PUNISHMENT AND SOCIETY - 2027/8

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

• Why punish? Its justifications and aims


• Sociological perspectives on punishment


• Punishment in history


• Changing patterns of punishment


• Prisons


• The death penalty


• Immigration centres


• Secondary punishment (of families)


• Restorative justice


• Social control

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

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

• Students will be required to submit weekly reflective entries that document and critically engage with their learning experiences related to the topic.

• Students will also produce a policy focused report examining the implications of a chosen form of punishment and offering policy and practical recommendations aimed at improving a specific aspect of the system.
  
   

Formative assessment and feedback
 

The formative assessment is intended to support students in preparing for their final assessment. Students will be required to submit a plan outlining the key elements of their assessment, demonstrating a clear understanding of the central themes that will be used to address the question. The teaching team will provide formative feedback on this submission.

In addition, each week of teaching will explicitly demonstrate how the module content aligns with the assessment, supported by key learning points and relevant materials. The module team will also offer regular office hours to provide students with further guidance and support throughout the module.

Module aims

• To explore the variety of ways that society responds to crime, and consider their philosophical justifications
• To explore contemporary debates that are connected to the discourse of punishment including the use of death penalty, the rise of the prison population as well as the collateral consequences for families and wider communities.
• Identify and analyse political and practical recommendations to take forward to improve the systems that are dominated by punitivism and rehabilitation.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

  The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Provide students with a detailed understanding of the forms of  punishment that are prevalent in society. By the end of the module students will be able to contribute to the discourse of punishment as well as to engage with debates on the nature and purpose of punishment. 

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

Other information

The School 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:

Employability: Students develop a range of critical thinking and academic skills that are transferable to the field of employment. 

Digital capabilities: Students engage with digital technologies such as Padlet in sharing ideas in class. Lectures and seminars incorporate different methods of content communication, include the use of video, embedded podcasts and links to ¿interactive prisons¿.

Global and cultural capabilities: Students comparatively consider criminal justice systems across the globe. 

Resourcefulness and resilience: Students are required to complete independent research and reading outside of teaching contact hours. In assessment students are encouraged to develop their own original ideas through self-directed critical engagement with the field of criminology. Lecturers facilitate this process through signposting to helpful resources.

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 2027/8 academic year.