Criminology

Course summary

Criminology is the scientific study of crime and criminals, including the motivations and consequences of crime and its perpetrators, as well as preventative measures. Studying criminology can be seen as multi-disciplinary, as it contains elements of Psychology, Sociology and Law. Students will cover four areas: • Unit 1 (year 1) Changing awareness of crime: Students will recognise representations of crime, changing public perceptions and develop skills to plan a campaign. • Unit 2 (year 1) Criminological theories: Students will assess the reasons as to why people commit crime, develop critical thinking skills and analyse criminal cases. • Unit 3 (year 2) Crime scene to courtroom: Students will develop skills to analyse evidence, review criminal cases and evaluate evidence to determine whether the verdict is safe and just. • Unit 4 (year 2) Crime and punishment: Students will consider why people obey the law and evaluate the aims and effectiveness of punishment.