| Unit name | Key Thinkers in Criminology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL20036 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kirwan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important
This unit aims to extend your knowledge and understanding of criminological theory and debate by charting the work of key thinkers within the discipline. The unit will identify prominent and influential thinkers and follow the trajectory of their work, locating their writings in the social, economic and political period of the time, and assessing their impact on the discipline and on policy and practice (where relevant). You will gain a detailed understanding of distinct theoretical frameworks and be able to situate these within conflicting and related bodies of ideas. The unit will include the contributions of key scholars relevant to the discipline.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit builds upon concepts and frameworks introduced in the units Understanding Harm, Crime and Society, Representations of Crime and Harm, and Criminological Theory: an Introduction. In this unit you will engage in a more in-depth way with specific authors’ work, understanding how their ideas have shaped subsequent criminological agendas, policy intervention, and activism.
An overview of content
The unit covers the work of key thinkers such as: Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Willem Bonger, William Chambliss, WEB Du Bois, Stuart Hall, Michel Foucault, Carol Smart, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Angela Y Davis, Lucia Zedner, Gilles Deleuze and Biko Agozino.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will have gained an in-depth knowledge of the key thinkers covered on the unit, providing foundations for future units and dissertation projects. You will furthermore have gained an ability to closely read and examine original texts, to represent ideas in your own words, and apply abstract concepts to diverse criminological issues.
Learning Outcomes
By successfully completing the unit you will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a weekly two-hour lecture and one-hour seminar.
Tasks that help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will be given the opportunity for formative feedback on their planned structure and argument for the Critical Review (up to 500 words).
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Critical review (2000 words maximum, 100%)
This assessment covers all ILOs 1-3.
When assessment does not go to plan
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL20036).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
