Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2104: Victimology

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to provide you with an introductory knowledge of victimology. It aims to introduce you to the concept of “victim” and encourage you to critically engage with it. More broadly, it aims to teach you about the various discourses surrounding victim participation and provide you with a working knowledge of the various ways in which victims may be involved in the criminal justice process. In doing so, it aims to help you develop your critical thinking skills and engage in debates about victimisation and victims' rights, offenders' right to fair trial, etc.

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 victimology. 2. Assess different ways of understanding the term victim. 3. Engage with different ways in which victims might be involved in the criminal justice system. 4. Attempt to critically engage with academic discourses about victim engagement.
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. Demonstrate an understanding of the explanatory frameworks and their application to criminology. 6. Demonstrate a sound understanding of different sources of data and critically assess their reliability and utility in debating whether victim involvement in the criminal justice process is a positive development. 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 a Victim? - An introduction to the module and the “core” definitions of “victim”.

Beyond the Primary Victim – In what sense might relatives of primary victims and relatives of offenders be seen as victims of crime? Is bringing them within the definition of “victim” useful?

“Victim-Centered Justice” - An overview of UK policies that seek to improve the experiences of primary victims and involve them in the criminal justice process.

Beyond the UK – How are victims of crime involved in justice processes outside the UK – such as in restorative justice processes?

“Victim-Centered Justice?” - To what extent should victims of crimes be involved in the criminal justice process? Does this involvement have an implication for the fairness of the offender's trial?

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

...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	4 x 1-hour tutorials involving studying documentary evidence about the experiences of victims of crime and their involvement in the criminal justice process in the UK and US, 7 x 1-hour linked tutorials involving presentations, discussions, and debates; revision/prep for exam session
Guided independent study	40	Reading 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 in seminars	Active participation based on readings	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	Oral

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
Essay	40	2000 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	Written
Written examination	60	1.5 hours	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	Written

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 hours	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	August/September re-assessment period
Essay	Essay, 2000 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	August/September re-assessment period

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Basic reading:

Walklate, S. (1989), Victimology – The Victim and the Criminal Justice Process

Christie, N. (1986), 'The Ideal Victim', in From Crime Policy to Victim Policy, E. A. Fattah (ed.)

Davis, R., Taylor, B. and Bench, S. (1995), 'Impact of Sexual and Nonsexual Assault on Secondary Victims', Violence and Victims, 10(1): 73-84.

Strang, H. (2002), Repair or Revenge: Victims and Restorative Justice