BA (Hons) Sociology and Criminology Bachelor's degree at Birmingham City University

This core module will introduce you to a range of classical sociological theories and perspectives whilst situating them in their social and historical contexts. Not only does it outline the origins of social theory, and explore some of the key classical thinkers and theories, but it also critically examines the legacies of colonialism and gender exclusion at the heart of European modernity.

City, Community and Culture is an introduction to urban sociology via the city on our doorstep. Using Birmingham as our 'urban laboratory', we will explore some of the urgent questions facing contemporary cities and how urban sociologists have sought to address them. The module is applied in nature. Research-based learning (where you learn as researchers) will see you going out into Birmingham and exploring how a sociological lens can help us understand the city. You will engage with the skills

This module will be focused on helping you to develop your criminological imagination. It will give you the tools to be able to recognise how major developments in criminology relate to the social and political context of historical moments. Topics include major historical eras such as the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and major shifts in the economy from the Post-War State to the rise of Neoliberalism, as well as changes in social attitudes and demographics through social movements

This module aims to advance your awareness of the interplay between individual experience and wider society. In so doing, you will be supported to develop and to apply that which the American sociologist C Wright Mills (1959) called, a 'sociological imagination': an act which invites us to 'think our selves away' from the immediacy of the routines, events and personal circumstances of everyday life and to consider these in wider social context from a sociological point of view. In support of thi

Politics and Society is an introductory module that aims to familiarise students with key themes in political sociology. It introduces politics from a sociological perspective that encompasses institutional and extra-institutional means of doing politics, different spheres of claim-making, forms of political participation, and social change. The module encourages students to reflect on how political processes and discourses affect their own experiences, expectations, and visions of the future. P

Becoming a Social Researcher will introduce students to social research methods, offering initial training which will be developed at Level 5 (Applied Social Research) and eventually feed into their Integrated Research Project (Level 6). Here, students will learn core skills, including: identifying a topic (scale), writing an effective research question, developing a conceptual framework, identifying appropriate methods, and the practicalities of empirical research (including access, sampling, r

In this module we will take a critical look at the shifting nature of crime, social contexts, and the impact of crime on space and place as linked to the urban city as a social milieu. We will also investigate the nature of contemporary city living and how this is experienced across intersections of identity, and what this means for vulnerabilities to being victims of crime or being led into criminal pathways. We will also look in detail at forms of criminological theory and consider newer emerg

This module begins with questioning what applied sociological research is, what is its meaning and rationale and value in a social context. In this regard, this module explores the principles of sociological research strategies and designs, and how these principles may be applied in practice. Within the module there is a focus on qualitative methodologies, which will encourage students to clarify how research questions, strategies, methods and forms of analysis influence each other. Students are

This module begins with questioning what applied sociological research is, what is its meaning and rationale and value in a social context. In this regard, this module explores the principles of sociological research strategies and designs, and how these principles may be applied in practice. Within the module there is a focus on qualitative methodologies, which will encourage students to clarify how research questions, strategies, methods and forms of analysis influence each other. Students are

Black theoretical perspectives and debates on crime, criminal justice, and criminology are seldom heard, seen, or referred to, within so called 'mainstream criminology'. A possible explanation pertaining to this 'invisibility' could be as a consequence of 'implicit biases' within the discipline itself. It is argued that these implicit biases further reproduce and reinforces privilege of some perspectives, whilst at the same time subordinating others. Russell (2002) calls for the development of a

This module considers the role of forensic science in criminal investigations. You will examine a variety of methods and practices of forensic science, including crime scene analysis, DNA evidence and blood spatter analysis, and will discuss how these are interpreted to solve criminal cases. You will explore the theories and academic debates surrounding current practice.

Traditionally criminology has focused on those who perpetrate harm and given far less attention to those who experience harm, and this module seeks to address this discrepancy. This module will give some consideration as to why some events which cause harm are formally labelled and treated as crimes when others are not, and in doing so we will consider the impact of this upon those who experience these harms. This module will support you to develop a critical understanding of victimology and equ

Youth Crime and Justice aims to equip students with a sound theoretical knowledge of juvenile offending and justice. In essence, the understanding of the complex relationship between young people and criminality fits within the wider aims of the degree programme and associated pathways as it draws on sociological, psychological and criminological understandings, furthering students' ability to understand and problematize crime and its causes. The module also recognises that the separate and dist

Popular culture refers to the cultural form of ordinary people and is shaped by the interactions between people in their everyday activities: styles of dress, the use of slang, greeting rituals and the foods that people eat. Popular culture is also informed by the mass media and in this module, we will consider how the media and popular culture can act to confirm or resist dominant ideologies produced in society. We will explore and analyse a wide range of mass mediated and everyday culture. You

This module provides students with an opportunity to experience real world work. It is expected that the placement (and placement related activities) will occupy students for a minimum of 128 hours in total: typically, 16 hours per week over 8 weeks. All placements are to be agreed by the University. Employers will be asked to help define the task(s) to be completed by the student on placement. Students will be encouraged to secure their own placement opportunities with the assistance of the mod

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able t

This module develops your knowledge of political globalisation, borders, and migration. These intersecting aspects of the modern world are examined by drawing upon key perspectives in International Relations and Sociology. You are provided with a rigorous conceptual account of globalisation through the figure of the mobile and immobilized subject. Institutional frameworks, political events, legal developments, social identities, and cultural attitudes towards borders and migration are the empiri

This module will explore the gendered nature of crime and criminal justice.