Module SOC2101 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
SOC2101: Police and Policing
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
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:
- The evolution of the police in England and Wales, and the structures and governance mechanisms currently in place.
- The nature and function of the police.
- The difference between ‘police’ and ‘policing’.
- The main theories of policing, their strengths, weaknesses and differences.
- The main techniques used to research the police, their strengths and weaknesses and the role that academic analysis can, and should, play in policing.
- Different approaches and tactics used in UK policing and internationally.
- Police use of force, and less lethal weapons.
- Police use of discretion.
- Police (sub)culture(s)
- Accountability in modern day policing, and its interaction with police legitimacy.
- Changes to, and in, policing, including the notion of plural policing.
- Police misconduct and corruption
- The physiological impact of policing
- Policing and its impacts
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 | 11 | 11 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 11 | 11 x 1 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Preparation of essay |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Preparation for exam |
| Guided Independent study | 28 | Preparation for seminars and lectures |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A short, essay based, unseen mock exam, conducted during a tutorial. | 20 minutes. | 1,2,4,6-9 | Verbal feedback will be given by peers, supported by the tutor. |
| Participation in seminars | Active participation in seminars, based on readings. | 18 | Verbal feedback by tutor. |
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 | 50 | 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 | 50 | 1 hour exam | 1,2,4,6-9 | Written |
| Coursework | 50 | 3,000 words essay | 19 | 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 (1 hour exam) | 1,2 4, 6 - 9 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Coursework | Coursework (3, 000 word essay) | 1 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.
• Buttle, J (2007) ‘A Constructive Critique of the Officer Safety Programme Used in England and Wales’ Policing and Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy 17 (2): 164 – 181.
• Paoline, E (2004) ‘Shedding light on Police Culture: An Examination of Officer’s Occupational Attitudes Police Quarterly 7 (2): 205 – 236.
• Reisig, M and Kane, R (2014) The Oxford Handbook of Police and Policing Oxford University Press; Oxford (in particular Parts 2 and 3).
