Module SOC3034 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
SOC3034: International Criminal Justice: Comparative Criminology
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to provide you with introductory knowledge of comparative criminology in the globalizing world. It aims to teach you how to read quantitative analysis, as well as how to conduct basic statistics with international crime data. International Criminal Justice: Comparative Criminology will also help develop your critical thinking skills to engage in international policy discussion.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate a clear and detailed understanding of comparative criminology; 2. Critically assess how comparative criminology is conducted and interpreted; 3. Engage with data sources and develop skills in basic statistical analysis; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of explanatory frameworks and their application to this subject area; 5. Demonstrate a clear and detailed understanding of the different methods of research in the field and their implications for relevant policy; 6. Clearly present research, policy debates and your own arguments; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. Present an argument orally in a clear, organized and effective manner; 8. Analyze quantitative data using statistical tools; 9. Demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified 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 themes over one or more weeks:
Comparative Criminology –comparing crime across nations
Legal traditions and Punishment Philosophies –discuss how different legal and philosophic approaches to crime result in different crime related outcomes
Comparing Prison Systems, Policing, & Crime Control and Prevention models
International Crime Statistics –critique sources of crime data
Describing data –using basic statistics to compare official crime data and victimization survey data among countries
Comparing means and hypothesis testing –using basic statistics to compare means and test hypotheses with official crime data and victimization survey data among countries
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 (lecturers explanations, student participation and discussion) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 11 | 3 x 1 hour data analysis tutorials; 8 x 1 hour linked tutorials involving presentations and discussions; revision/prep for exam session |
| Guided Independent Study | 24 | Reading assignments and preparing for the tutorials |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Preparing lab assignment |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Additional reading/research |
| Guided Independent Study | 54 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-line tests | 2 hour total (6 elements of 20 minute tests spread out over the term) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 | Written |
| Participation in seminars | Active participation based on readings | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 60 | 120 minutes | 1,2,3,4,5,8,9 | Written |
| Lab assignment (Tables, graphs, analysis, and write up) | 40 | A data analysis exercise that tests knowledge of lecture material | 1-6,8,9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | Examination (120 minutes) | 1,2,3,4,5,8,9 | August/September assessment period |
| Lab assignment (Tables, graphs, analysis, and write up) | A data analysis exercise (2,500 words with written analysis and tables included) that tests knowledge of lecture material | 1-6,8,9 | August/September assessment period |
