SOC6033 - Justice, Punishment and Human Rights

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:

This module allows the students to critically explore concepts, debates, literature and research that relates to Justice, punishment and human rights. These three interlocking elements are vital for a functional and fair justice system. This module will invite students to consider whether the contemporary Criminal Justice System (CJS) achieves an appropriate balance of these. But the module will engage with a much broader question “what is justice?” which goes beyond the CJS and encompasses social justice. Here students will engage with key thinkers, including John Rawls, Robert Nozick and Jeremy Bentham.

The module engages with the historical context and criminological theories surrounding the development of penal systems and the rationales underpinning contemporary forms of punishment including deterrence, retribution, rehabilitation and incapacitation.

Students then engage more closely with the human rights component of the module, developing an understanding of key human rights frameworks, as well as the use – and abuse – of human rights across a range of international cases. Subjects will include counter-terrorism and managing terrorist prisoners, the Hillsborough disaster, and accountability after war and conflict. The content will weigh up the balance between justice and human rights for both offenders and victims.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Lecture/Workshop
Hours: 40
Intended Group Size: Cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 260

Further details relating to assessment
Assessment 1 is a negotiated presentation. Students will either submit a group presentation or an individual recorded presentation, of either15 minutes for an individual presentation or 20 minutes for a small group presentation on a topic of their choice relevant to semester one (2,000-word equivalent).

Assessent 2 is a negotiated written assessment (2,500-words). Students will be asked to explore how a form of punishment (students will decide which form(s) of punishment) delivers punishment, secures justice, and adheres to human rights.

This assessment will link to the CfSJ, as it will remind students to consider how social inequalities can impact upon experiences within the Criminal Justice System.

Assessment:

001 Negotiated presentation, 15 minutes individual OR 20 minutes groups; end of Semester 1 50%
002 Written assignment, 2,500 words; end of Semester 2 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Shaun McDaid
Level - 6
Credit Value - 30
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 6YL

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