Module SOC2068 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
SOC2068: Race, Ethnicity and Criminalisation
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The aim of the module will be on understanding and applying theories of race and racism to the social construction of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system. The module will allow students to understand how crime is situated within a racialised socio-historical process. The module will facilitate critical evaluation of the data available on crime related to race and ethnicity. You will have the opportunity to evaluate in practice the differentiated application of the law, criminal justice system and actions of law enforcement agencies to racialised groups in society. You will have the opportunity to examine US and UK case studies where they will evaluate racialised processes within the criminal justice system.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. engage in sociological and criminological approaches to the study of race, ethnicity and crime; 2. understand and apply appropriate theories and concepts to an analysis of racism in a criminological context. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. analyse social data regarding race, ethnicity and crime; 4. evaluate the evidence on race and the criminal justice system; 5. demonstrate an understanding of explanatory perspectives on race, ethnicity and crime. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. demonstrate collaborative skills, in presentations and group discussions of course materials; 7. critically evaluate own work and the work of others; 8. present a clear and effective argument, in oral and written forms; 9. work independently, within a set time frame, to complete an analytical task. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- The social construction of crime and crime statistics;
- Institutional racism, disproportionality and ‘stop and search’;
- Race, riots and policing;
- Race and prisons;
- Counter-terrorism, Prevent and Islamophobia;
- Racially motivated hate crime.
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 | 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 seminars |
| Guided independent study | 22 | Preparation and reading for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 42 | Preparation and reading for presentation |
| Guided independent study | 10 | Additional reading/research |
| Guided independent study | 54 | Preparation for essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Ministry of Justice (2017) Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System 2016 [Online], London, Ministry of Justice. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/669094/statistics_on_race_and_the_criminal_justice_system_2016_v2.pdf
Ministry of Justice (2017) Trends in associations between ethnic background and being sentenced to custody for young offenders in England and Wales between 2009 and 2016. Available at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/669095/Race_and_the_CJS-youth-amended-01122017.pdf
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peer review of essay plan (students will submit plan of summative essay) | One hour seminar time plus essay plan preparation | 1-9 | Oral and written (peer review with guidance) |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 0 | 50 |
...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 | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-5, 7-9 | Written |
| Individual presentation | 50 | 15 minutes presentation + slides | 1-9 | Oral and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2,000 words essay | 1-6, 8 | 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.
Bowling, B. and Phillips, C. (2001) Race, Crime and Criminal Justice, Harlow, Longman.
Blagg, H. (2008) Crime, Aboriginality and the Decolonisation of Justice, Cullompton, Willan.
Gilroy, P. (1987) Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation, London: Routledge.
Holdaway, S. (1997) ‘Some recent approaches to the study of race in criminological research: race as a social process’, British Journal of Criminology, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 383–400.
Hall, S., Critcher, C., Jefferson, T., Clarke, J., & Roberts, B. (2013). Policing the crisis: Mugging, the state and law and order. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Hughes, G. (2009) ‘Community safety and the governance of problem populations’ in Mooney, G. and Neal, S. (eds) Community: Welfare, Crime and Society, Maidenhead, MacGraw Hill and Open University Press.
Macpherson, W. Sir (1999) The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, London, Home Office.
Massoumi, N., Mills, T., Miller, D. (2017) What is Islamophobia? Racism, Social Movements and the State London: Pluto
McLaughlin, E. (2009) ‘Community cohesion and national security: rethinking policing and race’ in Bloch, A. and
Ouseley, H. Sir (2001) Community Pride Not Prejudice: Making Diversity Work in Bradford, Bradford, Bradford Vision.
Solomos, J. (eds) Race and Ethnicity in the 21st Century, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Scarman, Lord (1981) The Scarman Report: The Brixton Disorders 10–12 April 1981, London, HMSO.
Wacquant, L. (2002) ‘From slavery to mass incarceration: rethinking the “race question” in the US’, New Left Review, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 41–60
Webster, C. (2007) Understanding Race and Crime (Crime and Justice), Buckingham, Open University Press.
