Criminology with Forensic Investigation BSc (Hons) - 2023/4

Other information

The Department of Sociology is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience:


i. Global and cultural capabilities

Recognising and understanding the significance and impact of diversity and the lived experience within crime and criminal justice is crucial for students on this programme. Likewise, it is also important that they develop a critical appreciation of the global, cultural, social, political, historical, and comparative contexts within which crime and the delivery of justice takes place. As such, the central issues of social justice, inclusivity, fairness, and diversity permeate the programme, with the purpose of developing students¿ global and cultural awareness and intelligence. This is achieved through, for example, module content and delivery, peer to peer learning, the range of assessment strategies, and the creation of a community of learning in which students are encouraged (and at times modestly rewarded) for supporting one another and to see the benefit of this. Individually and collectively these approaches are intended to encourage critical thinking and discussion in relation to these defining issues (including recognising and understanding different international approaches to comparable social problems).

It is expected that students will be actively encouraged to share experiences and knowledge from their own backgrounds and cultures, respect and value different experiences and perspectives, and come to appreciate the value of recognising and appreciating diverse perspectives. Students are therefore expected to embark on the programme with an open mind and a willingness to learn, to engage in discussion, and to broaden their understanding of these aspects of the subject area, and the lived experiences of others. The development of critical thinking skills, empowering students with the ability to recognise ethnocentrism, giving students the confidence to identify and challenge inequalities and discrimination, and fostering empathy are important aspects of this programme. By the conclusion of the programme, students are expected to have gained specialised and applicable knowledge that will enable them to situate information in relation to their own lives and the lives of others, and will be supported throughout to achieve this, for example, through the range of information sources students will be expected to engage with, decolonisation of the curriculum (see below), and via the inputs associated with meeting the needs of diverse learners, as discussed above.

Other aspects central to the development of global and cultural capabilities are discussed elsewhere in this narrative and include decolonisation of the curriculum and embedded diversity and social justice within modules, learning situated within global contexts, growing a sense of community amongst the cohort, developing ¿open-mindedness¿ and teaching students to evaluate evidence rather than conjecture, collaborative and shared working, and creating safe spaces for open and critical discussion. Finally, students will also have the option to study abroad as part of their PTY year, with all of the active and engaging global and cultural experiences that this inevitably brings to the student experience.

ii. Digital capabilities

Developing a sophisticated level of digital skill and confidence amongst students is a clear output of the programme. Throughout their journey, students will learn to utilise the University¿s VLE, and a range of other digital resources and online databases. Therefore, programme content will require and cultivate a level of digital skill and ability that is demonstrated through engagement with the content and learning materials, assessments, and online library catalogues. All teaching materials and key content will be made available in multimedia forms through SurreyLearn.

Beyond generic student engagement with the module content, delivery, and learning materials, a number of modules across the programme will offer particular opportunities for developing specific digital capabilities. This will occur through the teaching content and assessment methods; discussions of theories of digital environments; practical engagement with digital environments, platforms, and techniques; synchronous and asynchronous online delivery; digital communication (e.g. Teams); research software packages; data analysis tools; and the use of Virtual Reality technology. By the end of their journey, students will therefore have engaged with multiple opportunities to develop, and think critically about, their digital capabilities, their digital presence and identity through online interactions, and their understanding of the digital impacts on social justice and other relevant debates.

iii. Employability

Employability is at the core of this programme, with the intention of delivering learning and other relevant skills that nurture career-ready graduates that will be sought after by employers. The embedding of employability throughout the programme is detailed within each module descriptor. However, these elements of the course can be identified as: specialist module content; the involvement of expert staff, many with practitioner backgrounds; the opportunity to engage with professional expertise; employability and transferable skills embedded in varied teaching, learning and assessment strategies; engagement with authentic practical tasks; the fostering of both independent and collaborative working; the development of critical thinking; the ability to link theory with practice; the ability to reflect on one¿s own practice; the ability to appraise evidence; authentic activities that mirror professional practice; dissertation specialisation; professional partner engagement; Professional Training Year; and placements.

iv. Resourcefulness and resilience

Students will be fully supported and guided throughout their journey. However, student engagement requires independence, perseverance, and developing of self-efficacy, which underpin becoming a genuinely resourceful student. The range of modules and the need to integrate into various types of classroom settings, practical activities, individual and collaborative tasks, and online environments, will help to facilitate students¿ self-management skills. Specifically, high levels of active and independent learning will be evident throughout the programme.

In contrast, other aspects of the teaching, learning, and assessment across the programme will be collaborative ¿ for example in the collective investigation of crime scenes in simulated ¿real-world¿ environments - giving students the opportunity to develop skills in leadership, problem-solving, risk-assessment, negotiation, adaptability, and team-working, whilst requiring them to share and articulate experiences and ideas, and to be supportive and empathetic to others. In addition, as part of the authentic learning experience, students may face uncomfortable learning situations but will be supported to develop their capabilities to adapt and manage these difficult scenarios ¿ please see the individual module descriptors for more detail.

Students will initially benefit from the new Level Four Semester One module, Academic Skills for Criminology and Forensic Investigation, which will have the development of student resourcefulness and resilience at its heart. This will provide the foundations for the ongoing and continuing development of student resourcefulness and resilience that will be embedded progressively throughout the programme, supported by factors including timetabling that encourages agency in planning workloads, formative and summative assessments, and ¿feedforward¿ and ¿feedback¿.

Further opportunities to develop resourcefulness and resilience skills are also available through PTY and other, shorter, placement provision, both in terms of the supported process of acquiring a position, and ensuring successful completion of the PTY, again with the support of a personal tutor. In addition, the final year dissertation will enable students to gain particular skills in leadership, resourcefulness, and problem solving through the navigation of ethical considerations, and working in a professional and collaborative partnership with their dissertation supervisor. Opportunities to conduct dissertation research within partner agencies will also be available and will necessarily help to develop students¿ resourcefulness and resilience in a professional context.

Upon completion of the programme, students will have benefited from a network of support, and will have become independent and resourceful learners who are able to appropriately apply confidence, reflection, critical thinking and analysis, and problem-solving skills.

v. Sustainability

Social and political inequalities are embedded within the concept of sustainability, and these issues are vital in understanding both crime and the operation of criminal justice practices. As such, sustainability is recognised throughout this programme, from a macro to a micro level, involving embedded understanding of the concept of sustainability in modules, understanding ethical considerations, having the ability to recognise and challenge social inequality, developing a sense of shared responsibility; and understanding globalisation. Given the practical elements of this programme, developing student understanding of the sustainable use of physical non-recyclable resources is also important.

As such, the creation of the programme in this regard has been informed in part by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (https://sdgs.un.org/goals#goals). As the UN state, at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ¿are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth ¿ all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests¿. The 17 goals have different degrees of relevance for the delivery of this programme, but central to our thinking have been Goal 10 ¿ to reduce inequality within and among countries ¿ and Goal 16 ¿ to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Throughout the programme, therefore, students¿ awareness of these issues will be enhanced through their learning experiences and, in particular, through the authentic aspects of their activities and assessments.

The Dissertation also provides a significant opportunity for students to consider ethics in depth, as they individually engage with the respective ethical considerations of their independent research projects. In doing so, they are not only able to demonstrate their own abilities as a future leader but can use such skills and thinking across other areas (for example, to enhance their employability). By the end of the programme, it is expected that students will have developed confidence in their own ability to tackle societal inequalities and promote inclusive and sustainable practice in the future.