Rationale
The major social and economic changes that have taken place since the 18th and 19th century has given rise to modern policing and a wider range of institutions aiming to maintain order and regulate change in society. Policing, the role of the police and the wider system of social control have been areas of interest, debate and academic inquiry in the past two hundred years. This module seeks to bring together these areas of criminological inquiry and explore how the development of policing and systems of social control relate to each other and to the above historical context.
While some study of historical events is inevitable, this module will be firstly concerned to develop a firm grasp of the key issues in the sociology and politics of policing. By examining the historical emergence and development of modern policing in the light of particular social and political circumstances and problems, students will interrogate how it has interacted with, complemented or contradicted other institutions of social control in modern society such as welfare, education, health, or even financial agencies.