This module introduces students to the key principles and structures of the English Legal System including contemporary debates relevant to the study of law and criminal justice. Criminological theories are explored and crime is analysed from a sociological perspective.

Indicative content:

• Understanding the evolution of the law and legal concepts 
• Principles and basic structure of the English Legal System
• Sources of Law
• Introduction to civil and criminal law and the court system
• Key legal personnel and institutions 
• Tort and law of negligence
• Case studies on crime and punishment
• Academic discipline of criminology and its scope
• The social impact of crime 
• Crime as a product of social inequality
• Defining and measuring crime
• Criminological theories of crime 
• Investigate miscarriages of justice 
• Learning to use and navigate a range of digital spaces specific to your subject
• Understanding academic conduct and conventions for communicating information

The module introduces students to a range of social issues that are of concern across the social sciences, including for sociological, psychological, criminological and legal studies, as well as for people-focussed professional courses. It also encourages students to analyse the wider social and historical contexts for various public policy, legal and criminal justice scenarios, cases and debates. Additionally, the module provides students with support to advance their academic communication and to expand their research into subject-specific literatures.

Indicative content:

• Social scientific subjects and subject lenses, including sociological criminological, psychological, legal and professional perspectives on the social world
• Introductory ideas and concepts including society, socialisation and social structures  
• Introducing and applying social psychological ideas and theories to social issues
• Introducing ideas and debates surrounding youth studies, youth crime, and youth justice, including knife crime analysis
• Theory and debates surrounding generational categories (such as generations X, Y, Z and Alpha) 
• Digitalisation of society and digital ‘zeitgeist’ debates (such as selfie culture and ‘brain rot’)
• Consumerism, young people and identities
• Equality, inequality and intersectionality: class, age, gender, ‘race’, sexuality, disability
• Tackling inequalities, promoting equalities, power and social change
• Introducing and applying critical social science to issues of class, gender and 'race' , including Marxist, feminist, and critical race theory
• Riots, uprisings and collective violence
• Sex work, legal frameworks and sex trafficking
• Criminal justice debates including prison reform, the role and impact of Victim Offender Mediation (VOM) initiatives, ‘defunding the police’ campaigns, and the representation of crime in the media
• Public policy, legal, and criminal justice scenarios and cases  
• Advancing digital and academic skills introduced during Term 1
• Developing research and information literacy in relation to your subject
• Creating an academic poster on a chosen research paper
• Field visit
• Local case study

The module provides students with an overview of social scientific research and its application within the fields of law and criminology. As well as reviewing existing research into criminological and legal topics, the module will also introduce students to problem-solving scenarios within a criminal and legal context. Additionally, the module will support students to identify, negotiate and develop a project about a topic relevant to their degree subject.     

Indicative content:

• Social scientific research and its applications within law and criminology
• Introducing basic research methods & methodology, and standards of good research
• Reading and reviewing example research papers
• Recognising basic research methods and relevant terminology within published research papers
• Research skills for advocacy and policy development
• Criminal and legal case studies for problem-solving exercises
• Identifying topics of interest and generating ideas for a self-directed project
• Undertaking background research to inform a project title and project proposal
• Introduction to searching and reviewing literature for a project
• Formulating a project title or question
• Introduction to the use of legal software
• Devising, planning and producing a proposal for a project
• Project development sessions to include generating ideas, research and planning, proposal and project development workshops, self-directed study, and individual tutorials with study supervisor
• Producing a final piece of work in a relevant format
• Recognising key stages in project development
• Skills for developing a self-directed project, including skills for independent study and time management
• Introduction to reflective cycles and reflective practice, and application of this to own project development experiences
• Field visit