Criminology with Policing BSc (Hons)

This module will enable students to critically consider the array of individuals, agencies and processes integral to the functioning of the criminal justice system. Through their discoveries, students will enhance their understanding and knowledge of the solitary and shared role(s), responsibility(s) and experience(s) of those (in-)directly involved within the criminal justice system. And become cognisant of the cooperative and competitive relationships between those involved within and impacted by criminal justice policymaking and practice: inclusive of, yet not limited to offenders, victims, practitioners and the publics. This module will encourage students to critically evaluate the influence sociodemographic characteristics and lived experiences hold in the operational objectives, procedures and outcomes of the criminal justice system. As well as for students upon the module to reflect on the application of philosophical and theoretical concepts within criminal justice decision-making. This module will allow students to acquire meaningful skills which can be influential in their personal and professional lives as advocates for the preservation of a fair and equal criminal justice system. From having explored and discovered former, current and prospective approaches to delivering justice and reducing harm(s) in practice, as well as developing their capacity to communicate effectively to an audience.

This module offers a critical excursion of theory, legislation, policy and practice in the domain of contemporary youth justice. Children and young people may be considered both victim and offender and students within this module will explore representations of this stage of the life-course. This module provides students with a critical insight into criminal justice and societal responses to children and young people in conflict with the law. Through exploration of public, political and media attention to children and young people alongside modern reformers and activists, students will develop an ability to communicate arguments relevant to youth justice. This module aims to provide students with the key skills to develop an alternative assessment of the ‘youth crime problem’. Students will learn about personal and professional opportunities and develop an ability to respond to feedback about practical and academic work relevant to contemporary youth justice.

Explore how media shapes public perceptions, in particular in reference to deviance in this dynamic sociology and criminology module. "Media and the Representation of Deviance" delves into the influence of both traditional and contemporary media platforms on societal views, looking in particular at deviance, from crime to inequality, mental health and politics. Students will examine key academic literature and theories, learning to critically analyse concepts such as agenda-setting, news values, and media framing, as well as influential models like Chomsky and Herman's propaganda model and moral panic theory. The module covers the evolution of media, from its historical roots to the complex world of social media, examining the power dynamics in media ownership, the regulatory landscape, and the framing of social issues. Through case studies, students will apply theoretical insights to real-world examples, understanding how media representations impact public opinion and influence policy on topics like mental health, poverty, welfare, and crime. By the module's end, students will be equipped to construct well-supported arguments on the role of media in shaping social inequalities, understand its power in influencing societal outcomes, and critically reflect on emerging trends in media representation. This module is essential for anyone interested in understanding the media’s role in constructing narratives around deviance and its broad impact on society.

This module combines the essential aspects of policing, criminal law, decision making and police powers and procedures. It is designed to introduce you to the principles and application of legislation in relation to crime and the criminal justice system. You will be taught relevant legislation to the activities of a police officer and how to break down the legislation into points to prove. Practical scenarios and discussions will allow you to understand how to apply the law at police incidents, as well as considering the different agencies that make up the criminal justice system and how these reflect our understanding of 'crime' and the purpose of punishment.

In addition, you will begin to understand the various functions of the criminal justice system including the courts and supporting vulnerable victims and witnesses. Academic skills of notetaking and revision skills will be developed to assist in identifying the relevant aspects of lectures for the online exam. Revision sessions and knowledge checks will be utilised to cement knowledge and introduce techniques to assist in retaining information. Students will then develop the skill of applying the law at policing incidents together with the National Decision Model, utilising a structured approach to decision making in policing. Videos of incidents and scenarios will be used to allow students to apply decision making and provide rationales during group discussions. Key documentation such as the Core Investigative Doctrine will be used to develop ethically recorded rationales and how discretion, accountability, ethical behaviour, risk and bias can potentially impact on professional and objective decision making.

You will be taught essential skills such as communication skills and the importance of the types of questions to elicit information from a victim or witness. The purpose and structure of a statement will be discussed together with decision making and the recording of information at policing incidents. A series of practical role plays will provide you with the opportunity to witness an incident and then write your own statement before taking statements from victims and witnesses using authentic documentation. You will then combine these skills in immersive exercises using our Visual-reality (VR) cave and in a series of role play scenarios. This will be the opportunity to make and develop decision making skills and your rationales for those decisions. Students will be taught reflective practices and theories such as Gibbs reflective cycle, together with research skills to find relevant academic sources. Essay writing skills will be developed during the module and these skills will be used to reflect on decisions and actions during the role plays to produce a reflective piece of work as the second assessment of the module. The practical workings of a court will be witnessed through visiting and observing their Chester Magistrates Court and Chester Crown Court.

This module will enable students to critically develop their existing knowledge and understanding of current – and former – representations of crime and criminal justice. Through analytically deconstructing a wide array of historical, geographical, social and political representations of crime and criminal justice. Students upon the module will be encouraged to identify and assess how and why these representations of crime and criminal justice are constructed and disseminated among society. Considerations of gender, class, disability, age, race, religion and sex will therefore be acknowledged to emphasise the spectrum of individuals within society (sub-)consciously influential in, as well as influenced by representations of crime and criminal justice. Whilst the philosophical and theoretical concepts which are embedded throughout the module will serve to highlight to students the advantages and limitations of representations throughout practice. This module will allow students to acquire meaningful skills which can be pivotal in their personal and professional lives as champions of social justice reform. From having explored and discovered the pervasive influence representations hold over the ongoing (re-)configuration of culture in practice, as well as developing their digital proficiencies in communication.

This module offers students an understanding of the interactions between race, ethnicity and migration in the contemporary governance of global injustice, inequality, and in the structuring of society. It introduces students to race and ethnicity as fluid and contradictory categories, and as social constructions with real social and legal consequences. It further discusses migration, both as a range of practices and relations that people enact, and as a system of governance that manages inequality in the freedom to move, and in life opportunities.

The module approaches race and ethnicity to show the global variation of the concepts, going beyond the criteria used in the Global North and in anglophone contexts. It further discusses migration, both in terms of different practices of global mobility and participation and society, and in terms of specific aspects of governance, from border controls and migrant detention, to the attribution of citizenship rights. It also explores how systemic inequities in race and ethnicity intersect with criminal justice practices, influencing outcomes such as policing, sentencing, and incarceration.

The module introduces students to how race, ethnicity, and migratory experience and background can lead to diversity in the impact of social issues. It encourages students to critically examine the ways in which race, ethnicity, and migration inform societal responses to crime, law enforcement, and broader patterns of injustice. The module further guides students to consider life histories and the mutual relation between social concepts and individual biographical experiences.

• Experiential Learning: Social Impact Leadership in Action (40 Credits) Optional
  This experiential module is designed to provide students with hands-on learning experiences that complement their academic studies. This module aims to bridge the gap between personal social missions, theory and practice, equipping students with critical awareness, essential skills and experiences for their future plans, including employment, further study and other ventures. The module is enriched through partnership working between academics and others working in a range of organisations promoting social impact. Students will have opportunities to foster their own social missions, develop and apply academic understanding and key skills through working on real-world projects. Key components of teaching and learning include:
  • Real-World Projects: Students engage in projects that address actual challenges faced by organisations, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge and key skills in practical settings.
  • Service Learning: Initiatives that combine community service with learning objectives, promoting social responsibility and civic engagement.
  • Reflective Practices: Encouraging students to reflect on their experiences through journals, discussions, and skills analyses to enhance critical thinking and personal growth.
  • Networking Opportunities: A range of networking opportunities will be shared that students can engage in during independent study to build sector insights and develop their networks.
  • Skills workshops: Experts will deliver Social Impact Leadership workshops giving insight into personal success and challenges in their paths and teaching key skills towards success.
  • Career Guidance workshops: Knowledge from Career Experts will underpin career guidance to support students to develop personalised plans for actioning towards aspirations, including employment, further study and other aspirations.
  This module aims to empower students with the tools and resources necessary to secure meaningful employment and embark on successful careers.

• Work Placement (40 Credits) Optional
  This module provides a structured, university-level work placement for 4, 5 or 7 weeks as one continuous block / period with a placement provider (i.e. a local employer from the private, public, or charitable sector). It is designed to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.
  The placement can either be organised by you or with support from university staff.
  All work placements within this module must be university-level; this means:
  • Undertaking high-skilled work commensurate with level 5 study (e.g. report writing, attending meetings, delivering presentations, producing spreadsheets, writing content on webpages, social media, marketing services/products etc)
  • Physically placed (albeit part of it can be hybrid) within an employer setting in one continuous block / period for 4, 5 or 7 weeks for a minimum of 140-147 hours over the course of the entire work placement
  • Where applicable, your existing part-time employer can be approached/used as the placement provider, if the high-skilled work criterion above is fulfilled for the full duration of the placement.
  • All quality assurances/agreements provided by the University are adhered to, by you and the employer.
  The work placement context may not necessarily, reflect your degree discipline per se, but rather, it will give you an enriched experience to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.

The aim of this module is to focus on the Anatomy of a Crime and allow the students to apply learning in a safe teaching environment and to develop employability skills as criminal investigators. The intention is for students to investigate a reported crime from its initial report, up to presenting evidence at court. This module builds on knowledge relating to criminal decision making and the responsibilities of a response officer.

An investigative journey will include the Hydra Immersive Suite, where students will receive the report of the crime and develop a hypothesis of the cause and develop intelligence to identify a suspect. They will then attend the Crime Scene House, where they will develop skills in implementing witness and forensic strategies and digital forensic strategies, as well as create ongoing decision logs to effectively record their decision-making processes. Having gathered all available sources of intelligence and evidence, the students will plan and execute a search warrant culminating in the arrest of a suspect along with Investigative interviewing of the identified suspect. Finally, the students will prepare their evidence in a case file that will ultimately be presented at court. Students will also attend sessions in Chester Crown Court to witness police officers and witnesses present their evidence. This will allow students to apply prior learning and develop skills in criminal investigation, teamworking, public speaking and communication skills.

What role do social sciences play beyond the University? This module introduces students to the key discussions in public social science. You will be encouraged to consider the possibilities and challenges sociologists face in engaging with the public and contributing to social change. Where do sociological/ criminological ideas and theories originate from, who do they serve, and, most importantly, what impact can they have? 

We will examine how sociologists and criminologists approach public social science, both historically and today, critically evaluating the institutional structures that shape it, including funding, influence, and policy considerations. Students will explore the role of current sociological and criminological research in driving social change and informing policy across diverse sectors. Together, we'll discuss the major social challenges that public social scientists encounter today. 

The module also encourages you to think about life after University, considering the responsibilities and opportunities you have as a social science graduate to bring your sociological and criminological insight to the world. In line with this focus, assessments will test a variety of skills beyond traditional essays.

This module critically examines the multifaceted ways in which state actions can contribute to social harms, injustices, and environmental degradation. Students will explore state-induced crimes through a critical criminological lens, focusing on how policies and actions can perpetuate systemic inequalities and harm both individuals and communities globally. The module introduces sense-making theories, providing tools to analyse and evaluate the impact of state actions on broader social injustices, including ecological damage and economic inequality. Through a combination of theoretical insights and real-world case studies, students will critically assess topics such as state violence, environmental harms, economic policies, and human rights violations. Key learning outcomes include the ability to analyse the global impacts of state-induced crimes, apply theoretical frameworks, and devise strategies for mitigating harms. The module emphasises practical, socially responsible approaches to addressing systemic issues, equipping students with actionable skills to contribute to meaningful change. With a structured curriculum spanning ten weeks, topics include the historical and contemporary dimensions of state crime, environmental and social injustices, and the role of human rights frameworks. By the end, students will be well-prepared to critically engage with these pressing global challenges and advocate for justice in diverse contexts.

This level 6 major project module will take students on a transformative journey that will enhance their critical thinking, analytical abilities, and academic writing.  Students will learn about the philosophical foundations of social research and will be able to reflect on their own philosophical and methodological standpoint. Research design, ethical issues and methodological tensions will be covered throughout the first two terms of this module. A practical focus on quantitative and qualitative data analysis will aid students to become career ready for the research sector. Teaching will be face to face in small groups, where students will work with peers to consider the staged process of research design and apply what they have learnt to real world research phenomena. Once students have developed their knowledge and understanding of research methods and data analysis techniques, they will embark on their own piece of research under the guidance of an academic supervisor. By writing a substantial piece of independent research students will gain essential skills in research methodology, data analysis, and academic writing that will serve them throughout their academic and professional career.

This module will enable students to critically analyse and evaluate theoretical and philosophical justifications of punishment across time and space. Coupled with an examination of why and how punishment is delivered in practice. This module will encourage students to appreciate the consistencies, contradictions and conflicts which arise across theoretical and philosophical inquiry, as well as among political ideologies. That serve to impact upon the creation, development and application of penal policy. Students upon the module will critically appraise what is (and is not) known of the inner workings and relationships among practitioners. With considerations of gender, race, religion, age, class, sex and disability also being acknowledged to emphasise the role(s) and responsibility(s) of society as determining factors in the development and delivery of punishment. This module will allow students to acquire meaningful skills which can be influential in their personal and professional lives as proponents of criminal justice reform. From having explored and discovered the multiplicity of individuals involved in and impacted by the existence of crime, as well as developing their capacity to communicate effectively to an audience and stimulate change.