BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology Bachelor's degree at the University of Brighton

This module will introduce you to contemporary 'sociological imaginations' of the social world and will give you the opportunity to apply sociological theories and concepts to contemporary topics. You will develop your ability to think sociologically by first understanding key sociological concepts and then exploring how these are applied in contemporary sociological research examples.

This module will introduce you to the criminal justice system in England and Wales by exploring its main institutions and agencies, for example, police, courts, prison and probation. You will explore some of the key debates and policies in relation to sentencing, victims and crime prevention. You'll also gain an understanding of the politics and controversies in criminal justice and develop your skills in identifying, analysing information and presenting coherent arguments.

This module will provide you with the theoretical and conceptual tools to confront normative/normalising explanations of difference and inequality. You will examine the ways that 'differences' and inequalities are formed and their consequences for everyday lived realities.

This module introduces you to key aspects of research design and the principles of qualitative and quantitative research. You will look at the principles of social research (eg, research ethics, quantitative/qualitative divide) and identify appropriate research methods, then apply these to specific contexts (eg, evaluating existing work, proposing new work).

This module will equip you with an understanding of traditional sociological theory and its applications today. You will study the foundations of sociology, including the key thinkers, debates and theoretical perspectives. You'll also examine the development of classical ideas and the continued relevance for different sociological perspectives throughout the twentieth century as well as recent challenges to traditional sociological theory.

Here you will examine criminological theories from an historical perspective and gain an understanding of the political, social and cultural contexts in which different theories were developed, how they translated to policy, and their strengths, weaknesses and biases in explaining crime and deviance.

This module introduces contemporary sociological and social theory, looking at debates around neo-liberalism and the individualisation thesis, including consumption, choice, freedom, notions of the self and globalisation. You will also explore the relevance of gender, race and intersectionality, social class and different notions of the self.

You will take this 10-credit module if you are on an exchange programme to learn about ethics and qualitative/quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. You will gain an understanding of the philosophical underpinning of social research, methodologies and methods and pick either a qualitative or a quantitative stream to further deepen your knowledge.

During this module, core criminological perspectives on justice are introduced and contrasted with emerging developments and debates relating to justice in the UK and elsewhere, including approaches drawn from non-Western traditions. You will also consider sources of injustice, the struggles of some segments of society to secure justice and the factors which can influence this.

This module examines areas of significant sociological interest and introduces you to contemporary areas of study using different models of academic criticism and evaluation. Key topics covered include life course versus lifecycle; competing theories of childhood; cross-cultural perspectives on youth; debates around the changing nature of work in a global society; and debates within the sociology of death, including around euthanasia.

In this module you will learn about qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods of research and then have the option to study either more advanced quantitative methods or more advanced qualitative methods. You will gain experience in the design and practice of research and the skills to develop a research proposal for your final-year dissertation.

This 10-credit version of SS565 is for students on exchange programmes and will give you the opportunity to reflect on your sociological skills and then take short courses, each addressing a specific skill. These could cover subjects including critical thinking in sociological work; applying and generating sociological theory; literature searching for sociology; writing a sociological literature review; and interpreting the social world.

With a focus on contemporary Britain, this module examines the role of the police and explores a range of themes, issues and debates in a critical-analytical fashion. You will look at current and historical research on dilemmas in contemporary policing including a history of British policing, police ethics, police powers and citizens' rights, policing in diverse societies and alternative or global models of harm reduction.

In this module you will learn to apply critical thinking and key criminological concepts to the use of punishment in the criminal justice process. You will look at the penal system and the rationale for its use; examine the history of prisons, how punishment is decided upon and delivered; the prison demographic; the wider implications of the penal system; and the alternatives to orthodox punishment.

At the heart of this module is a 50-hour voluntary placement within a local, not for profit organisation. You will explore community engagement theory, reflect on your personal values and aspirations and develop a range of transferable employability skills through both theory and practice.

In Violence and Society, you will examine how patterns of power, control and dominance permeate society and impact on our social understandings and experiences of violence. You will gain an understanding of the key themes and issues around violence and its macro, cultural and embodied manifestations. By the end of the module, you'll have a critical awareness of violence as constructed at different levels of society and in different arenas.

This enquiry-based module requires you to write a fully developed, researched and evidenced academic dissertation on a topic of your choice related to your degree programme. You will demonstrate the research, data handling, critical thinking, organisational and writing skills you have developed over the course of your undergraduate study.

This module will enable you to study an area of sociological interest structured around analysis of a significant issue related to current sociology. Drawing on the sociological knowledge you gained in your first and second years, you'll apply concepts and theories to a specific topic and integrate research materials to reach your own conclusions. Topics could include childhood and society; race and ethnicity; religion and society; death and society; and class and conflict in contemporary Britai

Drawing insights from across the social sciences and humanities, this module explores the argument that societies are produced in relation to the rest of the universe. It covers a range of work from anthropological perspectives on cosmology, through studies of the role of satellites in warfare, communications and surveillance, to analysis of space fiction and the representation of aliens.

This module explores the emergence of globalisation and considers the implications of living in an increasingly globalised world. You will develop a critical appreciation of current theories, issues and debates around the subject and explore the way in which globalisation has arguably become the central idea in trying to understand the social changes that we are living through today.

In this module you will explore the new sociologies of class and apply them to examples of class conflict in contemporary Britain. You will engage with current debates within class analysis such as the role of the media in the reproduction of class disgust, the impact of gentrification on the lived experience of class inequality and the power of oppressed classes to revolt.

You will study biological and psychological theories and models of addiction during this module and analyse government responses to