Unit information: Criminological Theory: An Introduction in 2023/24

Unit name	Criminological Theory: An Introduction
Unit code	SPOL10029
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Mike McBeth
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	School for Policy Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

The unit will provide students with an introduction to key criminological concepts and theories. Specifically, it will introduce students to:

1. Criminological theories explaining the production of crime and social harm;
2. the wider social, political, and economic context in which theories emerge and come to be influential
3. How criminological theory has impacted on criminal justice and wider social policies

Your learning on this unit

By the end of the unit, students will be able to:

1. Use criminological theory to understand the role of power in defining crime and social harm
2. Critically evaluate a range of different criminological theories and explain their social, economic and political origins
3. Critically assess what impact, if any, criminological theory has had on criminal justice and wider social policies

How you will learn

Teaching will mainly be delivered through lectures and seminars. Learning will also involve reading, assessment completing practical activities and self-directed exercises.

How you will be assessed

Summative assessment is by:

Part 1: Portfolio (50%)

Part 2: 1 hour examination (50%)

Both assessments cover all ILOs. Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, unsuccessful students may be offered an opportunity for reassessment in the failed element(s). This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL10029).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.