Module SOC1045 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
SOC1045: Introduction to Criminal Justice
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to:
- Introduce you to the Criminal Justice System and the study of crime
- Provide you with a critical understanding of some of the key theoretical, conceptual and historical approached within criminology
- Provide you with a basic understanding of the use, implications and ethics of the methodologies applied to practices, theories and the organisational of the Criminal Justice System.
- Give you opportunities to engage with and analyse the representations of crime and responses to crime by the Criminal Justice System.
- Train you to recognise and evaluate competing insights within Criminology and the Criminal Justice System
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts and principles underpinning the basic structure of the Criminal Justice System and the relevant agencies. 2. Demonstrate an understanding of how official statistics are recorded, used, published and alternative sources of information. 3. Understand how the Criminal Justice System developed over time, (politics, individuals, pressure groups) 4. Identify and locate relevant materials and information in support of research; 5. Recognise the wider context of crime and the Criminal Justice System, and its implication on society |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 6. Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate literature (theoretical and empirical investigations); 7. Conduct independent criminological research; |
Personal and Key Skills | 8. Argue rationally, concisely, in a logical structured way communicating information and ideas in written and oral form 9. Work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
While the module’s precise content may vary year on year, it is envisioned that some or all of the following topics will be covered within the syllabus:
• Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
• Law & Order (Historical, political)
• Philosophies of Punishment/Justice
• Policing (recording data, reactive/preventative, statistics)
• Victim (diversity and inequality, statistics)
• Offenders (diversity and inequality, statistics)
• Courts and Sentencing (diversity and inequality, statistics)
• Prisons and Penalties (diversity and inequality, statistics)
• Issues for the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales
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 |
---|---|---|
28 | 122 | 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 | 22 | 11 x 2 hour weekly lectures |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 6 | 6 x 1 hour tutorials |
Guided Independent study | 33 | Preparation for lectures and tutorials |
Guided Independent study | 67 | Preparation for essays, library, research |
Guided Independent study | 22 | Examination revision |
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 test | 1 hour total (5 elements of 20 minutes tests spread out over term) | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 | Written |
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 | 1-9 | Written |
Examination | 60 | 1 hour | 1-9 | Exam mark |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-9 | August\September reassessment period |
Examination | Examination (1 hour) | 1-9 | August\September reassessment 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.
Gibson, B., & Cavadino, P. (2008) The Criminal Justice System: An Introduction
Maguire, M., Morgan, R. and Reiner, R. (eds.) (1997) The Oxford Handbook in Criminology.
Munice, J., and Wilson, D. (eds). (2013) Student Handbook of Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Waddington, PAJ. (1999) Policing Citizens.