Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2098: Sociology of Imprisonment

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide you with an introductory knowledge of prison sociology. It aims to teach you what the prison experience entails, but also to think more broadly and question accepted academic perceptions of imprisonment and punishment more generally. It will thus help develop your critical thinking skills and encourage you to engage in socio-political discussions.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate an understanding of prison sociology. 2. Assess the utlity of prison sociology in thinking about the purpose of prison and its efectveness as a method of punishment for a criminal ofence. 3. Engage with a range of sociological sources (academic, biographical, documentary). 4. Atempt to critcally engage with academic discourses about the boundaries of punishment.
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. Demonstrate an understanding of the explanatory frameworks and their applicaton to criminology. 6. Demonstrate a sound understanding of different sources of data and critically assess their reliability and utility in debating whether imprisonment is an effective method of punishing offenders. 7. Clearly present research and policy in your arguments.
Personal and Key Skills	8. Present an argument orally and in writing in a clear and organized manner; 9. Analyze and attempt to critically assess sources of qualitative and quantitative data; 10. Demonstrate you can work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specific task.

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Online test	1.5 hours total (3 elements of 30 minutes spread out over the term)	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	Written
Participation on seminars	Active participation based on readings	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	Verbal

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
40	60	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written examination	60	1.5 hours	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	Written
Essay	40	2,000 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	Written
	0
	0
	0
	0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Written examination	Written examination, 1.5 hour	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	August/September re-assessment period
Essay	Essay, 2,000 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	August/September re-assessment period