MA Criminology & Social Justice

This module is designed to enable students to engage with a range of sociological, psychological and critical theories within the field of criminology and to relate them to potential methodological (ethnography, historical, quantitative, qualitative, etc.) approaches to social research. It will introduce students to a range of criminological texts, providing an opportunity to explore both the theoretical explanations these texts offer and the research methodology used by their authors. The particular problems presented by the different methodical approaches, including ethical issues, will be explored with a view to enabling students to apply their learning to developing the theoretical and methodological grounding for their own Master’s dissertation.

This module focuses on the relationship between justice and place, exploring how justice, both criminal and social, is distributed in different geographic locations. By studying the history and geography of differing locations (cities, countries etc) together with the operation of social policies and criminal justice agencies students will develop a critical awareness of places a sight of justice (and injustice). A recurrent theme that will run throughout the module will be how criminal and social justice are linked and interventions within one impact on the other. This is reflected in the modules assignment which requires students to explore social justice solutions to problems often responded to through criminal justice interventions.

This module provides students with the opportunity to explore a topic of their own choosing through autonomously undertaking empirical research (either qualitative or quantitative) supported by a member of staff from the subject area (or elsewhere) with appropriate specialist knowledge. They will be expected to engage with knowledge at the forefront of the discipline, identify and use established techniques of research and enquiry to produce a formal written thesis in line with the University’s guidelines. Students will build upon the proposal developed in CRM702 working with their supervisor to refine their proposal, gain ethical approval and carry out their project. Workshops supporting students to develop skills for their field work are timetabled and students are encouraged to work independently with their supervisor to arrange supervision. In addition, writing retreats are delivered in the later stages to facilitate the analysis and writing up stages of the research process.

This module will introduce students to the interdisciplinary framework of psychosocial studies and explore how this generates new perspectives on criminal behaviour. Initial tutor led input will critically engage with psychosocial theory that seeks to fuse psychoanalytic and post structural insights on the individual, society and culture. Students will then select an enquiry topic from a range of socially harmful and criminal behaviours, and present their findings in the form of a seminar paper to the rest of the group.

This module is designed to enable students to engage with a range of approaches to the study of the concept of Justice. This theoretical grounding enables students to develop a critical understanding of how both criminal justice and social justice is distributed in contemporary society. The module is multi-disciplinary drawing on a number of disciplinary approaches to develop students’ capacity to synthesise theory with analysis of real-world phenomena.