MA in Criminal Justice and Crime Control

Core modules

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

• Global Issues in Criminal Justice and Crime Control

  Explore key issues and ‘real world’ problems in criminal justice and crime control in an increasingly globalising world. Using a range of up-to-date research and contemporary concerns about criminal justice and crime control in comparative or global contexts, you will engage with debates, discussion and policy in criminological thought and practice.

• Doing Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

  Learn about the vital skills of doing research in criminology and criminal justice, concentrating on the different types and rationales of a variety of research methodologies. You will be taught by a combination of lectures and tutorials.

Trimester 1 optional modules (choose one)

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

• Contemporary Slavery Studies

  Gain a broad and critical overview of systems of slavery and unfree practices historically and across a multitude of contexts. Familiarise yourself with complex theoretical debates on analytical categories such as ‘slavery’, ‘forced labour’, ‘debt bondage’ and how these related to the lived experiences of people across socio-historical contexts. You'll examine a range of cross-disciplinary academic literature and research, including in history, anthropology, sociology, politics, criminology and law. Past and current research at the Wilberforce Institute will contribute to developing a critical and multi-layered understanding of concepts, ideas and public discourses and how these have been moulded and shifted across time.

• Competing and Comparative Justice: Values and Ethics in the Criminal Justice Process

  This module introduces the complexity of ethical problems that arise in the criminal justice arena, challenging preconceptions of what is “right” and “wrong” in a range of situations in the UK and abroad. You will critically analyse some of the key debates about values underpinning law-making and criminal justice.

• Contemporary Crime: Theories & Practice

  You will explore contemporary criminological theories explaining criminality and offending behaviour. In addition, you will examine the various strategies in the areas of crime reduction and crime prevention put forward to tackle such behaviour and whether or not these have been successful in addressing certain types of criminality behaviour.

• Policing, Security and Intelligence

  ‘Crime’ is increasingly seen as a global rather than local or national problem. How do we ‘police’ such problems across borders and how do police agencies co-operate to tackle problems like cybercrime or cross border criminal activity? This module will explore models of policing, transnational policing and private security policing as well as debating and exploring the techniques, ethics and accountability of the police in such settings.

• Communication and Engagement with Diverse Communities

  This module focuses on the importance of social justice and inclusion when considering the creation, cohesion and safety of communities. You will learn about real world issues and concerns in diverse communities. You will conduct research concerning the issues that are uncovered with an aim to assist community safety and alleviate community tensions due to age, religion, disability and so on. The outcome of your research will be reported in a briefing product for community groups.

Trimester 2 optional modules (choose one)

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

• Critical Victimology and Contemporary Slavery

  Examine the definitions and representations of victimisation in slavery studies. You will also critically examine the limitations and challenges of existing criminal justice approaches to victimisation, even when these are victim-centred. You'll examine theoretical explanations of victimisation and explore the relationship between victimisation and social divisions of class, ethnicity, age, gender, nationality, immigration status, etc.

• Hacking for the Police

  As part of a team, you will engage directly with complex, real world problems proposed by UK government sponsors including policy, economics, technology and national security. As the module progresses, teams will discover and validate customer needs and continually build iterative prototypes. Takin a hands-on approach, you will closely engage with UK Police, Home Office and other government agency end-users.

• Gender, Sexualities and Crime

  Explore contemporary global issues in gender, sexualities and crime, including domestic violence, sex work, discussions of masculinities, ethnicities and crime, sexualities and perceptions of deviance as well as exploring race, ethnicity and social justice within a gendered and international perspective.

• Global Detention: Custody, Imprisonment and Human Rights

  Explore key issues in detention, custody and incarceration across the World. Using a range of themes and case studies, you will explore the use of imprisonment, comparative approaches to penal systems as well as debates and discussions and challenges in the practice of punishment for example, through contemporary use of remand, solitary confinement and life without parole.

• Incarceration Culture in Context: Research Methods and Theory in Interdisciplinary Studies

  On this module, you will examine and scrutinise a broad range of texts that address incarceration. This may include poetry by African political prisoners, Orange is the New Black (TV), artwork from Guantanamo Bay, Caribbean memorials to slave rebellions, Native American captivity stories, modern slavery documentaries and photography documenting Northern Ireland.

   

Compulsory module

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

• Dissertation

  You will make an original contribution to research by designing, carrying out and writing up a project on a topic of your choice, supported by your dissertation supervisor.

Core modules

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

• Global Issues in Criminal Justice and Crime Control

  Explore key issues and ‘real world’ problems in criminal justice and crime control in an increasingly globalising world. Using a range of up-to-date research and contemporary concerns about criminal justice and crime control in comparative or global contexts, you will engage with debates, discussion and policy in criminological thought and practice.

• Contemporary Slavery Studies

  Gain a broad and critical overview of systems of slavery and unfree practices historically and across a multitude of contexts. Familiarise yourself with complex theoretical debates on analytical categories such as ‘slavery’, ‘forced labour’, ‘debt bondage’ and how these related to the lived experiences of people across socio-historical contexts. You'll examine a range of cross-disciplinary academic literature and research, including in history, anthropology, sociology, politics, criminology and law. Past and current research at the Wilberforce Institute will contribute to developing a critical and multi-layered understanding of concepts, ideas and public discourses and how these have been moulded and shifted across time.

• Doing Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

  Learn about the vital skills of doing research in criminology and criminal justice, concentrating on the different types and rationales of a variety of research methodologies. You will be taught by a combination of lectures and tutorials.

• Critical Victimology and Contemporary Slavery

  Examine the definitions and representations of victimisation in slavery studies. You will also critically examine the limitations and challenges of existing criminal justice approaches to victimisation, even when these are victim-centred. You'll examine theoretical explanations of victimisation and explore the relationship between victimisation and social divisions of class, ethnicity, age, gender, nationality, immigration status, etc.

Compulsory module

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

• Dissertation

  You will make an original contribution to research by designing, carrying out and writing up a project on a topic of your choice, supported by your dissertation supervisor.