Module SOC3123 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
SOC3123: Punishment, Imprisonment and Detention
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to allow students to engage with some of the key criminological, sociological and interdisciplinary concepts, critical issues and perennial debates in the study of punishment, imprisonment and detention. There will be a focus on philosophies, rationales and theoretical discussions around punishment and detention; policies and practices; imprisonment and punishment beyond imprisonment.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Critically analyse practical issues and contemporary debates of relevance to punishment, imprisonment and/or detention 2. Critically assess and clearly apply the academic literature to debates around punishment, imprisonment and/or detention 3. Demonstrate clear, detailed and nuanced understanding of punishment, imprisonment and/or detention |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate in writing an ability to analyse criminological and sociological materials and critically engage with these involving complex reasoning 5. Use relevant literature to contribute to contemporary issues and debates |
Personal and Key Skills | 6. Present a clear, evidence-based argument both verbally and in writing 7. Conduct guided independent study in order to research a specific topic / question 8. 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 precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- Philosophies and rationales for punishment, detention and imprisonment
- Alternatives to imprisonment
- Disparities in punishment and imprisonment
- Researching places of detention and the role of the researcher.
- Prisons
- Probation
- Immigration Detention
- Other places of detention (mental health, police custody, transit, care homes)
- Pains of Imprisonment
- Adaptation – Importation debate
- Use of force
- Segregation and solitary confinement
- Long term imprisonment
- Prisoners and gender
- Black and Ethnic Minority Prisoners
- The role of the prison officer
- Breadth of detention: Impact on families, prisoners and rehabilitation
- Monitoring, oversight and accountability
- The monitoring of places of detention in international context
- The politics of imprisonment: A Punitive Turn
- Alternatives to places of detention
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 |
---|---|---|
44 | 256 | 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 hrs lectures |
Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hrs seminars |
Guided independent study | 56 | Reading for seminars |
Guided independent study | 100 | Preparation for essay |
Guided independent study | 100 | Preparation for exam |
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, mock exam, conducted during a seminar | 20 minutes | 1-8 | Feedback will be given by peers, supported by the tutor. This will give students the opportunity to hone their exam technique, and to informally practice / develop skills around giving and receiving feedback. Additional support will be provided by the tutor during office hours. |
Participation in seminars | ongoing | 1-7 | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 50 | 3,500 words | 1-8 | Written |
Exam | 50 | 2 hours | 1-8 | 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 | Essay (3,500 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Exam | Exam (2 hours) | 1-8 | 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.
Prison Reform Trust (2019) Prison: the facts. Bromley Briefings Summer 2019. Available online at http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Bromley%20Briefings/Prison%20the%20facts%20Summer%202019.pdf
Garland, D (1991) 'Sociological perspectives on punishment' Crime and Justice 14:115- 165
Sykes, G. (2007), The Society of Captives: A Study of a Maximum Security Prison. Princeton: Princeton University Press. The chapter on 'Pains of Imprisonment', available here: http://psychology.beauchamp.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2014/06/painsofimprisonment.pdf