Awards
Target Award
Award Description:Bachelor of Arts with Honours - BAH
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit
Programme Offerings
Full-Time
F2F-JMU-SEP
Educational Aims of the Course
• To provide a rigorous interdisciplinary study of criminal justice drawing on disciplines including, criminology, law, socio-legal studies, sociology, social policy, history and related professional practice; • To link theoretical analysis with empirical enquiry and the operation and impact of policies on practice; • To identify and understand different value positions in the criminal justice system and processes; • To investigate the legal context and principal legal features of the criminal justice system; • To provide students with an understanding of policy and experience of practice in the criminal justice system and so improve their employability in criminal justice and allied areas; • To encourage students to engage with the development of employability skills by completing a self-awareness statement.
Learning Outcomes
1.
Show understanding of the key concepts and theoretical approaches that have developed and are developing in relation to crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.
2.
Demonstrate an understanding of how to design research appropriately in relation to a specific problem.
3.
Demonstrate an understanding of how to assess the ethical issues arising in particular research situations.
4.
Evidence a well-developed ability to critically review and evaluate criminological data.
5.
Demonstrate the ability to develop critical and reasoned arguments in written and oral form.
6.
Demonstrate understanding of the nature of criminological questions and their investigation.
7.
Analyse, assess methodologically, and communicate, information and empirical research findings about crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.
8.
Identify a range of different strategies and methods and use appropriate research tools in relation to evaluating criminological problems, including quantitative and qualitative techniques.
9.
Investigate criminological questions in relation to victimisation, crime, responses to crime and deviance, and representations of these.
10.
Present scholarly work in a professional way.
11.
Examine the relevance of criminological work on crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance including representations of these in relation to issues of social, public and civic policy at a national, international and global level.
12.
Critically appreciate the social construction of crime and victimisation.
13.
Self-manage learning, utilising time management and effective planning strategies.
14.
Collaborate and work in co-operation with others to investigate a social question or issue.
15.
Prioritise time to work to strict deadlines.
16.
Communicate effectively and professionally in both verbal and written communication.
17.
Use IT to access topical sources and information.
18.
Evaluate personal and academic performance, and to recognise strengths and weaknesses in relation to these.
19.
Critically analyse the relationship of class, gender, age, race, ethnicity and other social demographic factors to crime, victimisation, and responses to these phenomena.
20.
Demonstrate theoretically-informed understanding of the social and historical development of criminal justice institutions; the changing values governing practice in these institutions, including human rights; the structure and culture of these institutions; and new and emergent issues facing criminal justice institutions in the 21st century.
21.
Demonstrate an ability to understand the distinctive character of criminal justice as an academic discipline, and its relationship to other social science disciplines.
22.
Critically appreciate the relationship between criminological theory and empirical evidence in relation to the investigation of issues relating to crime, victimisation, and responses to crime and deviance.
23.
Investigate and understand complex problems relating to crime and criminal justice, using a range of primary and secondary methods of research to do so.
24.
Demonstrate an appreciation of the complexity of crime and victimisation, and an ability to assess the relative merits of different explanations for crime and punishment.
25.
Critically evaluate the range of responses to crime and deviance and interpret the values and practices of the agencies which administer them.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas, gained through a combination of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, workshops, work-based learning and private study. IT resources are provided by the Aldham Robarts Library. Assessment methods are specified in each module handbook. There is a range of assessment methods adopted throughout the programme including seen and unseen paper-based examinations, coursework in the form of essays, online examinations, portfolios, reports and presentations. Intellectual skills 1-2 are developed through lectures; 3-6 are encouraged through tutorial support and seminar preparation. Students are provided the opportunity for reflection and achievement in developing their own understanding in acquiring skills. Intellectual skills 1-6 are assessed by means of a variety of assessment methods, as specified in each module's handbook, including examination, essay, projects, portfolios and presentations. Practical skills are prioritised within all level 4 modules, but particularly in the Personal and Academic Development module (4022LAWCJ). At levels 5 and 6 students are encouraged to develop these skills in written submissions and through seminar based tutorials, especially in the Professional Development in Criminal Justice module (5020LAWCJ) which promotes the development of transferrable skills for future employment in the workplace. Practical skills 1-6 are the central focus of core module assessments across the programme, where information gathering, written and spoken communication, and group work are prioritised. The main focus of these skills is introduced in level 4 through the Personal and Academic Development in Criminal Justice module (4022LAWCJ). Transferable skills are an essential part of the activities throughout the programme, being further developed at level 5 in the Professional Development in Criminal Justice module (5020LAWCJ),and in independent study at level 6, particularly in the Dissertation (6016LAWCJ) module. Transferable skills 1-5 are assessed in the various assessment processes, exams, coursework, projects and portfolios across the three levels of the programme. Transferable skill 6 is particularly assessed at Level 4 through Personal and Academic Development in Criminal Justice (4022LAWCJ),and skill 7 is assessed at level 5 in Professional Development in Criminal Justice (5020LAWCJ). Programme outcomes were formulated with reference to the Criminology benchmarking statement.
Programme Structure
Programme Structure Description
The programme can be studied over three years (360 credits) or four years (480 credits) full time. On the three year model, study is undertaken at three levels, one for each year of study. 120 credits are required for the completion of each level and 360 credits for the completion … For more content click the Read More button below.