Module SOC2098 for 2016/7
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
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.
| 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. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
What is 'prison sociology'? - An introduction to the module.
Prison Discourses – how and to what extent has the nature of imprisonment changed since the 1950s?
The Prison Experience – discuss what the ‘pains of imprisonment’ are, and whether their nature has changed in the last five decades.
Society of Prisoners – consider what social life within a prison is like, and what it tells us about the effectiveness of prison as a method of punishing offenders.
Beyond Prison Walls – consider how imprisonment reaches beyond prison walls, affecting ex-prisoners' lives after their have served their sentence, and affecting their families and communities.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 11 | 11 x 1-hour seminars (lecturer's explanations, student participation and discussion) |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 11 | 3 x 1-hour tutorials involving studying documentary evidence about prison life, 8 x 1-hour linked tutorials involved presentations, discussions, and debates; revision/prep for exam session |
| Guided independent study | 40 | RReading assignments and preparing for the tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 20 | Preparing for essay assignment |
| Guided independent study | 15 | Additional reading/research |
| Guided independent study | 53 | Preparation for and completion of all exams |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
