SOC5043 - Crime, Media and Culture

Objectives:

Assessment tasks are designed to enable students to demonstrate the Learning and Employability outcomes for the relevant level of study. Level Learning Outcomes are embedded in the assessment task(s) at that level. This enables a more integrated view of overall student performance at each level.

Content:

The aim of this module is to develop student’s understanding of how and why we view criminals/crime in particular ways based on a range of cultural factors and media portrayals. This module will allow students to utilise criminological theory to think critically about crime, crime control and its coverage in the media. The module will be broken into two sections.

The first section will identify and explain relevant and contemporary criminological theory. It will draw upon Deviant Leisure & Cultural Criminology, both multifaceted and interdisciplinary branches of criminological theory. Here, students will explore how crime is constructed and defined (or not) through various social interactions (e.g subcultures). This will include such constructions are mediated and influenced by powerful entities (e.g. the nation state, criminal justice system, transnational corporations).

The second section will explore and identify how these theories realte and can help us to interpret current media depictions of crime and crime control. This will include analysis of how various forms of media (mainstream media, social media, Television and Film) are used to shape our collective (mis)understanding of a range of crime and crime control.

Throughout, the extent to which these notions of crime and criminality have been resisted and responded to (e.g activism and political protest) will be critically analysed.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Lecture
Hours: 60
Intended Group Size: Cohort

Seminar/Workshops
Hours: 20
Intended Group Size: 30

Guided independent study
Hours: 220

Further details relating to assessment
Assessment 1 - Essay excerpt will be based on theories discussed in the first few weeks of Part One of the module. Students will receive valuable feedback early on to help strengthen interest, confidence and engagement (cascaded assessment).

Assessment 2 - Essay will be based on theories discussed in Part One of the module. This should include amendments suggested in previous feedback (Assessment 1).

Assessment 3 - There will be group written and assessed feedback on one of the samples from assessment 3.

Assessment 4 - Students will complete a 2,500-word media review, e.g. Film, TV, social media, which incorporates and identifies links to criminological theory.

Formative Assessment - Essay excerpt - theories discussed in the first few weeks of Part Two of the Module. Students will receive brief formative feedback but an anonymised sample will be taken (with permission) for Assessment 4.

Assessment:

001 Essay excerpt; 300 words; mid-semester 1 10%
002 Essay; 2,500 words; end of semester 1 30%
003 Group feedback; on anonymised excerpt from past years papers used with students permission; 750 words; mid-semester 2 10%
004 Essay; 2,500 words; semester 2 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - ALISON WILDE
Level - 5
Credit Value - 30
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 5YL

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