BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychology

This module will introduce you to a core of key theoretical perspectives within criminology. You will be encouraged to reflect upon the ways in which different theoretical strands have attempted to explain crime and criminal behaviour. This will foster an understanding of the reasons for these differences and similarities between different theoretical approaches.

This module will introduce you to the roles, agencies and institutions key to the operation of the Criminal Justice System. You will outline the decision-making mechanisms and how the Criminal Justice System operates in practice. Alongside this, you will also consider the range of possible outcomes arising from involvement with the Criminal Justice System and the impacts of this for individuals, groups and communities.

This module will introduce the tools needed for carrying out a literature search. It will provide you with a practical introduction on how to design an experiment, collect data in an ethical manner, perform statistical analysis and write up findings in a manner consistent with published material.

The aim of this module is to present a range of topics in developmental psychology and individual differences research. You will be introduced to methods applied to understanding key issues in developmental psychology and individual differences research to enable you to consult and summarise appropriate sources to explain key issues.

This module will introduce the tools needed for carrying out a literature search. It will provide you with a practical introduction on how to design an experiment, collect data in an ethical manner, perform statistical analysis and write up findings in a manner consistent with published material. Building on from Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology 1: Relationships and Associations, you will learn more complex statistical tests.

This module will allow you to appreciate the requirements of studying at HE level within the context of the Criminology & Psychology programme and to acquire such skills in a supportive environment and module structure.

You will be provided an induction to ensure you can make use of the Library, JMU intranet, Canvas and other key aspects of studying at LJMU. We hope this will encourage you to engage with the development of your employability skills.

This module introduces you to biological and cognitive psychology. You will examine fundamental issues in cognitive psychology and will consider theoretical models of memory, as well as examining attention and perception. You will introduced to fundamental issues in biological psychology.

This module will help you to critically evaluate the theoretical perspectives of a number of key thinkers in criminology. A review of existing literature will enable you to appreciate the intellectual histories of their work. In doing so, you will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these theorists’ work for explaining crime and our responses to it.

This module covers key topics in the area of cognitive and biological psychology. This module builds on the biological and cognitive psychology materials introduced in level 4. You will explore current research relating to biological underpinnings that account for commonalities and individual differences in vision, touch, sleep, motivation, learning and consciousness.

In this module you will explore psychological development through the life span, covering key areas of development such as cognitive development, identity development and developmental disorders. The module will cover key concepts from individual differences research: intelligence, gender commonalities and differences, and personality and subjective wellbeing. You will also gain an understanding of social psychological concepts such as interpersonal relationships, group processes and intergroup relations.

This module will provide an introduction to a range of qualitative research methods. With the intention to foster your ability to undertake an ethically and procedurally sound research project. During this time, you will have the opportunity to improve your ability to work and communicate in a team. Completion of this module will empower you to design, collect, analyse and present qualitative data and findings carefully and with due regard for ethical procedures.

The aim is to provide students with an additional year of study at an approved overseas partner that will complement their programme at LJMU. This is an additional year of full-time study at an approved higher education institution. The modules to be studied must be agreed in advance, and must be appropriate for the student's programme of study. Assuming successful completion of this year, mark-bearing credit will be awarded by the Faculty Recognition Group. The grade conversion scale to be used will be made available in advance of the year abroad.

This module will help you to understand some of the connections between criminology and practice. It centres on talks from invited guest speakers to provide an insight into a range of contemporary issues in practice. As a result, you will be able to contextualise issues facing practitioners and employers in a range of fields relevant to criminology.

The module will also support your ability to reflect on your employability skills and access relevant employability resources and support.

This module intends to critically engage you with important questions around harm, responsibility, accountability and regulation. It seeks to explore how and why particular acts (or failures to act) by particular actors become viewed as ‘crimes’ worthy of criminal justice sanction, whilst others do not.

The module aims to apply the core concepts of harm, responsibility, accountability and regulation to the study of powerful people, groups and institutions. In doing so, it hopes to enhance your knowledge and understanding of social harm theory, the harms caused by state and state-corporate acts and omissions, the competing claims made around organisational and individual agency, and the problems and possibilities of different regulatory approaches.

During this module, you will explore criminological theory which examines criminalisation, management and punishment of social divisions. You will use case studies to illustrate the management of social divisions across the policy terrains of penology and social policy. Alongside this, you will explore the impacts of criminalisation and punishment on different social divisions and how social justice might be achieved.

This module will help you to understand the complexities of contemporary theoretical perspectives in criminology, moving beyond standard ‘textbook’ accounts of crime, deviance and/or social control. Using this knowledge you will be able to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of contemporary accounts of crime and deviance in relation to their more established counterparts.

This module aims to allow you to critically evaluate and apply psychological theories and knowledge in relation to real-world forensic problems. You will work in cross-disciplinary groups to critically explore and evaluate a range of potential solutions to real-world problems.

This module will explore psychological theory, as it relates to public health care. It will also examine some of the major threats to public health, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. You will explore in-depth the major concepts and research methods used in the field of health psychology.

Cognitive Neuroscience addresses the question how the brain enables human cognition and behaviour by employing a variety of different methodologies. The module will examine how methodologies as for example lesion studies, functional brain imaging, electrophysiological studies and behavioural experiments contribute to our understanding of a variety of cognitive functions such as memory, attention and perception.

This module will explore how 'green' or environmental' crime is conceptualised and addressed within Criminology, and related disciplines. You will examine how 'green' or 'environmental' crimes are perpetrated and the harms it generates for victims and society. In doing so, you will be able to assess the relative success and failure of regulatory and criminal justice frameworks in addressing 'green' or 'environmental' crime and associated harms.

The aim of this module is to explore in-depth the major concepts and research methods used in the field of positive psychology. You learn in-depth discussions of the psychology science associated with human strengths, flourishing and positive emotions. You will also explore the position of Positive Psychology in relation to other branches of Psychology.

This module will be of interest if you are considering a career in teaching or Educational Psychology. Factors affecting individual differences in children's academic performance will be explored with a particular emphasis on cognitive factors. In considering educational interventions you will learn about the ethics of research into interventions. You will think critically about the selection of interventions for specific learning difficulties based on research evidence and develop psychological literacy that would be relevant for a career in education.

This module will provide you the opportunity to conduct a focused piece of critical independent work in an international context, under supervision, on an area congruent with the themes and substance of Criminology. The module will act as a vehicle for the improvement and development of a variety of transferable skills and abilities appropriate to the task in hand, from identification of appropriate topic/s through to the development of a viable study programme, and the presentation of a clear, coherent and robust piece of reflective written work. By participating in this module, you'll be encouraged to monitor and reflect critically on your own learning.

This module will introduce you to popular drugs of abuse, their mechanisms of action and their effects. You will learn how the effects of drugs can be harmful and are related to many factors including purity, dose and route of administration.

This module will encourage you to critically consider the exercise of police power and its relationship to ideas of social and political order and disorder. You will explore the origins of police, considering the development, expansion and transformation of policing in domestic, colonial and international settings. In doing so, you will foster a critical understanding of the policing of a range of marginalized, minority and dissenting/dissident populations.

This module will critically explore the contemporary principles and perspectives surrounding children and young people 'at risk' in various contexts. You will assess how these principles and perspectives inform legal, policy and practice responses to children and young people 'at risk'. This understanding will help you to interrogate the debates that surround contemporary responses to children and young people 'at risk'.

This module was developed to provide a summative overview of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of Human Rights. Participation in this module will enable you to examine the ideas, theories, and politics of global human rights, as well as evaluating the discrepancy between the theory and practice of human rights.

This module aims to provide criminal justice practitioners of the future a basic understanding of sexual violence and sexual offenders, providing you with an understanding of the different types of sexual violence and an understanding of the psychological theories and motivational explanations which underpin our current understanding of why offenders commit such offences.

This module will explore how the emergence and development of the youth justice system has served to recognise the special case of the child in conflict with the law. You will examine how criminology has sought to conceptualise and address the Youth Justice System and its impacts on children's and young people's lives and life chances. This will enable you to evaluate the Youth Justice System's attempts to address the deviant, criminal and violent behaviours of children and young people.

This module examines the challenges associated with defining and studying terrorism and insurgency. As a criminology student, you will assess how terrorism is constructed in social, political, legal, and media discourses. You will analyse how governments and nation-states respond and react to contemporary forms of terrorism in a globalised world, mapping the connections between organised crime and terrorist actors. Alongside this, you will also document the effects of counterterrorism and security policy on communities and counter-hegemonic politics.

This module will critically analyse theoretical explanations of inequalities, and stigma. As a criminology student, you will be expected to utilise a range of contemporary case studies to explore the experiences of stigmatised groups and as a means of developing your ability to critically apply criminological and sociological theoretical perspectives. Alongside this, you will explore the opportunities and barriers to addressing inequality and stigma, situating discussion within historical, social and political contexts.