Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3168: Criminal Justice and Evidence

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

The aims of this module are:

To provide you with a structure to enable you to critically examine criminal justice processes in England and Wales.
To enable you to understand a variety of theoretical approaches to the study of criminal justice processes and to make judgements about the ethical issues and values involved.
To instil an appreciation of the variety of issues raised by the study of criminal justice processes, and the complexity of those issues particularly in respect of the extent to which they may interrelate.
To develop your ability to understand both the variety of principles applicable to criminal justice issues, and to be able to critically assess both existing processes and proposals for change, having regard to existing knowledge and research findings.
To provide you with a variety of opportunities to fulfil the above aims, and to demonstrate knowledge of relevant theoretical approaches, principles and laws and the ability to apply them to particular aspects of criminal justice.

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 a sound knowledge of relevant theoretical approaches, principles and laws as they relate to criminal justice 2. Critically evaluate a variety of criminal justice processes effectively and independently, both as they exist and in relation to proposals for reform
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Understand the relationship between legal rules and their implementation in practice as revealed by relevant research, and the limitations of law in regulating social action 4. Demonstrate an appreciation of the complex interrelationship between different justice processes and phenomena
Personal and Key Skills	5. Conduct appropriate research in relation to specific criminal justice issues 6. Produce a structured, coherent and concise argument, using communication methods appropriate to the discipline 7. Work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task.

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:

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
55	245	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	46	23 x 2 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	9	6 x 1.5 hour workshops
Guided Independent Study	120	Individual reading and lecture preparation
Guided Independent Study	35	Workshop preparation
Guided Independent Study	80	Assessment preparation
Guided Independent Study	10	Formative assessment

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).