Criminology

Crime, Capitalism and Markets

In this module, you’ll dive into capitalism, and its key relationship with crime. You’ll use a political economy approach, meaning you’ll look at the economy and its relationship with law and government. You’ll explore free-market capitalism, as well as capitalism on a global scale. And you’ll gain critical skills, as you consider the:

• individual
• moral
• cultural
• social 
• elements of the economy, and how these relate to crime.

Crime and Intersectionality

In this module, you’ll get to grips with intersectionality - a way of understanding someone’s identity as made of characteristics such as race, gender and class. Intersectionality offers you a unique way to study crime. You’ll discover how criminal justice institutions, such as the police and criminal courts, respond to and discriminate against different social groups.

Researching Crime: Methods, Approaches and Ethics (compulsory)

In this module, you’ll explore the key research methods of Criminology. You’ll gain invaluable critical skills, as you look at:

• research methods
• design 
• processes
• outcomes

You’ll also understand the ethics of research, including:

• the requirements of conducting research with vulnerable populations.
• how your identity can help or hinder research relationships.

Globalisation and Crime

In this module, you’ll explore and examine areas of crime and crime control across different regions of the world through the lens of 'globalisation', or the increased interconnectedness of social relations across the globe

You’ll use a combination of theoretical concepts and case studies to interrogate and understand the interconnectedness of crime and responses to crime in the contemporary world.

Public Criminology

In this module, you’ll dive into real world problems of crime and criminal justice. You’ll apply your criminology knowledge to:

• find solutions to key questions of crime and justice
• find solutions to problems in current practice
• explore how these solutions can inform future research. 

You’ll examine case studies from current policy and practice. You’ll apply the insights of:

• practitioners
• policy-makers
• politicians 

currently working in criminal justice. You’ll gain a strong understanding of how criminology works in real life. And you’ll explore why there is a disconnect between the classroom, and criminology in practice. 

Criminology Work Placement Scheme

In this module, you’ll kick-start your career, and gain key work experience in organisations related to crime. You’ll do a placement, or work-based learning activity in:

• a public sector organisation
• a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
• a voluntary organisation

Whether working with the police, prison services, schools or charities, you’ll gain invaluable skills for your future career. You won’t engage directly with clients or service users, but you’ll gain a strong knowledge of how organisations identify and fight crime.

Crime and Punishment through the Ages

Why do we commit crimes? In this module, you’ll follow the causes and circumstances of crimes since the medieval period. You’ll explore the punishments carried out by authorities, and why these have changed so dramatically over history. You’ll understand the history of crime. And you’ll gain the knowledge to study:

• crime
• criminality
• punishment 

ensuring you succeed in your degree.

Green Criminology

You'll engage with the emerging field of Green Criminology. You'll learn the key theoretical concepts of green criminology and environmental justice. 

You'll focus on understanding Green Criminology as a transnational field. Including the social issues impacting individuals on a global scale. 

Ethics for the 21st Century

You'll explore recent social and technological developments such as:  

• globalisation
• social media and the internet
• medical and scientific advances
• mass migration 

Looking at the new ethical challenges they present that are prominent in public debate and a source of conflict and division in society. You'll analyze some of these ethical issues from a philosophical perspective. 

You'll consider whether corporations have moral responsibilities and what is the best way to combat racism? Also how are epistemic vices such as close-mindedness, intellectual arrogance and dogmatism fostered by the prevalence of conspiracy theories, fake news, and testimonial injustice?

Are we right to assume that democracy is the only morally-defensible way to govern a country? Can technology and science help us to improve ourselves?

Evidence

How do we deal with the evidence of children and the vulnerable? In this module, you’ll get to grips with the key rules of evidence. You’ll examine:

• sexual history evidence
• corroboration and identification evidence
• expert opinion evidence
• hearsay evidence
• confession evidence
• silence as evidence
• improperly obtained evidence
• covert surveillance and entrapment
• evidence of character
• evidence of children, and vulnerable witnesses. 

You’ll dive into the significance of evidence, and its rules in criminal trials. And you’ll understand the need to avoid miscarriages of justice.

Understanding Criminal Justice

In this module, you’ll dive into the criminal justice system, and the main issues of criminal justice. You’ll explore: 

• punishment
• sentencing
• crime prevention
• community safety
• policing
• youth crime
• prisons
• the criminal court system

You’ll observe part of the criminal justice system, first hand. And you’ll gain key critical skills, as you put the theory you’ve learned into practice.

Jack the Ripper and the Victorian Underworld

How did Jack the Ripper - mass murderer of prostitutes - shape crime in Victorian culture? In this module, you’ll dive into the criminal underworld of the nineteenth century. You’ll explore: 

• attitudes towards prostitution
• the criminal class
• the development of prisons
• the regulation of policing

You’ll use Jack the Ripper to shed light on the dynamics of Victorian society. And you’ll investigate a time where public ideas of crime and punishment clashed with those of the authorities.

Independent Study in Criminology

This module gives you the chance to do independent study on a topic that fascinates you. With support from expert tutors, you’ll submit a proposal for independent study. We’ll agree to a programme of work and assessments, tailored to your interests.

Dissertation in Criminology

This module gives you the chance to do independent research on a topic that fascinates you. With the support of expert tutors, you’ll choose a dissertation topic based on your interests. 

For your dissertation, you may choose to combine the knowledge and skills of two subjects. In this case, you can have one supervisor from each subject. 

Advanced Study in the History of Crime

In this module, you’ll gain specialist insight into the history of crime. You’ll choose a topic based on staff research interests, meaning you’ll always be taught by an expert. You’ll gain invaluable critical skills, as you dig into the current research around your topic. And you’ll develop excellent research skills, including how to analyse primary sources.

Border Criminology

In this module, you’ll examine border criminology, which is the study of the intersection of border control and criminal justice.  You’ll get to grips with key issues around:

• migration
• punishment
• citizenship and belonging 

You’ll investigate core developments of border criminology, including:

• immigration removal centres
• foreign national prisons
• policing of borders

You’ll gain key critical skills, as you explore debates surrounding immigration, punishment and national identity. You’ll examine the institutions concerned with border control, and the increasing use of punishment and force around immigration control in the UK and abroad.

Dealing with Drugs: Control and Intoxication

In this module, you’ll bust some key assumptions around psychoactive drugs. You’ll look at why we use them and how we control them in society. You’ll investigate:

• criminological
• sociological
• historical 

and policy insights, to explore the relationship between drug use, individuals and public morality. You’ll gain key critical skills as you debate drug policies, and how we can lessen the harm of substance abuse. You’ll look at alternative ways to regulate drugs than our current ‘war on drugs’ mentality. And you’ll explore the future of synthetic drugs. 

Independent Study in Criminology

This module gives you the chance to do independent study on a topic that fascinates you. With support from expert tutors, you’ll submit a proposal for independent study. We’ll agree to a programme of work and assessments, tailored to your interests.

Interdisciplinary Dissertation in Criminology

For your dissertation, you’ll carry out research on a topic that fascinates you. The topic will be interdisciplinary, meaning that it will be relevant both to Criminology and your other subject. This allows you to be creative in your thinking, making original or unusual connections between your different subject areas. 

Whatever the topic, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge of it. You’ll develop excellent project management skills as you define your research area, plan your research and manage your own schedule. You’ll also acquire great research skills to take forward into your career.

Picturing the Criminal: From Mugshot to Fine Art

In this module, you’ll study images of crime, including:

• the world’s most troubling mugshots
• early crime-scene photographs
• bloody and brutal paintings
• criminal courtroom artworks.

Seeing and picturing is a key way of understanding crime. You’ll get to grips with the fast-growing field of visual criminology. You’ll discover the importance of images at the birth of criminology, and how they perpetuate stereotypes about race and gender. You’ll also consider why, because of this, criminologists have been sceptical about working with images. 

You’ll have the rare chance to go behind the scenes, and visit Western-Europe’s most unique visual arts and social scientific-imaging collections, held in Oxford at:

• the Pitt Rivers Museum
• the Ashmolean Museum

Policing in Historical and Comparative Perspectives

This is the most exciting time to study policing. Our response to crime in western societies is changing dramatically, as policing becomes increasingly privatised in the digital age. 

In this module, you’ll analyse modern policing in the west and its former colonies. You’ll examine the history of policing. You’ll compare policing in other countries to policing at home. And you’ll investigate the rise of neo-colonial policing (the use of economic, political and cultural pressures to control other countries) today. 

You’ll explore: 

• securitization
• militarization 
• transnationalism 
• human trafficking

The Carnival and Pleasures of Crime

Why do people enjoy committing crimes? How might crime offer identity and purpose? In this module, you’ll explore the role of:

• pleasures
• performance
• identity 
• meaning 

in criminal acts. You’ll think about the multiple meanings and actions that crime holds for different people across time. You’ll consider the social benefits of crimes and resistance to the law. And you’ll explore how different interpretations of crime might affect crime control and criminal justice.

The Prison and Imprisonment

Should we punish prisoners, or support them to re-enter society? In this module, you’ll dive into the key issues of prisons. You’ll consider modern prisons, globally and historically. And you’ll examine prisons through:

• prisoners
• prison staff
• wider society. 

You'll trace the evolution of the prison - from the rehabilitative ideal of the post-war period, to the greater focus on punishment today. You’ll look at how political parties use prison policies to win votes, rather than reduce crime. 

You’ll dive into the inner workings of prisons, from governance to administration. You’ll look at the routines of prison life, and how prisoners cope with, and give meaning to them. You’ll consider sentence progression for different types of prisoners. And you’ll explore how well prisons prepare inmates for life after release.

Policing in Historical and Comparative Perspectives

This is a key time to study policing in western countries. The response to crime in the west is changing fast as policing moves towards privatisation in the digital age. 

You’ll analyse modern policing in the west and its former colonies. You’ll examine the history of policing. You’ll compare policing in other countries to policing in the UK. You’ll also look at the rise of neo-colonial policing today (the use of economic, political and cultural pressures to control other countries).

You’ll explore areas like: 

• securitization
• militarization 
• transnationalism 
• human trafficking