Criminology BA Hons

This module lays the foundations for further study in criminology by looking at its development as a discipline. You will consider how crime is defined and counted, and investigate the sources of criminological knowledge.

The main focus is on key theoretical perspectives in criminology, and how they help us to understand and explain crime and victimisation and social reactions to it.

Focusing on the main concepts and approaches to social policy, this module assumes little or no background knowledge. It looks at the means by which something is framed as a social problem, with particular reference to poverty and issues of exclusion.

You will be introduced to the main areas of social policy, mainly in the UK, and explore how different social groups experience social policies, the interaction of public, private, voluntary and informal sectors in welfare provision, and ways in which it is financed.

This module seeks to introduce and contextualise the function and processes of the agencies and institutions that operate within the criminal justice system.

The module will encourage you to identify the tensions and inequalities that lead criminologists and criminal justice practitioners to promote reform of the criminal justice system. Summary of the topics to be covered include:

• Theorising criminal justice and punishment: Exploring models of criminal justice and penology.
• Overview of the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales
• Key agencies, processes and institutions within the Criminal Justice System including: police, prosecution, judiciary, sentencing, management of offenders, youth justice and alternatives to custody
• Criminal Justice policy-making process, the role of victims and the politicisation of criminal justice
• Inequalities and bias within the Criminal Justice System: race, gender and class
• International influences of criminal justice-policy making: organised crime and terrorism; European Union; International cases studies influencing reform agenda

This module introduces you to the nature of social research through exploration of the fundamental philosophical, methodological and ethical debates on 'how to think of social research' and 'how to do social research'.

The module begins with discussions of the primary features, functions and characteristics of social research, the distinctions between social research and other modes of investigating and producing knowledge about the social world and the steps typically involved in conducting social research.

Next, attention is focused on social research paradigms and how the different ontological, epistemological and methodological specificities map onto research questions, methods and designs. Attention will then be placed on some of the principal methods of data collection in the social sciences such as surveys, social experiments, interviews, visual methods, group discussions and observation.

The module concludes by examining issues of ethics, status, power and reflexivity in social research. 

The first part of the module introduces you to some of the contemporary and historical debates in social sciences in the 21st century.

The social sciences are centrally concerned with the investigation of a changing world and the recent arrival of the internet, globalisation, migration and other features will be investigated. However social science is a discipline with a long historical tradition. Here it is key that you have a working knowledge of Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Du Bois to understand the world of the 19th and early 20th century. The module explores the historical and contemporary relevance of these ideas.

The second part of the course mostly relies upon the social science thinking of the 20th and 21st century. Questions such as the impact of the arrival of the consumer society, the importance of difference and diversity, the role of utopia, the importance of art and social movements, the development of the network and mediated society, issues related to gender identity and sexuality, and our shared ideas about the urban setting and the future are all covered in this part of the course.

Overall, you will be introduced to a range of different perspectives in helping you understand a changing world.

This module is concerned with how we can make sense of crime, and responses to it, in today’s society. It sets out to look at contemporary theories about crime, justice and society in their historical context. It looks at how ideas have been revised to take account of 21st century realities including globalisation, mass migration, changing gender relations, terrorism, economic and environmental crisis and the rise of risk society.

How do ideas about the use of ‘techniques of neutralisation’ by young offenders developed in the 1950s help us understand atrocities and abuses of human rights by states and their agents? What do theories of anomie and social strain tell us about crime in times of financial crises and under conditions of austerity? How do situational approaches to managing risk relate to classical notions of offenders as rational actors? Can cultural criminologies from the mid-20th century be brought up to date and help us to make sense of what the media like to describe as ‘mindless’ violence? How successful has criminology been in getting to grips with harmful behaviour involving the natural environment, animals and the use of information technologies? Have feminist, queer and decolonial theories succeeded in changing how we define crime and justice, ‘offenders’ and ‘victims’? What do new forms of transitional, restorative and transformational justice have to contribute to rethinking social responses to harmful behaviour? 

This module will introduce you to the principles of research design, practice and ethics in relation to qualitative research, and provides experience in designing a qualitative research project.

This module will introduce you to the principles of research design and ethics in relation to quantitative research, and provides you with experience in designing and conducting your own small-scale research project.

The module will explore the application of moral philosophy and applied ethics to various social issues including, but not limited to, addiction, abortion, euthanasia, migration and global justice. 

It will review the main ideas and theorists from the fields of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics and it will introduce students to the contemporary state of various socially and ethically problematic topics.

This module examines the key sociological issues and debates in relation to the religion/spirituality and non-religious belief systems.

They include:

• transformation of religion
• the spiritual revolution
• fundamentalism
• atheism
• secularism
• scientism
• freedom of expression vs. sanctity of religion
• religious dress
• religion/spirituality and sexuality
• religion/spirituality and youth
• religion/spirituality and consumerism

This module explores the ways in which social identities and subjectivities can be created, maintained and expressed through the body and with reference to 'Others'. It particularly considers:

• existing sociological theories of identity and 'Otherness'
• the sociologies of various 'geographies' of the body, including the sociology of food and diet; body modification and adornment; extreme sport
• presentations of 'self' through work, especially 'bodywork'
• the corporeal 'mapping' of class, gender, ethnicity and sexuality
• surveillance discourses and the Foucauldian body

This module focuses on sociological theories of society and culture, with reference to China since 1978, examining social structures and the impact of economic reforms. Topics covered include gender, family and social welfare, inequalities and social capital, education, popular culture, and crime, deviance and justice.

What is the relationship between crime, justice and the media? Does media depiction simply reflect public interests and attitudes, or help to shape them? Does media representation of 'crime', 'criminals' and criminal justice impact penal and social policies?

These are some of the questions we will debate through drawing on theory, research and illustrative media examples.

This module introduces you to comparative analyses of different welfare state models and approaches to social policy; institutions, issues and debates in international social policy; and methods of cross-country comparative analysis. Topics include:

• perspectives of international social and public policy
• the origins and development of international social rights and standards
• welfare state typologies and cross-national comparisons
• international institutions
• regional social policies
• globalisation and welfare
• welfare in less developed countries
• international migration and the boundaries of welfare
• discrimination in a multicultural world
• international cooperation, policy learning and policy transfer
• comparative research methodology

This module examines the intersection of three key concepts in contemporary sociology - ethnicity 'race' and everyday life. It particularly considers:

• existing sociological theories of everyday life concerning its political relevance and historical specificity as well as methodological issues as to how 'the everyday' has been researched
• sociological models of ethnicity and 'race', the construction of ethnic boundaries and identities, the relationship between 'culture' and 'ethnicity', and its relevance in the contemporary world
• a series of empirical case studies illustrating the experience and complexities of ethnic and racial identities in the realm of everyday life

This module considers sociological approaches to the family ranging from early functionalist accounts to the feminist problematisation of such accounts. Attention will be paid to the ideological construction of the family and the role of social divisions in shaping family life.

Starting from feminist critiques of the family the first part of the module will explore issues of gender, power and patriarchy. Drawing on second-wave feminism, the second part of the module will consider issues of diversity in family practices.

Topics covered will include gender and families; families and class; families and race; migrant and transnational families; sexuality; age and generation. Contemporary debates around the breakdown, democratisation or continuity in contemporary families will also be addressed.

The module will explore the meanings of health and how these meanings have impacted upon policy and practice and health services. This will focus upon both sociological and policy literature.

The focus of the module is very much upon contemporary debate and the way these debates inform health risks and service provision.

How has the nature of social provision been conceptualised over time? How much continuity and how much change has there been in our social welfare system?

This module offers a critical review of some of the key issues in the development of British social policy, including the shift from the Poor Law to an income maintenance scheme, the impact of philanthropy and the changing role of the State in the 20th century.

This module introduces you to critical sociological perspectives on human and child rights.

Human rights and child rights are regularly used in the description and analysis of social change by academics, governments, policy makers, businesses, charities and civil society and a range of other actors. In principle, everyone is in favour of human and child rights. However, ideas and practices about rights, the nature of rights people should enjoy and the nature of things which violate these rights are subject to intense disagreements within and across societies and countries.

The module begins by asking the question: 'What are human/child rights, and where do they come from?' You will be given the chance to examine different theories and debates on the origins, nature and scope of human and child rights at the beginning.

Then, drawing on research studies, news reports, documentary films and case studies of human/child trafficking, modern slavery, forced migration, child labour, maltreatment of migrants, child prostitution and other 'real world' phenomena deemed to constitute human and child rights violations, the module will offer you opportunities to critically interrogate the relationship between human/child rights practices and malpractices, social identity, power and hegemony under contemporary conditions of globalisation. 

This module is focused on the conceptual issues that are at stake when we seek to study culture and concentrates on current themes in the study of culture. Through focusing on topics of subjectivity and identity, performativity, memory, emotions and the senses you will be introduced to the work and thinking of a range of cultural theorists, such as: Butler, Freud, Hall, Said, Sedgewick and Williams.

The module will also cover issues such as the formation of hegemonic and marginalised identities, hybridity and globalisation, queer theory, and the relationship [or not] between social structures and individual agency.

Content to be confirmed.

This module is concerned with the sociology and politics of policing. The main focus will be on England and Wales but the module will draw on literature and experiences from other jurisdictions around the world and from the United States of America in particular. It will cover a range of topics such as:

• the meaning of, and differences between, police, policing and the police
• the history and development of policing and the policesince the 18th century
• the occupational and organisational cultures of the police
• the governance and accountability of the police
• police powers
• specialisation in policing eg crime detection, traffic policing, public order policing, terrorism and political policing
• policing strategies and tactics
• policing and the media
• police ethics
• policing social diversity
• the pluralisation of policing

This module focuses on the relationship between imprisonment and society, paying specific attention to the England and Wales prison estate and UK Society. The module requires reading, questioning, and evaluating of the following topics:

• Notion of a criminally deviant act and consequent ramifications (for example, imprisonment)
• Relationship between welfare provision and imprisonment rates (for example, social exclusion issues)
• The political and historical natures of punishment (for example, overt versus covert practices)
• Prisoner population demographics in England and Wales
• Roles, responsibilities, and issues for Her Majesty’s Prison Service
• Prison culture (both staff and inmate)
• Institutionalisation theory and the nature of imprisonment
• Provision and receipt experiences of prison mental healthcare
• Sociological research in prisons (for example, (in)famous ethnographies/contemporary analysis)
• Future directions for imprisonment (for example, reducing reoffending strategies)

This module provides you with an opportunity to apply the insights and skills of social science to enhance your understanding of the role of the voluntary sector in contemporary society with special reference to the city of Nottingham. At the heart of the module is a one-semester community engagement opportunity where you will spend on average eight hours a week, but varying from week to week, with a local community organisation.

The placement enables you to experience at first-hand the challenges, dilemmas and opportunities to make a difference that local organisations face every day. They will have the opportunity to deploy social research skills and academic knowledge to assist the organisations in question.

The teaching element of the module will provide the following: at the very start an overview of the role of the voluntary sector in contemporary society, theories of civil society, and an introduction to some of the models of community organising and public sociology a two day training package in the autumn semester on models of community organising delivered by Nottingham Citizens an opportunity to reflect on progress with the community engagement advice on how to construct the assessment.

The module will also draw on two outside speakers from local community organisations to provide rich, first-hand accounts from within the voluntary sector.

When a person is deemed to be mentally or physically sick, this involves taking on a particular social role and coming under the care (or power) of others. This module examines the power relations of medical care, cultural meanings (and thus 'treatment') of different illnesses, and the impact that illness has on our personal and social identities.

Content to be confirmed.

This module explores the phenomena of youth, crime and justice. Analysis of official statistics and self-report survey data will be placed within a broader understanding of the social construction of youth, drawing on political, media and other sources. The module will critically assess explanations of youth crime and desistance, including major theoretical explanations and developmental/life course perspectives.

The second half of the module considers social responses to youth crime and the role of the youth justice system in particular. The various discourses which inform youth justice will be compared and the ways in which they have been applied in different jurisdictions will be assessed. Finally, the module will consider the recent focus on early intervention, emerging arguments for minimum intervention and the potential for youth justice reform.

For the dissertation, you will explore a topic of your choice under the supervision of a designated dissertation group tutor. Work on the dissertation extends over both semesters in the third year. The subject matter must be relevant to your honours subject and approved by the tutor.

The study may be entirely based on the analysis of secondary literature; alternatively it may involve the collection and analysis of primary data, including documentary or textual data, on a scale appropriate to the work-load involved.

During the autumn semester, you should identify a topic and decide on an appropriate strategy of enquiry and analysis. Initial reading and planning for the dissertation should be undertaken mostly in the autumn semester, including literature reviews. A dissertation plan is submitted by the end of November. Any empirical investigation should be substantially underway by the end of the autumn semester.

In the spring semester analysis of the literature and any primary material should be completed and the dissertation written up by early in the summer term.

Content to be confirmed.

The module examines how public policy is made within government. It provides a critical understanding of how policy is formulated, implemented and evaluated.

The module focuses on key phases of the policy process, from agenda-setting to policy impact. The module provides an applied understanding of policy analysis by examining relevant case studies (eg child abuse, ageing population).

This module looks at crime and ways of controlling it in South Africa (SA), a country with a different history and social structure to the UK. The focus will vary from year to year but is likely to include the:

• impact of colonialism and white minority rule on crime and crime control in SA since the country's transition to democracy in 1994
• relationship between forms of criminal and transitional justice and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in coming to terms with violations of human rights under apartheid
• nature and extent of crime in contemporary SA with a focus on contemporary problems such as gangsterism and organised crime, (sexual) violence against women and children and violent xenophobia
• usefulness of criminological theories developed in different social contexts (primarily in the US and the UK) in understanding and explaining crime in SA, and in suggesting ways of controlling it
• political economy of crime and crime control in one of the most unequal societies in the world and the relationships between crime and other forms of social harm, criminal justice and social justice, crime prevention and social policy
• history and development of policing and the response to crime including the reform of the state or public police, the pluralisation of policing and the 're-segregation' of South African society since the end of apartheid 1620

This module will address debates over the nature and meaning of inequality in contemporary society. It will consider these debates from the perspective of historical sociology looking initially at the idea of a distinction between capitalist political economy and pre-capitalist moral economy (E.P. Thompson), going on to discuss alternative accounts of political economy as a form of moral economy, such as those offered by Karl Polanyi, T.H. Marshall, as well as recent French pragmatist thought associated with Luc Boltanski, and the arguments of Thomas Piketty.

The module will discuss substantive topics of race, gender and class and also the impact of colonialism (and post-colonialism) on the formation of Western welfare states. The module will conclude with a discussion of sociology as critique of liberal public reason.

This module deals with the interface between climate change, energy systems, society and culture, focusing on:

• the making of climate science; understanding controversy over the role of climate science in public policies
• the social, policy and cultural meanings and communication of climate science and climate change
• the impact of climate change concerns on energy systems
• the social, economic and ethical issues raised by energy production technologies including sustainable energy
• social practices and energy consumption
• climate, energy and society from a global perspective

The module will explore the contemporary developments and debates in the provision and delivery of welfare services. The module will examine theories of welfare, the funding of the welfare state and key changes in welfare policies, such as the increasing focus on markets and consumer choice, partnerships, the personalisation of service delivery, and the increasing role of the not for profit sector in service delivery.

This module serves as an introduction to the study of new religious movements, including groups sometimes referred to as 'cults', and the theoretical concepts used to understand them. A particular focus will be on the degree of tension such groups exhibit with their broader social and religious environments, as well as how they are conceived, both in academia and the media.

It will also consider how issues discussed more broadly in sociology, such as deviance, authority, violence, modernity, globalisation, sex and gender, and group dynamics, bear on our understanding of new religious movements.

This module seeks to connect the historical and more contemporary debates in education to a critical understanding of society. The main focus is through a discussion of sociological, philosophical and policy based issues to explore the purpose of education in a modern globalised world. This however only becomes possible if we question more neutral and instrumental approaches to education and seek to more explicitly explore its connection to more normative values and concerns.

In this respect, the module will seek to connect ideas in education to a diversity of ways of conceiving of citizenship now and within the past. Most of the module is informed by European, North and South American traditions within sociology although it will also draw on examples and ideas from elsewhere.

Using different genres of film, this module examines contemporary theoretical and empirical debates in relation to a host of issues closely associated with theproduction and contestation of identity, culture, and everyday life. Underpinning by the central theoretical theme of cultural production, consumption, and practices.

The module will illustrate the problematics of culture through the sociological exploration of social condition, identity, consumerism, consumption, consumer culture, slavery, choice, voluntary simplicity, intimacy, body, embodiment, sexual culture, desire, sexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism, dress, fashion, multiculturalism, human rights and social inclusion/exclusion.

This module will explore key debates and issues around contemporary representations of gender in the Anglo-American media. It will draw on case studies from a range of media genres, including television, men's and women's magazines and newspapers, as well as considering questions of audience, pleasure and spectatorship.

It will examine how mediated representations of gender intersect with other axes of difference such as 'race', class and sexuality, further exploring how changing mediated gender representations might be linked to wider social change.

Introducing feminist approaches to social policy, this module considers how social policy and the development of the welfare state have been underpinned by ideas around gender difference and the structure and responsibilities of the family.

We will examine feminist perspectives on welfare, considering how policy might reflect and perpetuate the gendered division of labour in the family and society more broadly. For example, we will examine whether the 'male breadwinner' model has been replaced by a policy commitment to gender equality.

The module will thus examine how social policy excludes or incorporates women at the intersection of the public/private divide, problematising the terms 'justice', 'citizenship' and 'inequality' in relation to gender. Throughout, we will also consider how gender intersects with other axes of difference and inequality, such as 'race' and class.

The module will explore contemporary theoretical debates in the sociology of tourism, with particular emphasis on how tourism locations are constructed, developed and sustained; the powers and dangers of the 'tourist gaze'; tourism labour markets; tourism and identity; tourism and risk; and social/cultural change.

This module examines responses to challenges facing social policy makers in Africa and Asia taking a comparative case study approach. Topics include:

• approaches to the study of international comparative governance and policy
• designing and delivering inclusive and sustainable healthcare, social security, education and criminal justice systems in countries with large rural and informal urban sectors
• good governance and building institutions to challenge corruption
• rural-urban migration and the challenges of creating urban infrastructure and sustainable cities
• food security and famines
• indigeneity and social policy in contested spaces
• social policy in failed states and during conflict and war
• working with international agenciesInternational comparative research methods

This course examines key issues and concepts connected to the movement and settlement of people in Europe and beyond. Informed by a transnational studies perspective, the module considers migration debates and practices in a critical, comparative and historically informed manner.

The first part of the course explores the political, social and economic factors that cause people to move in an increasing interconnected world. The second part of the course is dedicated to the examination of the different theories of integration and settlement and processes of inclusion and exclusion.

The key issues and concepts addressed will include those of transnationalism and diaspora; gender and intersectionality; transnational families and global care chains; multiculturalism, integration and assimilation; identity, home and belonging.

This module provides a series of historically contextualised and theoretically informed discussions of nation-states and various nation-centred or nationalist politics and discourses of identity. Topics covered include:

• the significance of 'the nation' to classical sociology
• an engagement with a variety of theoretical paradigms and conceptual frameworks pertaining to the historical origins and institutional as well as symbolic 'workings' of nations and nationalisms
• discussion of different and competing models of national belonging and exclusion
• a focus on the changing historical contexts of modernity and post-modernity and their respective impact on nation-states and the politics of national identity
• discussions of the contemporary relevance of globalisation and the European Union
• analyses of the place of nationalism in everyday life, of the role of memory in the politics of national identities, and of ethnic pluralism

This module aims to develop critical understandings of:

• the concepts of 'offender' rehabilitation and the changing nature of rehabilitative enterprises over time
• the role of risk in the organisation of the criminal justice system and responses to offending
• research about desistance from crime and its relationship to rehabilitation and risk

The module will explore the role of key agencies involved in rehabilitation including the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies and the experiences of those subject to community justice.

Topics covered in this module include:

• History: a historical case study of sexual practices and labelled deviances (sexuality in Renaissance Venice)
• Today: emergent social issue case studies (child sexual abuse and male rape)
• Public parlance, mass media, and the press with sex as subject 
• Sex offenders within and outside society: Probation and prison 
• Sex crimes and the criminal justice system in England and Wales: specific focus on recidivism 
• Religion and sexual practice: immoral acts? 
• Man and beast as partners: historical and contemporary perspectives 
• Sexuality, feminism, and the law 
• Sex as trade: sex trafficking and slavery 
• Adolescent experimentation: young people, sex, and consent
• Sexual violence: survivors' narratives

We now live in a digital age where new technology, online platforms, applications and wearable devices are an indispensable and, in some ways, an inescapable part of our lives. New digital technologies enable us to track our daily lives and routines, to filter our realities, to present different versions of ourselves, to form attachments and intimacies, engage in politics and protest. From  the selfie culture, through Tinder love and Twitter revolutions, new digital technologies and social media shape not only our perceptions of Self but also our relations with others.

This module introduces you to the key debates in digital sociology, paying particular attention to the rise of new social media and how this affects identity, belonging, intimacy and civic participation. The main focus of this module is a critical engagement with how Web 2.0 has affected perceptions of self and social relations, exploring why some people engage with new technology whilst others  actively resist it.

Content to be confirmed.

This module considers:

• historical and comparative study of work (paid and unpaid), employment and society
• the changing nature and meaning of work in society
• social inequalities in work such as class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality
• heoretical and empirical understandings of work

This module focuses on quantitative methods for the social sciences, and in particular the acquisition of 'quantitative literacy'. The main topics of interest are:

• the character of quantitative data
• their use in description, explanation and forecasting
• their visualisation
• character and use of inferential statistics in the social sciences
• estimation
• performing basic hypothesis tests
• evaluating reports of quantitative analyses as used in policy, business, regulations and academic literature
• working with statistical software

Throughout the semester there are weekly one-hour lectures, weekly two-hour seminars, plus two four-hour workshops. The module assessment is one 2,000-word piece of coursework.

This module continues from Quantitative Methods for Social Science 1, which is a prerequisite. The main topics of interest are the character and use of multivariate analysis, and the application of these topics in empirical social science research and in applied non-academic research. Practical training in these topics will be an integral part of the module.

Throughout the semester there are weekly two-hour lectures, weekly two-hour seminars, plus two four-hour workshops. The module assessment is one 2,000-word piece of coursework.

This module focuses on multivariate regression analysis based on the concept of generalised linear models. Topics covered in the module include linear, logistic, and Poisson regression.

The module emphasises the underlying similarity of these methods, the choice of the right method for specific problems, common aspects of model construction, the testing of model assumptions through influence and residual analyses, and the use of graphical and other methods to present results.

In addition to covering generalised linear models, the module focuses on the use of multivariate regression analysis with large and complex data sets, including multi-level and longitudinal data. Information on best practices for data collection, data analysis, and replication will be integrated into lecture and seminar content.

This module provides an introduction to the collection and analysis of social research data, with a particular focus on understanding the contexts in which different research strategies are appropriate.

Topics covered will equip you with a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different research methodologies. The workshop activities and assessment provides you with opportunities to put the principles covered in lectures into practice via a hands-on approach. You will gain insight and experience in the use of various research methods in order to strengthen your approach to your dissertation.

In the social sciences, there is an increasing need to analyse situations where observations are grouped, such as individuals nested within geographical areas or organisations, and repeated observations of individuals over time in a panel survey. Multilevel modelling is a popular method that allows for the analysis of these clustered data.

This module will extend upon generalised linear modelling techniques (covered in intermediate quantitative methods), starting with the basic theory of multilevel models including random intercept and random slope specifications, the use of contextual variables in multilevel analysis, and modelling repeated measures. The module will focus on the practical application of multilevel models for continuous and binary outcomes using multilevel linear and logistic regression.

You will get hands-on training to carry out multilevel analyse and generate compelling data visualisations to communicate complex social patterns.