BSc (Hons) Criminology and Youth Studies

Overview

Students studying Criminology and Youth Studies at UCS will be challenged to seek answers to fundamental questions such as: What is crime? Who are the criminals? How do young people live? Are young people equal with others before the law? Why is most crime commited by young people? How do we prevent crime?

Criminology is an academic discipline with strong roots in Sociology, Psychology, Law, Social Policy and Philosophy. It is a discipline with a number of robust and lively theoretical and empirical debates. Through engaging in these debates students will gain the very important undergraduate skill of critical understanding.

Students will challenge ‘common-sense’ notions of criminal and deviant behaviours by critically examining academic research and making informed decisions based on available evidence. Criminology is an inherently reflexive discipline in that it studies and deals with public issues that have a contested value basis. To this end, students will be introduced to a variety of research methods and ethical considerations, so that they can challenge and understand the limitations and ambiguities of research, whilst assessing its value.

Youth Studies at UCS offers a multidisciplinary approach to the contemporary understanding of young people, with an emphasis on the critical tradition in the social sciences. The course draws on sociology, social policy, childhood studies, and cultural studies. You will examine the social construction of young people in historical, national, international and comparative contexts. Key themes to be explored include the study of young people in relation to education, youth work, social services, criminal justice, the labour market, the transition to adult life, and youth culture.

 

 

Criminology and Youth Studies at UCS offers:

• An emphasis upon the criminal justice system
• Engagement with lively and controversial contemporary debates
• Study within the innovative School of Applied Social Sciences with a strong research tradition in childhood and youth studies
• A national and international focus
• An emphasis on transferable research skills

Employers value the qualities and skills of criminology and youth studies graduates, and most students find suitable work within a short time of graduation. A number of students also go on to study at postgraduate level.

Typical employers include local and central government, the Police, The National Probation Service, HM Prison Service, Youth Offending Service, education authorities, further and higher education institutions, and charitable, counselling and voluntary organisations. 

Content and Modules

First year modules

• Social Science Research Skills (Core)
• Key Thinkers in Criminology
• Law for Criminologists
• Introduction to Youth Studies
• Sociology and the Modern World
• Understanding Social Change

Second year modules

• Quantitative Data in Social Science (Core)
• Qualitative Data in Social Science (Core)
• Criminological Theory and Social Control 
• Youth Justice
• Youth Culture and Identity

With a choice of 1 module from:

• Child Law
• Young People and Social Policy
  

Third year modules

• Research Dissertation (Core)
• Applied Studies (Core)
• Contemporary Issues in Criminology

1 (if only 1 youth studies option is chosen) from:

• Penology
• Human Rights
• Victims of Crime

With a choice of 1 or 2 modules from:

• Comparative Youth Studies
• Youth and Development: Selected Issues

Teaching methods combine teacher led and student led activities and include lectures, seminars, small group work, workshops and tutorials.

Read the full Programme Specification for this course here:
Programme Specification|

Further Information

Careers

• The most recent figures available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reveal that 85% of Criminology and Youth Studies graduates in 2011/12 found employment within six months of graduation.
• Around 60% of graduate jobs are open to graduates of any discipline and Criminology and Youth Studies graduates are well equipped with the advanced skills and confidence to thrive in a variety of occupations.
• Criminology and Youth Studies graduates are good at problem solving, have good analytical and research skills, and have excellent information and data management skills
• Employability is taken very seriously at UCS and employers are directly involved in a number of taught and additional sessions over the 3 years. For example:

        o Excellent links with Suffolk Constabulary, local magistrates, the Crown
           Prosecution Service and the probation service 
        o Strong links with local organizations such as Catch 22 and Dost (work with
           young refugees)

• Quite a number of our graduates also go on to pursue further qualifications at masters and doctoral levels. An MA in Childhood and Youth Studies is available at UCS within the same school
• Online and face to face resources and advice are available from the UCS Careers and Employability Service for all UCS students.

For more information on careers for graduates please see:

http://www.prospects.ac.uk|

http://courses-careers.com/|

These are also excellent places to go to if you are unsure which career paths are opened up by particular degree courses.

For this course all modules are assessed and a range of assessment methods are used, including essays, reports, case studies, critiques, reviews and formal examinations.

Timetable

This is the current timetable. We try to keep the timetable for a full time student to be spread over 4 days throughout the degree course.

Course Handbook

For full details about the course, modules, and assessment. Please see the current course handbook. This is updated at the start of each academic year.

Find out more about:
The School of Applied Social Sciences|
UCS Ipswich|