminological ideas that have been put forward to explain young people’s deviant behaviour, and society’s responses to their crimes.
Each week you’ll be introduced to some of the contemporary debates surrounding young people’s involvement in crime and deviance. When does naughty behaviour become ‘anti-social’, or even criminal? And who should have the power to define that behaviour and govern it?
You will investigate various responses to youth crime, giving special attention to how young people are dealt with by the youth justice system. Through focusing on theories and ideas about the nature of youth, crime and youth justice, you are equipped to critically engage with the debates surrounding the causes of youth crime and the responses of the youth justice system.
Violence has always grabbed the headlines, now it is receiving increasing attention within the social sciences. You will explore why this is and will be introduced the major theoretical and research themes involved in the analysis of violence.
You will examine data on the prevalence, nature, and effects of violent crime, and will consider issues of violence, aggression, and masculinity. This will be done with reference to examples, such as racist crime, homophobic crime, and domestic violence.
You will approach violence from interpersonal and societal perspectives and will include consideration of collective violence and genocide. You will complete this module being able to examine solutions to violence and conflict resolution, the effects of intervention strategies and non-juridical responses to violence.
This module – taken by students based at Kent’s Canterbury campus and others based in prison – explores contemporary issues in criminal justice focusing mostly on the British context. The curriculum provides the opportunity for Kent students to connect with real world criminal justice issues, including imprisonment – and for prison-based students to place their own experiences of the criminal justice system in a wider academic context.
The curriculum will be divided into four parts as follows:
• Part one: Prison security training; separate introductory meetings; first joint meeting and introduction to reflective writing and facilitated learning.
• Part two: Substantive topics of criminological interest e.g. what causes crime; do prisons work; how should we regulate drugs; how should victims be treated within the criminal justice system.
• Part three: The development of a group project between small groups of Kent and prison-based students. This project will be related to one of the substantive topics from part two and will culminate in a group presentation.
• Part four: Closing ceremony and debriefing providing a final space to reflect on the overall learning experience.
The relationship between humans and other animals has received increased attention since the turn of the 21st century, quickly emerging as a deeply intersectional and multifaceted area of interest generally and in sociology in particular.
This shift also reflects growing public, political, and industry awareness to worsening climate change, mounting human health crises related to animal-based diets and zoonotic diseases, and expanding ethical concerns over the treatment of Nonhuman Animals used for food, medicine, clothing, and companionship.
You will get to grips with a multispecies sociological approach to understanding contemporary social problems, exploring the many ways that our relationships with other animals has profound implications for human systems, the environment, and, of course, nonhuman animals themselves. Together, we will examine historical and contemporary constructions of ‘animal’ and ‘human’ and how stories about biology, evolution, domestication, civilisation, economic progress, and “the other” create and reproduce social distinctions and boundaries for humans and nonhumans alike.
Environmental issues have become central matters of public concern and political contention, but addressing these issues is a complicated matter. How can we navigate these complexities to make meaningful, positive change for the environment?
Through this module you will consider explanations for the rise of environmental concern as well as the forms of organisation that have been adopted to address environmental questions. You’ll follow the development of environmental protest from the philosophical to the political. In doing so, you examine various scales of political engagement including the grassroots, nation-state, and international.
We will critically examine sociological analyses of environmental inequality, protest participation, institutionalisation, and capitalist co-optation of sustainability efforts. Upon careful consideration of various interventions, approaches, theories, and bodies of research, you will gain confidence in confronting the sustainability challenges that currently and increasingly concern a variety of industries, charities, governments, civic organisations and communities. A greener, more sustainable and equitable society depends on people just like you. This class aims to foster your ambition, leadership, and collaborative skills to make it happen.
How can we use theory and empirical evidence to comprehend the relationship between society and the economy? How can sociological training shed light on a range of contemporary political and economic questions?
This module explores those questions from all angles. You’ll look at topics like work, the rise of precarious employment and the role of digital technologies in workplaces. You’ll also discuss issues like inequality and debt at the household, national, and global level, as well as issues around gendered and racialised divisions of labour and problems related to consumption practices.
Throughout the course, you’ll engage with fundamental questions around the nature of money, wealth creation and rent extraction and examine the effect of extractive industries on our economy and planet - paving the way for a fairer future.
How is science changing society? Global challenges such as the prevention and treatment of disease, finding cures for cancer, or fighting antimicrobial resistance are all underpinned by scientific research; as is addressing climate change, pollution, and safeguarding the world’s ability to produce food. Advances in technology have changed the ways we communicate, work, and interact with the world from the ubiquitousness of smart phones to video conferencing and remote working. But how are people engaging with scientific or medical research?
You will consider science and society through a sociological lens and consider the who, how, where, and whys of ‘doing’ science. You will explore the social, ethical, political, and economic implications of scientific progress. You’ll study the barriers to doing and being a scientist and the implications of absences of peoples and groups in research cultures or health research.
Building upon this, you will explore forms of societal governance of science; policies, guidelines and professional codes of conduct. You contribute to discussions on topics including: risk society and the “humanisation” of science, science and its environmental impact, biosecurity and biosafety, technology and inequality, intellectual property rights, public engagement and public consultation, citizen science, AI and posthumanism, and national innovation policies.
Increasingly, more and more of us come from cities, so understanding the urban environment is crucial for figuring out who we are, and plotting the course for where we might be going. You will explore global cities and key contexts for modern social life, producing distinctive forms of sociological research and enquiry. You will focus on, and contrast cities in the Global North and South to explore questions of urbanisation under capitalism, planning, consumerism, globalisation, social differentiation, multiculturalism, and comparative urbanism.
You’ll delve into key concerns such as questions of belonging, and the ‘right to the city’ including who belongs in - and who is excluded from - the public spaces of the city, and the processes underlying such dynamics, as well as the possibilities for resistance for marginalised social groups.
Through this, you will consider topics including gentrification, displacement, homelessness, and policing, as well as social movements and activism. Key theoretical perspectives introduced will include Marxism, the Chicago School, post-modernism, feminism and post-colonialism. To really explore questions and produce answers, you need to go beyond the classroom, as well as lectures and seminars, teaching will include practical workshops and fieldtrips to enable students to apply learning to live urban contexts and analysis.
How do physical bodies influence the ways we perceive, understand, and engage with the world? How are bodies utilised to represent and experience our own and others’ gender and/or sexuality? How do these factors change how we are perceived, understood, and treated within society?
Everyone has a living, breathing body; so, everything we experience is by definition embodied. Yet bodies and gender are socially constructed, and embodiment is a contested term. Embodiment can describe how we represent ourselves at an individual or societal level: through the clothes we wear; whether we have tattoos; the way we use makeup; or how we ‘discipline’ ourselves through diet and exercise. Embodiment also describes a process of becoming and state of being more self-aware and conscious of the feelings, sensations, perceptions, judgements, and emotions that arise from, within, and about our bodies.
You will explore ways in which bodies can be researched and become tools for research, learning how bodies are a means of developing awareness and reflexivity. You will gain a deeper understanding of the body from a sociological perspective, exploring topics such as: hierarchies of oppression; gendered constructions of identity and sexuality; moving bodies; dis-abled bodies; and how certain bodies feel they do or do not belong.
How does social experience from the Global South shape contemporary sociological debate and theory? This module attempts to answer that question by splitting it into three parts.
Firstly, you’ll explore the Global South and power struggles around in its historical context. You’ll examine the Eurocentric blindspots of supposedly ‘global’ or ‘cosmopolitan’ sociological outlooks and discuss what good social research should look like.
After developing a solid grasp of key historical and conceptual debates, you’ll move on to study specific regions (such as China, India and Africa) to deepen your understanding of issues such as universality and difference, resistance and subversion, national and transnational solidarities.
You’ll then conclude the module by looking at methodological and conceptual reflections on mainstream sociology. Depending both your knowledge of the global south, and understanding its context in modern sociology.
This module offers you the opportunity to engage in either independent research or professional practice within an organisation, enabling you to apply theoretical knowledge and research skills acquired throughout your studies in a real-world setting. You have the flexibility to choose between three pathways:
Independent Research Project: You undertake an original research project under the supervision of an academic advisor. You are expected to formulate research questions, design, and execute a research plan, collect, analyse and draw meaningful conclusions. The research project culminates in the production of a dissertation-style report that demonstrates your ability to conduct rigorous academic research and the skills that come with it.
Creative Project: You can undertake an original research project akin to the Independent Research Project, but with a creative output aimed at utilising different kinds of skills and engaging a public audience with academic ideas and findings. This creative element could include a podcast, film, zine, poster exhibition, photo-journal or an alternative format depending on which medium best matches the aims of the research and your own interests and talents.
Professional Placement: You will also have the option to work with a placement organisation undertaking work relevant to your course, such as a company, non-profit organisation, government agency, or research institute. During the placement, you will engage in tasks and projects relevant to your field of study under the supervision of the organisation and assisted by an academic. You will apply theoretical knowledge to practical challenges, develop professional skills, and produce a research report addressing a specific issue identified by the organisation and in collaboration with the supervisor. Throughout the module, you’ll receive guidance and support from academic supervisors and/or placement mentors, ensuring that your research, engagement activity, or professional experience aligns with your personal academic and career goals.
We use a variety of teaching methods including lectures, case studies, group projects and individual and group tutorials.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.
Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
My desire to become a criminal barrister was largely due to what I learnt during my degree.
You’ll join our graduates realising their ambitions both in the field of criminal justice and in more diverse professions. Recently, our graduates have gone into:
You can tell by the way they deliver their lectures that all the staff are passionate about their subjects.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Fees for undergraduate students are £1,900.
Fees for undergraduate students are £1,430.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
You will require regular access to a desktop computer/laptop with an internet connection to use the University of Kent’s online resources and systems. Please see information about the minimum computer requirements for study.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.
We welcome applications from students all around the world with a wide range of international qualifications.
Student Life
Powered by progress
Kent has climbed 12 places to reach the top 40 in The Times Good University Guide 2025.
Kent Sport
Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
An unmissable part of your student experience.