MA Criminology | Part-time

This module will develop your understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of criminological research, policy and practice. You will evaluate and understand the contested and political nature of knowledge and the complex relationship between social research and the policy environment. You will critically evaluate a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods used in relevant fields of enquiry and develop advanced data analysis skills, including the use of specialist software tools.

In this module, you will learn about the origins, historical development, and contemporary focus of critical alternative criminologies in the context of the development of the discipline of criminology. You will also critically examine a range of case studies in critical alternative criminological research and learn what it means to do critical criminological research today.

This module with encourage you to think globally and comparatively about crime, harm and (in)justice. You will develop a critical understanding of the ways in which the economic, political and cultural milieu intersect with crime, harm and (in)justice. You will participate in international fieldwork, internet-based research, and communities of practice for digital scholarship.

This module will help you understand the fundamental connection between criminological and social policy theoretical approaches and the significance of these to analyses of social (in) justice. You will understand welfare and criminal justice institutions in their historical and contemporary contexts, and critically examine the ways in which social policy and policymaking processes inform constructions of 'social problems' and the criminal justice responses to them.

By studying this module you will understand the ways in which crime, harm and the agencies of social control are represented in different cultural/intellectual contexts. You will develop a systematic understanding of the ways in which academic theory and cultural representations intersect and coalesce around notions of 'crime', 'harm' and '(in)justice'. You will engage in the active interrogation of cutting-edge criminological theory through participatory discussion.

During this module, you will critically explore the significance of historical and contemporary constructions of inequalities to the study of criminology. You will understand the interconnecting relationship between inequality and injustice and the effects these connections have in theory, policy and practice. The module will help you situate current debates around social divisions and inequalities in their political, geographical and social context. We will examine inequalities at the structural, subjective and representational level.

This module will help you to develop a critical understanding of the historical and contemporary relationship between the state, social divisions and the maintenance of social order. During the module you will consider recent developments around critical theories of the state, to understand the interrelationship between the exercise of state power, policy and practice. In doing so, you will critically assess the contradictions within, and contestation around, the exercise of state power.

This module is designed with a view to providing students with the opportunity to demonstrate their critical research skills in an applied context. Students will design and undertake a research project within either: (a) a place of existing employment; or (b) a purposefully sourced and secured work-based learning opportunity. They will be supported through direct supervision from a suitable academic within the department.

During the module you will negotiate issues of methodology, research design, ethics and data analysis and apply these to research on a topic of the student's choice. You will develop a systematic and critical awareness of complex concepts congruent to the study of criminology, work independently and with some originality. You will produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates competence in critical analysis.

This Module explores the relationship between power, crime and atrocity. It utilises an interdisciplinary approach to examine how harm comes to be defined in particular ways, and explores how and why certain forms of atrocity are subjected to criminalisation at national and international levels. The Module seeks to analyse the strengths and limitations of ethical scrutiny which renders some forms of atrocity explicit, whilst leaving others invisible. The Module also critically engages with core aspects of international criminal law, criminology, social psychology, international relations and politics, applying theoretical insights to both historical and contemporary examples of atrocity. By concerning itself with both theory and practice, it aims to strengthen and enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of how atrocities occur, how these might be responded to, and the problems and possibilities of prevention. 

In this module you will engage with practical and theoretical perspectives surrounding contemporary understandings of harm, power, and technology. It draws upon an interdisciplinary approach to develop the criminological perspective of ‘harm’ within the context of increasingly digital, technologically mediated societies.