Module: CRI7001-30 Advanced Criminological Theory

Level: 7

Credit Value: 30

Module Tutor: Rainer-Elk Anders

Module Tutor Contact Details: r.anders2@bathspa.ac.uk

1.Brief description and aims of module

This module provides an opportunity to critically engage with the discourse of criminology via classical, modern and contemporary theories of crime, deviance and victimisation. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of the history of ideas in philosophy and social science that underpin and inform theoretical debates in criminology. Classical texts, contemporary orthodoxies and emergent conceptualisations will be explored and critically analysed in group discussion in order to extend and deepen your understanding of theories and how they may be applied in research Through your studies, you will gain an appreciation for the multi-disciplinary and global character and contested nature of criminological discourse and how theories act as a catalyst and provocation for development of our knowledge about crime and criminal justice systems. The module goes beyond Western-oriented discourses and includes many examples from non-Western contexts.

2.Outline syllabus

The curriculum will be drawn from topics which may include:

• History of criminological ideas
• Philosophies of crime and justice
• Sociological positivism
• Psychological perspectives on crime
• Structural and interactionist theories
• Critical criminology
• Cultural criminology
• Realism
• Conflict theories
• Feminist criminology
• Queer criminology
• Victimology
• Southern criminology
• Crime and postmodernism
• Zemiology

3.Teaching and learning activities

This module will be delivered through a combination of classroom-based seminars, workshops and interactive online learning tools.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work
• Description: Portfolio (2000 words)
• % Weighting: 30%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Course Work
• Description: Essay (5000 words)
• % Weighting: 70%