PUNISHMENT AND SOCIETY - 2019/0

Module Overview

The module explores the variety of ways that individuals, groups and states have responded to crime problems, looking at the philosophical justifications and the sociological explanations. It will consider the way of punishment has been implemented, what they intended to achieve and their outcomes.

Module provider

Sociology

Module Leader

ADAMS Maria (Sociology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

·         Why punish? Its justifications and aims

·         Sociological perspectives on punishment

·         Punishment in history

·         Changing patterns of punishment

·         The death penalty

·         Youth Justice

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

Their engagement with key debates relating to punishment in society. The module is assessed with a case study and essay.





Learning Outcome


Assessed by




Understand the factors accounting for the occurrence of different forms of punishment in society


Case study and Essay




Be familiar with the key academic literatures on the role of punishment


Case study and Essay




Have a critical awareness of different political perspectives on the use of punishment


Essay




Be able to apply a theoretical understanding of the role of punishment to specific criminal justice responses adopted in society


Case study





Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Case study- This case study will critically examine one theoretical perspective to examine the relevance of punishment in today’s society (1500 words) 40%. Week 5

• Essay- This will be 2000 word essay exploring contemporary topics on punishment in today’s society (2000 words) 60% Week 12

Formative assessment and feedback

Students are asked to prepare for tutorials each week. These include reading materials and answering questions about them.

Students are encouraged to produce a formative assessment on week 9. The formative assessment will be an essay plan for the 2000 word essay. Students are given written feedback, but they are also able to meet with the course convenor to discuss in more detail.

Module aims

• To explore the variety of ways that society responds to crime, and consider their philosophical justifications
• To contrast philosophical justifications for punishment with sociological explanations put forward by key penal theorists
• To examine specific forms of punishment and link these with the key theoretical and sociological debates around the role of punishment in society

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

 

Provide students with a detailed understanding of the forms of criminal punishment that are prevalent in society. By the end of the module students will be expert ‘penologists’ able to engage with debates on the nature and purpose of punishment, as well as engage with specific questions relating to particular types of punishment. Practical and theoretical debates will be covered throughout. Each two-hour session will be a mix of traditional lecturers and interactive activities

 

The learning and teaching methods include:

• 1 hour lecture and 1 hour seminar.

·       

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: SOC2073

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2019/0 academic year.