Team

Karen Cooper – Head of Subject and has previously worked at a number of Universities. She has served as a magistrate in the Midlands and Merseyside areas. Karen has an interest in medical law having previously worked in the Health Service for a number of years before coming to teach law. Karen teaches criminal law and medical law and ethics on the LLB.

Away from work Karen enjoys baking, crafting, spending time with family and friends, voluntary work and walking her two dogs Phoebe, and Alfie.

I am Harriet Cutler and I have been studying and working in Criminology in one form or another for seventeen years developing specialisms in gender, sexuality, interpersonal violence and critical criminology. I am actively engaged in research seeking to prevent harmful sexual behaviour through schools and community development in collaboration with Pete.

I have a genuine love of content design, delivery and development and like to use mixed methods in my teaching and in my research. I enjoy innovating in the classroom and ensuring students feel confident to learn and to seek support along the way too.

I am Peter Harris and I began my career in youth work, my work now very much focuses on young people and violence with one current focus on the prevention of harmful sexual behaviour. I am also a musician in my spare time and have enjoyed bringing music and youth work, and now Criminology, together.

I look after the Masters in Criminology and Social Justice and I co-direct the Centre for Community and Social Justice, a newly established research centre through which we hold annual seminars, conferences and workshops.

I am also heavily involved in the undergraduate degree and enjoy lively class discussion and debate. I am always keen to provide pastoral support too and take pride in working with all of our students to help them succeed.

Harriet and Pete will be leading on their respective course inductions and will feature in both too. During your induction week you will have an opportunity to meet the team, you will have an opportunity to get to know your Academic Personal Tutor (APT), individual Module Co-ordinators and teaching staff too along with getting plenty of opportunities to meet your peers and fellow Criminology students in 2nd and 3rd year too.

Brief Summary

Masters students

CRM701 Justice (3 hours)

This module introduces students to core and competing ideas of Justice drawing on philosophy, theory and practice.

Students will consider social as well as criminal justice and the means for doing both. There are two pieces of coursework, one is a personal reflection and the second a project on a criminal or social justice.

CRM702 Criminological Theory and Research (3 hours)

This module allows students to collaborate to inform content based on their interests and allows students to master a breadth of criminological thought by studying the research methods used to generate theories discussed. Students submit an essay and a research proposal.

Pre-Course Reading

Postgraduate

Our theme for this years induction is ‘Prisons, Punishment and Justice’, our induction sessions will be tailored to this theme to help you ease in to your first week of study and get a feel for the kind of content we will be exploring. So that you can make the most of induction week we would encourage you to work through the following:

1. Make notes and consider your own view whilst listening to:
Prison Break, 11:00 14/05/2021, BBC Radio 4, 30 mins. https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/183F2CEA?bcast=134464109

2. Read and note your reflections on: Weinberg, C., 2011. Justice is a way of being, not a moment in court: Charlotte Weinberg discusses the myth of justice in an unequal society. Criminal Justice Matters, 83(1), pp.22-23.
Available at:
https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/publications/cjm/article/justice-way-being-not-moment-court

3. Watch or listen to this short piece by Dr David Scott exploring a world without prison. Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mMwrS30XT8
3. (a) What are your thoughts? Is prison a just form of punishment?

Planned Online Meetings

If you would like to drop in before term starts you can email your course leader directly or attend one of two pre term drop in sessions:

Wednesday 6th September 2023 10am – 11am (Harriet Cutler)

Monday 11th September 2023 10am – 11am (Harriet Cutler)

Timetable information

Semester 1

Full details of your individual academic timetable will be available via your university email calendar after you have completed online enrolment and set up your student login.

Subject Sessions:

Monday 10.00 – 13.00

Even if your course team are not expecting you to be in during Welcome Week on Tuesday 19th September, we strongly encourage you to come in and participate in our Student Union Fresher’s Fair.

Running between 10am and 3pm, it will give you a great insight into the Student Union, its societies and its engagement with community groups and employers. You can find out more at Newman Students’ Union – Your Voice.