Introduction to Criminology

Module code: CR1004 (double module)

This module provides you with a general introduction to the discipline of Criminology by giving you the opportunity to develop your knowledge on criminological topics relating to crime, culture and control. It also introduces you to key academic skills that will help you to effectively plan, research and produce your written assessments.

The first half of the module will consider issues surrounding defining, measuring and portraying crime and you'll be asked to consider the complex relationship between crime, deviance and culture. This will cover such issues as the role of the media in constructing our understanding of crime, the connections between crime and consumer culture, and the often blurred lines between factual and fictional representations of victims and offenders.

In the second half of the module you'll explore how demographic factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and sexuality impact upon both crime and victimisation. The module then concludes by introducing you to the types of crime that both traditional and 'new' criminology has focused upon.

You'll undertake a range of assessments on the module that are designed to help you refine your academic skills, and provide you with the opportunity to explore a specific criminological topic via a final written assignment.