The purpose of this module is to allow students to engage with contemporary debates and key perspectives within contemporary criminology. Key debates about the nature of crime and the subject borders of criminology will be explored and challenged so that students have an overview of the discipline as it currently stands. More recent themes in criminology, such as how criminology deals with environmental crime and cultural criminology are some of the areas that will be discussed; additionally there will be a particular focus upon the impact of globalization upon crime and criminality.
As criminology is a discursive discipline, this module aims to encourage students to engage with by challenging their existing beliefs about crime and criminality, whilst exploring possible future developments. It is essential in this module that we explore these themes in a critically analytical way together with considering the role of the media in influencing public opinion and political expedience in these debates. Students are encouraged to evaluate criminological evidence critically and to make links with criminological theory and issues raised in other relevant modules.