Module SXY-3032:
Power, Crime & Punishment
Module Facts
Run by School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences
20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits
Semester 2
Organiser: Dr Tim Holmes
Overall aims and purpose
Power relations play a critical role in relation to crime, criminalisation, and punitive crime control, three areas that form the core concerns of criminological enquiry. The aim of this module is to enable students to glean a deeper understanding of this critical role. This will be achieved by focusing on discrete areas of inquiry that illustrate the power relations that underpin the state’s management of crime. This module aims to provide the key theoretical concerns and texts on power relationships between individuals, organisations and the state, especially within the framework of crime, violence, criminal justice and punishment.
Course content
Part One: State crimes - From ghettos to genocide: how does criminology and criminal justice respond when it is those in power, in particular, the State who offends? How do we define crime, justice and victimisation in this context? (3 weeks)
Part Two: Interpersonal crimes - Many crimes of power take place at an interpersonal level: examples may include ‘honour’- based violence and coercion; homophobic hate crimes; and gender violence in intimate relationships. How do social and criminal justice systems respond to these forms of crime? (3 weeks)
Part Three: Institutional power - Prisons represent institutional power at both physical and symbolic levels. Power may take many forms and examples include: prisons and the construction of masculinities and femininities; political power in prisons, using the example of Northern Ireland during the ‘Troubles’. (5 weeks)
Learning outcomes
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Apply an understanding of crime and power to broader frameworks, e.g. political and economic.
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Understand what is meant by power relations between and amongst individuals, organisations and the State in the context of crime, deviance and criminal justice
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Understand the different ways in which power can be used and abused.
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Acquire knowledge of the mechanisms that help to protect individuals and organisations from abuses of power.
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Appreciate the diverse ways in which the application of power is legitimised or criminalised
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Appreciate the centrality of philosophical/moral theorizing for understanding, and gaining critical insight into, contemporary practices of punitive control.
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Apply philosophical/moral perspectives to a range of contemporary practices of punitive control.
Assessment Methods
| Type | Name | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| COURSEWORK | Powerpoint presentation |
|
40.00 |
| ESSAY | Essay | Essay, 3,000 words, +/-10% on a choice of set essay questions |
60.00 |
Teaching and Learning Strategy
| Hours |
|---|
Courses including this module
Compulsory in courses:
- LM3Y: BA Cymdeithaseg&CriminologyCrimJ year 3 (BA/CCCJ)
- M93B: BA Criminology & Criminal Just (4yr with Incorp Foundation) year 3 (BA/CCJ1)
- M931: BA Criminology & Criminal Justice with International Exp year 4 (BA/CJIE)
- M930: BA Criminology & Criminal Justice year 3 (BA/CRIM)
- MR95: BA Criminology&Criml Just/Italian year 4 (BA/CRIT)
- MC98: BA Criminology/Psychology year 3 (BA/CRP)
- MR94: BA Criminology/Spanish year 4 (BA/CRSP)
- M3Q9: BA English Literature and Criminology and Criminal Justice year 3 (BA/ENC)
- MR91: BA French/Criminology&Crim'l Just year 4 (BA/FRCR)
- MR92: BA Criminology&CrimJustice/German year 4 (BA/GCR)
- MVX1: BA History/Criminology year 3 (BA/HCR)
- LM52: BA Health & Social Care / Criminology & Criminal Justice year 3 (BA/HSCCCJ)
- LM4X: BA Polisi Cymdeithasol & Criminology and Criminal Justice year 3 (BA/PCCCJ)
- LM40: BA Sociology & Criminology & Crim Just with International Ex year 4 (BA/SCJIE)
- LM39: BA Sociology and Criminology & Criminal Justice year 3 (BA/SCR)
- LM50: BA Social Policy and Criminology and Criminal Justice (IE) year 4 (BA/SPCIE)
- LM49: BA Social Policy/Criminology year 3 (BA/SPCR)
- M113: LLB Law with Criminology (Intl Exp) year 4 (LLB/LIK)
- M1M9: LLB Law with Criminology year 3 (LLB/LWCR)
- M1MB: LLB Law with Criminology (4 yr with Incorporated Foundation) year 3 (LLB/LWCR1)
- M1MP: LLB Law with Criminology with Placement Year year 4 (LLB/LWCRP)
- M932: MSocSci Criminology & Criminal Justice year 3 (MSOCSCI/CCJ)
Optional in courses:
- V100: BA History year 3 (BA/H)
- V10F: BA History [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/HF)
- 8B03: BA History (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/HIE)
- V140: BA Modern & Contemporary History year 3 (BA/MCH)
- V130: BA Mediaeval and Early Modern His year 3 (BA/MEMH)
- L200: BA Politics year 3 (BA/POL)
- L20F: BA Politics [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/POLF)
- L201: BA Politics with Placement Year year 3 (BA/POLP)
- L300: BA Sociology year 3 (BA/S)
- L31B: BA Sociology (4 year with Incorporated Foundation) year 3 (BA/S1)
- L30F: BA Sociology [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/SF)
- 8Y70: BA Sociology (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/SIE)
- L41B: BA Social Policy (4 year with Incorporated Foundation) year 3 (BA/SOCP1)
- L402: BA Social Policy year 3 (BA/SOCPOL)
- L40F: BA Social Policy [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/SOCPOLF)
- VV12: BA Welsh History/History year 3 (BA/WHH)
- V102: MArts History with International Experience year 3 (MARTS/HIE)
- V101: MArts History year 3 (MARTS/HIST)
- L302: MSocSci Sociology year 3 (MSOCSCI/S)
- L403: MSocSci Social Policy year 3 (MSOCSCI/SP)