Social Sciences - BSc (Hons)

Philosophy of science; approaches to research; levels of measurement; reliability and validity; research design; descriptive statistics; analytical tests (chi-square, t-tests and non-parametric alternatives, ANOVA and non-parametric alternatives, correlation, regression) ; using SPSS; reporting research; critical evaluation of research; and surveys.

Find out more about PSYC6460

This module introduces students to the use of qualitative methods for research in the social sciences in the interpretive tradition. It builds on the Stage 1 module, Foundations of Social and Criminological Research SAPO3130 and prepares students for sociological and socio-historical dissertations at Stage 3 SOCI5510. The module looks in detail at how sociologists and social historians do research. It contextualises the evolution of their research methods in relation to different schools of thoughts and critical perspectives, e.g. feminism. It exposes students to different tools of research including semi-structured and oral history interviews, focus groups, archival work and documentary analysis, ethnography, and visual, sensory, mobile and material methods.

Find out more about SOCI6470

Human cognition is a key theme in psychology and knowledge of this area aids in interpreting and understanding behaviour in a range of contexts.

This module will examine the cognitive processes involved in attention, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making and consider the ways in which research on these processes contributes to our understanding of human behaviour. We will consider topics such as memory, false memories, effective learning and problem-solving, and errors and biases in everyday thinking. It provides a good basis for modules in social cognition, applied cognitive psychology, and other areas of psychology.

Find out more about PSYC6250

This module concerns the application of psychological theory and research to issues in criminal justice. We will consider psychological research and application in areas such as offender profiling and investigative psychology, detecting deception, confessions and false confessions, jury decision making, and eyewitness testimony. Recent psychological findings will be emphasised. Students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to assessing the validity of theories and applications. Students should gain an understanding of the potential and limitations of psychology's contributions to criminal justice.

Find out more about PSYC6270

This module examines developmental changes in social and cognitive processes from birth to adolescence. We examine the interaction of biological and social factors throughout development. Topics covered include attachment, perceptual and cognitive abilities in infancy, acquisition of language, theories of cognitive development, social and moral development, development of self-concept and theories of adolescence.

Find out more about PSYC6290

Social cognition examines relationships between cognitive and social processes, particularly the way we form beliefs about ourselves, other individuals, and social groups. Topics include the cognitive processes in stereotyping and prejudice, whether our social behaviour is influenced by unconscious processes, and cognitive dissonance (the unpleasant feeling that we get when we hold beliefs that are inconsistent with each other or with our behaviour). A general theme to this module is biases and distortions in perceptions of ourselves, others and the media. Recent research findings and methodology are emphasised along with their practical implications for understanding human social behaviour.

Find out more about PSYC6310

This module addresses many of the issues that have shaped the modern practice of policing in recent times. It traces the way in which landmark events have served to mould and shape the daily practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion. The module encourages students to think critically about these issues and to analyse the repercussions that their legacies have had for the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Topics include: police-race relations; stop-and-search practice; police cultures; corruption allegations; policing of riots and public disorder; policing of gendered and sexual violence; the rise of police privatisation and vigilantism and the development of performance based cultures.

Find out more about SAPO5570

This module will introduce students to the utility of criminal psychology within the criminal justice context. It will introduce students to various topics such as the history of criminal psychology, how the field has been shaped, theories, the emergence, persistence and desistence of offending. The module will help students develop an understanding of criminal psychology and its importance in criminal justice contexts from different perspectives.

Find out more about SOCI5480

This module is concerned with contemporary issues, developments, practices and research in criminal justice. In line with current policy developments it will address the connections between criminal justice policies and other policy developments and critically examine 'new' policy initiatives including such measures as community crime prevention; developments to involve and protect the victims of crime; moves towards broader conceptualisations of justice, including reconceptualisations of crime as social harm. The module examines contemporary policy developments in sentencing, hate crime, racism in criminal justice practices, amongst other issues.

Find out more about SOCI5490

This module builds on previous sociological and criminological learning. It aims to enhance students' understanding of the 'third sector' and the criminal justice system, and how they operate in practice. It is designed to give students experience of working in the third sector and in the criminal justice system.

Students will undertake work as a volunteer with an organisation that works within the fields of social justice, the third sector or in the criminal justice system, as agreed by the module convenor (assistance is available to identify appropriate volunteering opportunities). Students will complete 100 hours of volunteering for this module by the end of the Spring term.

In addition to their volunteering, students attend lectures and seminars that cover topics such as: the history and development of voluntary action in the 'third sector' and in English criminal justice system; the relationship between volunteers and professionals in 'third sector' and in the criminal justice system; the management, organisation and funding of the principal criminal justice agencies in the public sector; the management and organisation of voluntary/third sector organisations, and the application of sociological and criminological theory to practice.

Find out more about SOCI6013

This module will cover: The history of youth crime and youth justice; the age of criminal responsibility; theoretical debates surrounding youth crime; the media construction of youth crime; the politics of youth crime; the structures and technologies of the youth justice system; restorative youth justice; and the relationship between the youth justice system and other branches of social policy.

Find out more about SOCI6500

This module will provide an overview of drug-related offending and the rehabilitation of offenders in the context of wider society. There will be a critical exploration of the relationship between drugs and crime and the effectiveness of treatment in the context of reducing criminality. It will review the laws relating to drug offences and look in detail at the development of government policy linking the criminal justice agenda with treatment. The module will also consider international approaches to the drug-crime link, and address the importance of gender and ethnicity in relation to drug offences.

Find out more about SOCI6540

Restorative justice has emerged in recent years as a new way of thinking about how we should view and respond to crime. Restorative approaches are making significant inroads into criminal justice policy and practice and this module provides students with an opportunity to engage in an increasingly dynamic and interesting field in contemporary criminal justice. The main aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of restorative justice. It explores key values, issues and debates in restorative justice set in the context of theoretical arguments and criminal justice policy and practice.

The module will open with the concepts and theoretical underpinnings of restorative justice and go on to explore restorative justice and offenders, restorative justice and victims, emotions in restorative justice, the role of the community and the role of the state. It will close with critical issues and debates in restorative justice and future directions.

Find out more about SOCI6810

The module is intended to increase awareness of continuity and change in patterns and perceptions of crime and the responses to it by the legal system and other agencies over the period from 1750 to the present day.

Students will study historical perspectives on the history of crime and punishment – Whig, Marxist, revisionist etc.

They will have a chance to undertake critical evaluation of the sources of crime history and learn about change and continuity in the criminal justice system over the period covered.

Find out more about SOCI7060

This module, Young People and Violence, approaches the study of interpersonal violent crime as it relates to young people. It will explore violence experienced in everyday life paying particular interest to the social context in which it can occur; for example urban spaces, schools, familial setting and 'gang, gun and knife culture'. The concern with youth, crime and violence is critically appraised in the context of shifting political focus on disaffected young people. It will seek to understand violence within the context of youth in late modernity. One of the primary objectives of this module will be to engage students in analytical debates on crime and violence as experienced by young people as perpetrators and victims. It will examine and apply criminological theory to youth violence exploring the connection between crime and violence through the intersection of race, gender, ethnicity and class. In particular, the module will investigate the link between structure and agency. In this module, students will have the opportunity to review the impact of changing political and criminal justice responses to the youth crime problem. The module will have a national, as well as international focus.

Find out more about SOCI7510

The module will use the lenses of emotions and affect to explore a range of contemporary sociological issues and sites. Drawing both on feminist approaches and the recent turn to affect and emotion in the social sciences, the course will consider issues of identities, politics and place, in ways that question some of the binaries of social science thinking around public/private, local/global, intimate/political. Students will gain both a broad-based understanding of the theoretical and methodological frameworks for considering emotions sociologically, as well as a more detailed series of topics which use these frameworks in empirical contexts.

The first half of the module will provide the theoretical, conceptual and methodological underpinnings for the sociological study of emotions, around themes of neoliberalism, identities and politics, and methods for studying emotions. The second half of the module will be topic based around themes such as the body, home, work, care, media, violence, friendship and migration.

Find out more about SOCI7530

For much of its history criminology has been concerned with the offender and the victim was largely absent from criminological discourse, research and the criminal justice process. It was not until the early 20th century that criminologists [re] discovered the victim and began to consider the role they played in the commission of crime. From these initial investigations, the victim became the central focus of academic scholarship from which the discipline 'victimology' emerged. The victim is no longer considered to be ‘a bit part player’ in understanding crime. They are deemed to be central to crime detection and the prosecution of criminal acts. This module charts the birth and growth of victimology and considers some of its major theoretical concepts. It will explore the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in society and critically examine it from a number of different perspectives. The module will also examine the changing role of the victim within the criminal justice system.

Find out more about SOCI7540

This module provides students with an understanding of contemporary cybercrime, its implications and its sociological meanings. It examines how cybercrime functions, how it relates to wider criminological debates and theories, and how it raises challenges in our understanding of the nature of crime, criminality, crime control and policing. Students will become familiar with cutting edge research and theories in the field of cybercrime, and debates that are developing both within the UK and across the world. By focusing on the differing levels of both action and actors, this unit will provide a holistic and nuanced understanding of these vital contemporary challenges facing society. This module equips students with the necessary theoretical and practical tools and modes of social enquiry to make sense of an increasingly digital and networked world.

Find out more about SOCI7601

Human cognition is a key theme in psychology and knowledge of this area aids in interpreting and understanding behaviour in a range of contexts.

This module will examine the cognitive processes involved in attention, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making and consider the ways in which research on these processes contributes to our understanding of human behaviour. We will consider topics such as memory, false memories, effective learning and problem-solving, and errors and biases in everyday thinking. It provides a good basis for modules in social cognition, applied cognitive psychology, and other areas of psychology.

Find out more about PSYC6250

This module concerns the application of psychological theory and research to issues in criminal justice. We will consider psychological research and application in areas such as offender profiling and investigative psychology, detecting deception, confessions and false confessions, jury decision making, and eyewitness testimony. Recent psychological findings will be emphasised. Students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to assessing the validity of theories and applications. Students should gain an understanding of the potential and limitations of psychology's contributions to criminal justice.

Find out more about PSYC6270

This module examines developmental changes in social and cognitive processes from birth to adolescence. We examine the interaction of biological and social factors throughout development. Topics covered include attachment, perceptual and cognitive abilities in infancy, acquisition of language, theories of cognitive development, social and moral development, development of self-concept and theories of adolescence.

Find out more about PSYC6290

Social cognition examines relationships between cognitive and social processes, particularly the way we form beliefs about ourselves, other individuals, and social groups. Topics include the cognitive processes in stereotyping and prejudice, whether our social behaviour is influenced by unconscious processes, and cognitive dissonance (the unpleasant feeling that we get when we hold beliefs that are inconsistent with each other or with our behaviour). A general theme to this module is biases and distortions in perceptions of ourselves, others and the media. Recent research findings and methodology are emphasised along with their practical implications for understanding human social behaviour.

Find out more about PSYC6310

This module addresses many of the issues that have shaped the modern practice of policing in recent times. It traces the way in which landmark events have served to mould and shape the daily practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion. The module encourages students to think critically about these issues and to analyse the repercussions that their legacies have had for the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Topics include: police-race relations; stop-and-search practice; police cultures; corruption allegations; policing of riots and public disorder; policing of gendered and sexual violence; the rise of police privatisation and vigilantism and the development of performance based cultures.

Find out more about SAPO5570

The aims of the module are to:

• Explore gender differences in offending, victimisation, and deployment in the criminal justice system

• Examine theoretical approaches in Criminology and their engagement with issues of gender

• Discuss the main ways in which gender impacts on the operation of the criminal justice system

Topics covered in the module will cover:

• gender and patterns of offending

• a critique of traditional criminology; feminist criminologies; masculinities and crime

• media representations of male and female offenders

• gender in the courtroom, penal system and policing

• women and men as criminal justice professionals

• gender, victimisation and fear of crime.

Find out more about SOCI5331

This module will introduce students to the utility of criminal psychology within the criminal justice context. It will introduce students to various topics such as the history of criminal psychology, how the field has been shaped, theories, the emergence, persistence and desistence of offending. The module will help students develop an understanding of criminal psychology and its importance in criminal justice contexts from different perspectives.

Find out more about SOCI5480

This module is concerned with contemporary issues, developments, practices and research in criminal justice. In line with current policy developments it will address the connections between criminal justice policies and other policy developments and critically examine 'new' policy initiatives including such measures as community crime prevention; developments to involve and protect the victims of crime; moves towards broader conceptualisations of justice, including reconceptualisations of crime as social harm. The module examines contemporary policy developments in sentencing, hate crime, racism in criminal justice practices, amongst other issues.

Find out more about SOCI5490

The aim of the Dissertation is to enable students to undertake independent research. In the course of their projects, students will deepen their critical understanding of research design and the application of specific techniques, and will further develop theoretical and practical understandings of the approaches of the relevant discipline.

Find out more about SOCI5510

This module builds on previous sociological and criminological learning. It aims to enhance students' understanding of the 'third sector' and the criminal justice system, and how they operate in practice. It is designed to give students experience of working in the third sector and in the criminal justice system.

Students will undertake work as a volunteer with an organisation that works within the fields of social justice, the third sector or in the criminal justice system, as agreed by the module convenor (assistance is available to identify appropriate volunteering opportunities). Students will complete 100 hours of volunteering for this module by the end of the Spring term.

In addition to their volunteering, students attend lectures and seminars that cover topics such as: the history and development of voluntary action in the 'third sector' and in English criminal justice system; the relationship between volunteers and professionals in 'third sector' and in the criminal justice system; the management, organisation and funding of the principal criminal justice agencies in the public sector; the management and organisation of voluntary/third sector organisations, and the application of sociological and criminological theory to practice.

Find out more about SOCI6013

This module will cover: The history of youth crime and youth justice; the age of criminal responsibility; theoretical debates surrounding youth crime; the media construction of youth crime; the politics of youth crime; the structures and technologies of the youth justice system; restorative youth justice; and the relationship between the youth justice system and other branches of social policy.

Find out more about SOCI6500

This module will provide an overview of drug-related offending and the rehabilitation of offenders in the context of wider society. There will be a critical exploration of the relationship between drugs and crime and the effectiveness of treatment in the context of reducing criminality. It will review the laws relating to drug offences and look in detail at the development of government policy linking the criminal justice agenda with treatment. The module will also consider international approaches to the drug-crime link, and address the importance of gender and ethnicity in relation to drug offences.

Find out more about SOCI6540

Restorative justice has emerged in recent years as a new way of thinking about how we should view and respond to crime. Restorative approaches are making significant inroads into criminal justice policy and practice and this module provides students with an opportunity to engage in an increasingly dynamic and interesting field in contemporary criminal justice. The main aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of restorative justice. It explores key values, issues and debates in restorative justice set in the context of theoretical arguments and criminal justice policy and practice.

The module will open with the concepts and theoretical underpinnings of restorative justice and go on to explore restorative justice and offenders, restorative justice and victims, emotions in restorative justice, the role of the community and the role of the state. It will close with critical issues and debates in restorative justice and future directions.

Find out more about SOCI6810

This module traces the way in which criminal justice and criminal justice policy have become increasingly politicised in recent years. It utilises topics such as terrorism, dangerous offenders, penology and capital punishment to highlight the interaction between popular opinion, research, policy formation and the criminalisation of particular groups within society. The module will analyse the manner in which crime has become such an important issue on the political agenda, as well as examining the important role that pressure groups (such as NACRO and the Howard League for Penal Reform) have played in mediating political rhetoric and policy.

Find out more about SOCI6870

The module is intended to increase awareness of continuity and change in patterns and perceptions of crime and the responses to it by the legal system and other agencies over the period from 1750 to the present day.

Students will study historical perspectives on the history of crime and punishment – Whig, Marxist, revisionist etc.

They will have a chance to undertake critical evaluation of the sources of crime history and learn about change and continuity in the criminal justice system over the period covered.

Find out more about SOCI7060

This module, Young People and Violence, approaches the study of interpersonal violent crime as it relates to young people. It will explore violence experienced in everyday life paying particular interest to the social context in which it can occur; for example urban spaces, schools, familial setting and 'gang, gun and knife culture'. The concern with youth, crime and violence is critically appraised in the context of shifting political focus on disaffected young people. It will seek to understand violence within the context of youth in late modernity. One of the primary objectives of this module will be to engage students in analytical debates on crime and violence as experienced by young people as perpetrators and victims. It will examine and apply criminological theory to youth violence exploring the connection between crime and violence through the intersection of race, gender, ethnicity and class. In particular, the module will investigate the link between structure and agency. In this module, students will have the opportunity to review the impact of changing political and criminal justice responses to the youth crime problem. The module will have a national, as well as international focus.

Find out more about SOCI7510

The module will use the lenses of emotions and affect to explore a range of contemporary sociological issues and sites. Drawing both on feminist approaches and the recent turn to affect and emotion in the social sciences, the course will consider issues of identities, politics and place, in ways that question some of the binaries of social science thinking around public/private, local/global, intimate/political. Students will gain both a broad-based understanding of the theoretical and methodological frameworks for considering emotions sociologically, as well as a more detailed series of topics which use these frameworks in empirical contexts.

The first half of the module will provide the theoretical, conceptual and methodological underpinnings for the sociological study of emotions, around themes of neoliberalism, identities and politics, and methods for studying emotions. The second half of the module will be topic based around themes such as the body, home, work, care, media, violence, friendship and migration.

Find out more about SOCI7530

For much of its history criminology has been concerned with the offender and the victim was largely absent from criminological discourse, research and the criminal justice process. It was not until the early 20th century that criminologists [re] discovered the victim and began to consider the role they played in the commission of crime. From these initial investigations, the victim became the central focus of academic scholarship from which the discipline 'victimology' emerged. The victim is no longer considered to be ‘a bit part player’ in understanding crime. They are deemed to be central to crime detection and the prosecution of criminal acts. This module charts the birth and growth of victimology and considers some of its major theoretical concepts. It will explore the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in society and critically examine it from a number of different perspectives. The module will also examine the changing role of the victim within the criminal justice system.

Find out more about SOCI7540

This module encourages students to take an international view of social policy, beyond the nation state, and to develop understanding of the global links and comparisons that can be used to consider welfare in this way.

Introductory lectures and seminars will present the challenges and risks facing contemporary welfare regimes, including neoliberalism, globalisation and financial uncertainty, and the notion of mixed economies of welfare. Another block of learning will provide accounts of comparative approaches to welfare and explore histories and contemporary dynamics of welfare in the US and in mainland Europe. Finally, a series of welfare topics on migration, care, work and citizenship will be introduced in order to explore issues and policy responses within a global framework.

Find out more about SOCI7570

This module provides students with an understanding of contemporary cybercrime, its implications and its sociological meanings. It examines how cybercrime functions, how it relates to wider criminological debates and theories, and how it raises challenges in our understanding of the nature of crime, criminality, crime control and policing. Students will become familiar with cutting edge research and theories in the field of cybercrime, and debates that are developing both within the UK and across the world. By focusing on the differing levels of both action and actors, this unit will provide a holistic and nuanced understanding of these vital contemporary challenges facing society. This module equips students with the necessary theoretical and practical tools and modes of social enquiry to make sense of an increasingly digital and networked world.

Find out more about SOCI7601