Criminology and Society, _MSc

Compulsory Courses

Advanced Qualitative Methods in Social Science (SL5011)

30 Credit Points

Qualitative Sociology: Philosophy and Methods: This course introduces students to a range of methods used in qualitative social science research (such as participant observation, qualitative interviewing, focus groups, diaries, photography and film, and archived data sources). The emphasis will be on the research process, from project design to analysis and presentation, with methodological issues raised in the context of researchable questions. Issues of reliability, representativeness and validity, and the potential for combining methods will be addressed. Students use the course work to develop their research interests and reflect on their research practices.

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Optional Courses

Plus, ONE from the following:

Advanced Social Theory (SO5014)

30 Credit Points

Karl Popper argued, wisely, at least this time, that all languages are theory-laden. In other words, if we are doing social science, it is impossible not to do theory, but we have a choice to do it well or poorly, informed by the thinking of others who have gone before us, or in ignorance of it. In this course we learn to reflect explicitly about that which may otherwise simply remain implicit in empirical sociological examination. In this project, we are assisted by important thinkers who have developed distinctive and influential ways of considering the social. We begin with classical sociological theory before moving on to the work of more recent social thought, giving students an advanced working knowledge of the most important theoretical tools available to jobbing social scientists.

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Policy Evaluation (SO5015)

30 Credit Points

Institutions and organizations are today commonly demanding evidence-based policy formation. As a result, the necessary social research methods for Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) are in high demand. This course in Policy Evaluation is the core course in the MSc in Policy Evaluation and will equip graduates with the knowledge necessary to understand the current demand for, existing practices of, and substantial challenges to monitoring and evaluation of policy, implementation procedures, and impacts. The course serves as the primary topical course for this MSc and provides student with the theoretical and conceptual understanding of policymaking and programme implementation necessary to put M&E practices in context, and to better understand the need for specific M&E skills and how they might be best utilized across an array of work environments.

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Compulsory Courses

Key Concepts and Practices of Criminology (30 credit points)

• This course serves as the core course for the MSc in Criminology and Society. It introduces students to the ideas and approaches that are key to the study and practice of criminology. Students will develop an understanding of concepts such as crime, deviance, surveillance, punishment, recidivism, social cohesion and social order. These concepts are addressed through a sociological lens and provide the student with the advanced knowledge of criminological theory necessary to prepare them for a future career in related fields.

Optional Courses

Plus, select 30 credits from the following:

Urbanization, Crime and Social Problems (30 credit points)

• This course addresses some of the key issues associated with the shift from living in the small to medium-sized communities of the middle ages, through the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation of the 18th and 19th centuries, to the emergence of the sprawling global megalopolis of the 21st century. A central focus is on various ways in which urban development and city living have affected the relations, stability, cohesion and well-being of individuals and communities over time. Core questions will address concerns around the capacity of human beings to adapt to urban living, given that this way of life has arisen very recently in our history, and the social problems that have previously and are currently emerging as we have transitioned to becoming a predominantly urban species. Topics covered will explore key elements of city life such as work, housing, inequalities, social, spatial and political organisation, consumerism, communities and well-being, with a specific focus on social problems. With respect to the latter, the course will specifically address a broad range of the negative aspects of living in cities, including mental and physical health effects, substance abuse and a range of conditions that foster deviance, conflict, interpersonal violence and criminality. In approaching these important and topical issues the course will draw on a range of theoretical frameworks from classical social scientific theory to the latest developments in biosocial theory.

Applied Research Methods (15 credit points)

Sex, Gender, Violence: Critical Approaches (SO5519)

30 Credit Points

This course investigates the ways people think about, understand, and respond to violence. How do we know what counts as violence or a violence act? Why does legislation against violence often seem inadequate, perhaps especially in the case of gendered and sexual violence?

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Dimensions of Globalization (SO5512)

30 Credit Points

This interdisciplinary course focuses on substantive dimensions of globalization by considering recent changes occurring in the economic, political, social, and cultural realms of society. These themes are analysed by considering recent empirical studies, which seek to clarify our theoretical understanding of globalization through advanced social scientific research. The substantive themes covered include global capitalism, the global division of labour, global governance, the changing role of the nation state, transnational social change, and cultural homogenization and heterogenization. Interconnections between these aspects of globalization are highlighted.

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The Comparative Study of European Societies (SO5515)

30 Credit Points

The core course will look at Europe as a society as well as by comparing different nations and regions within it. It will look not just at the European Union, but also countries that are also in the broadest sense “European” stretching to the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. It will address key contemporary issues such as citizenship and belonging, identities in a European context, work, family and the demographic challenge as well as work-life balance.

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Peace and Conflict Studies (SO5529)

30 Credit Points

This course provides students with a review of some of the central concepts and processes central to conflict resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding. As such, the course is designed both to introduce the theoretical foundations of particular approaches to conflict resolution (or “peacemaking”) and peacebuilding, and to describe how those theoretical underpinnings give rise to specific mechanisms or processes within given contexts. In the area of peacemaking the course will cover topics such as negotiation, mediation, and intergroup dialogue processes, while in the area of peacebuilding the course will discuss more recent innovations such as Truth-Telling mechanisms, Criminal Tribunals, and both individual and collection reparations programmes. The course is particularly designed to inspire students to consider the complicated nature of both peacemaking and peacebuilding through a number of different case studies and perspectives.

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Advanced Quantitative Methods in Social Science (SL5512)

30 Credit Points

All researchers need to understand quantitative research, not only those who carry it out themselves. Everyone comes across quantitative research in literature reviews and even in the press. In this course students will acquire an understanding of the most common quantitative methods they are likely to use or come across in published social science research. The module will encompass different types of quantitative study and address issues such as when quantitative methods are appropriate, how quantitative questions are formulated, research design, sampling (both online and offline), scale construction, reliability and validity and ethical practices in quantitative research and design.

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Compulsory Courses

Dissertation in Criminology and Society (30 credit points)