Overview

SXY2001 is a 20-credit module, taught over the course of a single semester.

It focuses on the main theoretical approaches and ideas in the contemporary study of crime, deviance and social control. The time period runs from the late 18 hundreds to the present day. The approaches and ideas are situated in their intellectual and historical contexts, and the writings of key thinkers will be critically examined.

The chief purpose of the module is to show the relevance of criminological ideas to a range of current crime/criminal justice issues. Among the perspectives and topics covered are the following: Merton’s theory of anomie; subcultural theory; neutralization and disengagement techniques; symbolic interactionism; labelling and stigma; moral crusade; critical criminology; shaming; rational choice theory; and crime and the emotions.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an ability to apply criminological ideas to current issues or concrete areas of concern.

• Demonstrate an awareness of the ways in which twentieth-century criminology abd victomology has evolved and developed.

• Understand the centrality of theory for understanding the world of crime and control.

• Understand the emergence of victimology as a distinct area of academic study.

• Understand the key criminolgical theories from the 19th Century to the present day.