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Applied Criminology Dissertation

CRMN4700 - 60 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

The dissertation module provides students with the opportunity to work on a suitable subject of their own choice and to utilise the techniques developed in the applied research module.

An MA dissertation is designed to assess a student's ability to define a researchable thesis in the light of past and current academic research, that is underpinned by a theoretical lens. Students need to demonstrate a capacity for independent thought and to use their critical and analytical abilities, including the use of appropriate research methods, in the interpretation of a substantial quantity of relevant material (empirical and theoretical).

The dissertation will follow a primary data approach, where students must collect their own data. It is expected the write up of the dissertation will meet publication standards, and students will present their work at a postgraduate conference. Students will carefully select data collection methods based on ethical processes and a structured research proposal consideration all ethical considerations and challenges that may rise.

Professional Criminology Practice

CRMN4701 - 30 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module aims to enable students to contextualise the theories, principles and concepts learnt during the master’s programme and apply these in a real-world setting.

Students will spend 2 days a week throughout their masters study with an organisation in the criminal justice field.

Through completion of this module, students will demonstrate qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment including the ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, to engage in decision making in dynamic contexts and to critically evaluate and synthesise complex information. Students will also demonstrate the learning ability needed to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Applied Research Methods in Criminology

CRMN4702 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module aims to consolidate undergraduate research abilities, and equip the student with the skills necessary to undertake Masters level research. It is one of the core modules in the course and underpins the dissertation module. Within this overall context the course has three specific objectives:

• (i) To provide an introduction to the importance of ethical processes when conducting both qualitative and quantitative research methods and the relationship between theory and methods in criminological research.
• (ii) To offer an introduction to the practicalities of thinking about and doing qualitative and quantitative criminological research.
• (iii) To enable students to use and critically evaluate qualitative and quantitative data for the purposes of criminological research.

Risk Management

CRMN4703 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module is designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in the underpinning theory and methods of risk assessment and risk management utilised within criminal justice settings.

This module includes the holistic (physical, psychological and social) assessment and management of people with personality disorder and/or challenging behaviour in settings where offenders will be present (i.e., police custody/ prison service/ psychiatric wards etc.).

The concepts of risk will be explored in this module, including risk to self, others and vulnerability; risk of suicide and self-harm will be a particular area of focus. Several different risk assessment tools and strategies to assess people will be explored. The skills necessary to assess problems including offenders’ motivation for change and understanding of intervention will be practised. 

Current topics in Crime

CRMN4704 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module allows students to explore contemporary debates surrounding crime and criminal justice. Students will connect with the academic and practical implications of broader justice issues to formulate their own understanding of the impact of social, political, and cultural contexts.

Through the focus of current affairs and public narratives (both academic and societal), this module offers a flexible approach to debating central topics within the wider discipline of Criminology.

Complex Criminal Investigation

CRMN4705 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module will explore, in depth, the challenges which arise when investigating complex crime and how these challenges can sometimes de-rail an investigation, for example, case investigative failings, accusations of bias and discrimination in aspects of investigations, challenges to poor practice and/or effectiveness in specific types of investigations (i.e., rape, domestic abuse, volume crime).

This module seeks to enhance students understanding of modern complexities and challenges within criminal investigations and offers flexibility to encompass issues that arise in a constantly changing landscape. The module will consider aspects of case investigations of child abuse, child death investigation, and sexual offences in relation to children, vulnerable adults and others. 

Lived Experience, Equality and Diversity

CRMN4706 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

It is important to amplify the voices of those with lived experience and as such, a diversity of individuals with lived experience as ‘experts by experience’ will support the delivery of this module.

The university has its own lived experience group (IMPACT) and will provide their input across the module, encouraging students to consider what’s important to service-users, helping in the development of project service-user facing materials, data analysis, synthesis and framework development, report writing, and dissemination.

Sharing lived experiences and knowledge, the guest speakers and students explore the pillars of welfare education, housing, employment, health and social security in relation to crime and criminal justice.

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills in Criminology

CRMN4707 - 15 credits at Level 7 (Mandatory)

This module is designed to assist students in the development of their leadership and interpersonal skills to support with both their practical placement and future employment endeavours.

Students are supported through structured lectures to build a foundational and theoretical understanding of the importance of leadership and interpersonal skills in the context of Criminological practice. This learning will then be transferred into practical weekly workshops.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, and seminars. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures and are focused on developing subject specific skills and applied individual and group project work. Practice-based learning across the  provides direct experience of working with individuals associated with the criminal justice sector and within professional teams. 

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least four occasions throughout your course. You will also receive monthly supervision as part of your placement module, with regular supervision from your host organisation (this will differ between organisations).

Contact time

Your programme comprises seven taught modules with teaching and learning activities running across three semesters, and a dissertation.

Full time students (starting in September) complete all seven taught modules across two semesters, plus the dissertation within a third semester in one academic year (12 months). In addition to this, you will be engaged in independent learning (assessment preparation for taught modules and dissertation planning/supervision sessions). It is expected you will undertake around 12 hours of personal self-study per week if you are a full-time student.

Part time students are expected to undertake around 6 hours of personal self-study per week. In total, it is expected that as a full-time student you will be spending 37 hours per week engaged in study and placement. As a part time student, you will select which modules and how many you want to complete in each year, with your dissertation in the final year.

Alongside the taught component of this course, you will be required to engage with a placement that is 72 days in length. Broken down, this equates to you attending placement twice a week across all three semesters.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 12 hours of personal self-study per week if you are a full-time student. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Duration

• Full-time: 1 year
• Part-time: 2-3 years

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.

Each module has one formal or ‘summative’ assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations and a final year independent studies project.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the modules taken, but some examples of assessments include:

• Dissertation in an applied setting
• Research analysis portfolio
• Conference Presentation
• Reflective Essay
• Diary Journal alongside your placement
• Case Formulation Practical
• Case Review
• Narrative Synthesis (conducted after listening to those with lived experiences)
• Problem Scenario

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers.

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, .