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

 

Undergraduate Students

Our approach to learning in Criminology is underpinned by a strong values-based approach and a philosophy of play and discover. Our sessions are consistently dialogic and whilst we do use power-points to some extent to structure content delivery, we deliver them in discussion with you in the classroom.

Your classes are supported by Moodle, for each module of study you will have a moodle page. This is where you will find an overview of your learning and all of the resources the module co-ordinator would like you to engage with, this is also where we send out notices and where you submit your coursework.

In your first semester you will study three modules, each are 20 credits, your whole degree is made up of 360 credits and you study and complete 120 credits each year when you study full time. If you are studying part time, please contact your course leader to identify which modules of study you are electing and map out a personal part time learning plan for the degree.

CRU401 Seeing Crime and Justice (3 hours)

This module will hopefully draw in the Netflix true crime binge watch crowd and all those interested in any form of media or cultural representation of crime and justice. We will both enjoy deconstructing film, tv, drama, newspapers, social media, etcetera, and lay the foundations of our critical criminological work that seeks to demonstrate the way in which messages around crime are constructed for outcome or effect.

At the same time this module looks to introduce you to some core skills for your study with us, we will run you through some key tips and tricks and support you to identify where your strengths and areas for development are too. There are two pieces of coursework for this module, a short skills audit and a collection of blog posts – support is provided for both.

CRU404 The Criminal Justice Environment (3 hours)

This module looks to introduce you to the history and development of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales.

It will provide you with a foundational understanding in relation to core agents, organisations, policies and practices relevant to the functioning of the CJS. As part of this module students are provided with the opportunity to visit a Court and the sole piece of coursework is a court report which is either based upon your court visit or a recorded observation if you have been unable to attend a court.

CRU407 The Sociology of Crime (3 hours)

This module introduces you to a core theoretical school within the study of Criminology – Sociological Criminology. You will explore some of the key sociological ideas that help us to make some sense of crime and how we might prevent or respond to it.

This module has two pieces of coursework a short essay which discusses the strengths and limitations of a sociological theory and a digital poster which takes a theory and applies it visually with some consideration of strengths and limitations.

 

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

 

Undergraduate

Our theme for this years induction is ‘Prisons and Punishment’, 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. Listen to Behind the Crime, 13:30 16/04/2023, BBC Radio 4, 30 mins. 00:01:31-00:29:19
https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/clip/236568

With the following questions in mind please jot down some notes in a form that works best for you:

What do we learn about the causes of crime?
How do you feel about David’s offending?
What are your thoughts on the current state of the prison estate?

2. Read this article exploring differing views on work in prison available at the link below.
The academic reference you would use in the reference list at the end of your essay is: Black, J., Day, M., Gillan, S. and Lousley, G., 2011. Should prisoners work 9-5. Criminal Justice Matters, 82, p.37. Open access online at this address: https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/publications/cjm/article/should-prisoners-work-9-5

2. (b) Consider your view, are you for or against? Why?

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
The academic reference you would use in the reference list at the end of an essay is: BBC Ideas What would a world without prisons be like? (2020) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mMwrS30XT8 (Accessed: 03 July 2023).

3 (a) What are your thoughts? A world without prison?

 

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

Tuesdays 10.00 – 13.00 and 14.00 – 17.00
Thursdays 14.00 – 17.00

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

Here are the dates and times during our welcome week when your teaching team will be expecting you on campus for welcome activity. Come to main reception and the welcome mentors will get you to the correct rooms:

• 18.09.23 10-12 DW101
• 18.09.23 1-2 HI101, HI102
• 19.09.23 10-1 CH116
• 21.09.23 2-4 ST002

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.