SOC4082 - Understanding Murder

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Identify the contributions of criminology and related disciplines in the social sciences, law and humanities to understanding murder as a form of human behaviour.
Describe the ways in which murder is defined, represented, explained and responded to in law, by society, the state and its institutions, by social scientists, in the media and/or in artistic work.
Appraise a 'real-life' case study, using biological, sociological, and psychological explanations of murder.
Communicate and argue effectively in both oral and written forms.

Content:

This module will demonstrate how and why some crimes are constructed as murder while others are not. It will do this by considering a range of perspectives from law, criminal justice, social and physical sciences and the media. Students will form an understanding of murder as distinct social phenomena, with biological, psychological, and sociological explanations. The use of case studies will allow students to apply theoretical understandings and explanations to real life murder and homicide cases.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Students will be taught this module through a variety of lectures and workshops. Students will be given case studies within workshops upon which the students will perform basic theoretical analysis, applying the theoretical perspectives discussed in lectures.

Lectures
Hours: 15
Intended Group Size: 50

Workshops
Hours: 15
Intended Group Size: 50

Guided independent study
Hours: 170

Further details relating to assessment
Directed activities: these consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks to be completed successfully. A pass will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

Essay: 1,500-word essay (45%) that critically evaluates theoretical understandings of murder and homicide. Full guidance will be given within lectures and workshops.

Group presentation: 10 minutes or 2,000-word equivalent (45%). Small groups of students will pick a case study of either a murdered or murder victim. They will research the crime itself, the role of the criminal justice system, and apply theoretical perspectives. Full guidance will be given within lectures and seminars.

Assessment:

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Russell Woodfield
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S1

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