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Contemporary Criminological Theory

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
  • Convenor: Prof Tanya Serisier
  • Assessment: a 10-15-minute presentation (20%) and 4000-word essay (80%)

Module description

In this module you will critically engage with the most prevalent and influential criminological theories, concepts and approaches - both those that seek to explain criminal behaviour and those which attempt to explain crime control and criminal justice in the twenty-first century. You will therefore engage with two primary threads of contemporary criminological theory: (1) the branch of theories that seeks to explain crime and criminality in a way that is straightforward and useful for policy makers and practitioners; and (2) the more critical branch of contemporary theory which seeks to explain the dramatic changes to the criminal justice system and the crime control apparatus over the past several decades.

Indicative syllabus

  • Introduction to criminological theory - the problem of crime
  • The role of criminologists
  • Is criminology a science?
  • Criminology and lived experience
  • Critiquing criminology
  • Decolonising criminology
  • Race crime and justice
  • Feminist debates about justice
  • Can criminology confront crimes of the powerful
  • Should criminology be abolished?

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • understand, critically evaluate and deploy key contemporary criminological theories, concepts and ideas
  • understand and critically explore contemporary criminological debates about the causes of crime, the nature of crime control in contemporary Britain, and the purpose and trajectory of the criminal justice system
  • critically analyse the relationship between criminological theory, criminological research and criminal justice practice
  • understand and contextualise the theoretical perspectives that inform specific ideas and policies
  • critically evaluate the research evidence that supports and/or contradicts certain theoretical approaches to understanding crime and the criminal justice system
  • articulate clearly and fluently your own views with regard to the viability of theoretical concepts and ideas, as well as the impact of wider changes to crime control and criminal justice.