CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES - 2025/6

Module Overview

Crime is not a fixed object and definitions of crime and criminal behaviour change across time and space. So do the ways in which societies respond to it. This module will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives that have been developed within criminology to conceptualise 'crime', 'criminals' and 'criminality', starting with 18th century classical theories all the way to contemporary reflections on the impact of neoliberalism on penalty. Armed with this knowledge, students will develop a critical awareness of how criminological theories contribute to shaping and generating ideas and responses to crime and deviance. Students will also explore how specific theoretical perspectives can help us to address criminal justice problems such as punishment, incarceration and social control. In so doing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between theory and practice and how the two can inform and influence one another.

 

 

Module provider

Sociology

Module Leader

MENICHELLI Francesca (Sociology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative module content includes:

• Trait theories


• Social structure theories: social exclusion, place


• Social process theories: labelling, moral panic, control theories


• Critical criminologies


• Risk and crime control


• Punishment and late modernity

 

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

NA

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to allow students to demonstrate that they have met the 4 learning outcomes associated with this module.

 

The assessments offer students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can 1) critically analyse key debates within criminology; 2) consider how different theoretical approaches help to shape questions around crime and its control; 3) understand the relationship between criminological theory and the development of criminal justice policies; 4) apply relevant theories and concepts to the development of crime reduction plans

 

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Blog Posts (address LOs 1 and 2). The purpose of this assignment is to show that students can identify the strengths and challenges of criminological theories and communicate them clearly and concisely. The assignment will require students to summarise the main ideas associated with a specific theoretical perspective, the main differences and similarities between its proponents and the criticisms that have been made of it. All blog posts share a single submission deadline.

 

• Crime reduction plan (addresses LOs 3 and 4). The purpose of this assignment is to get students to see theories as tools that can be deployed creatively to try and solve real-world crime problems. Students will be provided with a scenario and will be asked to develop a crime reduction strategy based on the theories covered in the module. The assignment will require students to think about how theory and practice can work together, and the challenges that can arise when designing theory-informed interventions.

 

 

Formative assessment and feedback

The sessions are designed to be interactive, with contributions from students openly encouraged throughout the sessions. Students will be asked to work in small groups in most sessions and then present and discuss ideas based on the topics covered for that week. Formal verbal feedback will be given at the end of the session.

Module aims

• Enable students to develop a critical awareness of how criminology has tried to understand 'crime', 'criminals' and 'criminality' throughout its history
• Encourage students to critically evaluate how theories intersect with the politics of crime and the operations of the criminal justice system
• Equip students with the conceptual tools to translate theories into practice

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to equip students with the conceptual and analytical tools to think critically about what crime is, when and why it can happen, and how criminological knowledge can be put to use to address crime problems in contemporary societies. Each 2-hour session is based around a lecture and seminars with group work and open discussions, along with independent study. Students are expected to critically engage with weekly topics and to participate actively to the sessions. The combination of methods is designed to strengthen students’ engagement with module content and to support them in developing a critical understanding of what criminological knowledge can and cannot achieve. Class-based discussions and group work around specific policy problems will allow students to develop a sense of community throughout the semester, while providing them the opportunity to learn from one another under the guidance of the module leader.

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: SOCM032

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. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

 

Global and cultural capabilities: A thread throughout the module is how suitable criminological theories from the English-speaking world are for other contexts and what reliance on them says about criminology as a discipline. In reflecting on how different contexts affect theoretical innovation and the move from theory to practice, students will strengthen their global and cultural capabilities.

 

Employability: The assessment strategy for the module is designed to support students in enhancing their employability. Students will have to design a crime reduction plan to address a real-world scenario (assessment 2) and demonstrate an ability to produce clear and concise texts (assessment 1). Being able to produce these types of documents will strengthen the transferable skills of the students, thus addressing the employability pillar.

 

Resourcefulness and resilience: Throughout the semester, students will work together in groups during the seminars to carry out a variety of tasks in ways which demand resourcefulness and resilience.

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 2025/6 academic year.