Programme of Study Catalogue

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate a knowledge and appreciation of a range of cultural works in variouss media that focus on a specified criminological topic, selected for its ethical complexity (e.g. child criminality).
Demonstrate an understanding of key debates concerning the specifed criminological topic (e.g. child criminality).
Demonstrate an ability to analyze cultural representations of key criminological themes in the light of complex ethical debates.
Demonstrate an ability to work as part of a team on a shared task, allocating roles, conductive collaborative research and meeting deadlines to pre-agreed standards.

Content:

The module is organised around a specific theme (illustrative topics include: children as criminals, social vs personal causes of crime, white collar crime, crime and poverty, the state monopoly of violence, &c). This theme is analysed through key debates and analyses of this topic in Criminological studies and then related to various cultural forms: films, novels, biographies, documentaries (&c).
In line with SOC 4022 Introduction to Criminology this module is delivered from a general �cultural criminology� perspective, evaluating the ways in which competing viewpoints on crime and its causes reflect wider social divisions, particularly in the light of class, gender, and the media. As a result, the module explores the way the chosen theme is constructed, presented, questioned and problematised in these works. The focus will be on the issues and themes, rather than the technical nature of the medium or the generic or formal aspects of the presentation � in other words the criticism is geared towards ethics, rather than cultural forms.
The module also follows on from SOC 5002: Ethical Issues in Criminology, where similar themes and issues are explored from a ethical perspective.