Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC3098: Sociology of Imprisonment

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide you with an introductory knowledge of prison sociology. In 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 discussion.

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 Skills1. Demonstrate a clear and detailed understanding of prison sociology.
2. Critically assess the utility of prison sociology in thinking about the purpose of prison and its effectiveness as a method of punishment for a criminal offence.
3. Engage with a wide range of sociological sources (academic, biographical, documentary).
4. Critically engage with academic discourses about the boundaries of punishment.
Discipline-Specific Skills5. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the explanatory frameworks and their application to criminology.
6. Demonstrate a clear and detailed 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 Skills8. Present an argument orally and in writing in a clear, coherent, organized and effective manner;
9. Analyze and 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.