Psychology and Criminology

Embark on an exciting exploration of Psychology with our captivating module that delves into the intricacies of the five core areas as defined by the British Psychological Society. This integration of approaches will immerse you in the fascinating field of Psychology, to deepen your grasp of human behaviour through the exploration of both foundational theories and cutting-edge research. By mastering this module, you’ll not only gain a comprehensive understanding but also acquire the skills needed to confidently apply specialised knowledge at an advanced level. 

You will be introduced to the form, key features and purpose of the institutions of the contemporary criminal justice system in England and Wales and begin an exploration of the issues relating to justice and civil liberties.

Build a strong foundation in quantitative approaches, honing skills in data analysis techniques and specialised software applications. This knowledge forms the basis for advanced skills development at higher levels of study, enabling you to master the essential tools for impactful research and professional success. 

Gain a profound understanding of the philosophical foundations and practical applications or qualitative approaches to psychological research. Delve into diverse data collection methods such as interviews, observations, and focus groups. Elevate your analytical skills through a focus on thematic analysis, setting the stage for future specialisation and independent application at advanced levels of study. 

Explore Psychology's origins and evolution in this module offering insights into its philosophical and scientific roots. Uncover the intriguing journey from early understandings to the establishment of Psychology as a distinct discipline, shaped by historical and cultural milestones. Consider the dynamism of research frameworks, from traditional approaches to post-modern influences. The module will also empower you with academic skills essential for a successful Psychology degree and future career development. 

The module introduces fundamental questions in criminology: What is crime? What causes crime? How does crime and criminal justice affect us? How should we best respond to criminal behaviour? In addressing these questions, key concepts will be explored. You will have the opportunity to choose a particular type of crime or deviance, then apply the various fundamental questions raised by the module week by week. The case studies will help you to apply concepts to contemporary issues. You will have the opportunity to consider different policy and practice solutions for criminal justice ‘industry’.

You will explore the links between biological and cognitive processes and examine how this relationship influences performance in real-world contexts. You will also go into more depth in topics such as language and thought, reading, understanding language, and speech production.

Further master the skills of research design and execution. Elevate your statistical ability to interpret complex results, including multivariate analysis, effect size, and confidence intervals. Dive further into the world of qualitative analysis, grasping methods like grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), and conversational analysis. 

This module covers the influences of nature and nurture on human development, including exploring how these influence children’s communicative and language development. You will gain practical experience of conducting social psychological research, and examine the implications of research for education, policy, and clinical practice.

Explore the rich history, theoretical frameworks, and methodologies of personality and intelligence. Consider diverse approaches, from trait-based and humanistic to cognitive and biological, providing a comprehensive overview and enabling you to apply your insights to real-world case studies. 

You will develop an understanding of the range of theories of crime and criminal justice and locate the key issues of criminology within their socio-political and historical context. You will gain a knowledge of the most important theories, and their relevance for understanding crime matters in contemporary society.

This module offers students an opportunity to develop and apply knowledge on victimology, including causes, processing and responses to victimisation at individual, community and criminal justice levels. The criminological approaches (including theory) and (national and international) policy responses to victims and their needs are examined from a critical criminological approach. 

You will be introduced to issues surrounding the policing and social control in the past, in contemporary society and in the future, and analyse how social control and surveillance are manifested. You will identify the implications for policing and social control studies on wider sociology as well as policy and practice. 

An overview of the conceptualisation of “violence”. You will examine debates concerning violence in various aspects of life, consider the contemporary debates surrounding violence in a range of contexts, trace the development of theorisations of violence and consider ethical, methodological and practical issues involved in the researching of violence.

This module addresses the complex and often paradoxical relationships between human rights, extreme human rights abuses, particularly genocide, and resistance to such abuses. Its distinctiveness lies in providing students with interdisciplinary, theoretically informed approaches to human rights, genocide and resistance.

We live in a globally responsible world where decisions taken at a local level inevitably have a global impact. Addressing issues of environmental concern through a lens of social justice, this module invites you to think critically about the most pressing issue of our life – the Climate Crisis and you will examine this through both a Sociological and Criminological lens, emphasising the ‘Local to Global’ policy-making across subjects as interconnected as, climate change and activism, environmental ideology and Eco-Fascism, human rights, and the rural/urban divide. During this module, you will become equipped with the knowledge, skills, and tools to analyse the complex interactions between environmental and social systems, and to advocate for a more sustainable and equitable future. 

Assessment will consist of the following:

- Individual Podcast interview (100%)

You will carry out a large-scale empirical research project on a topic of your choice. The range of skills you develop as you navigate the process of research design, applying for ethical approval, recruiting participants and carrying out your research, performing appropriate analysis, and writing up your work will be invaluable in any workplace. 

This module will provide students with the skills required to be an effective professional. Students will reflect on their career aspirations, their own wellbeing and that of others within the workplace. 

This module explores what it’s like for children growing up with various conditions like autism spectrum disorder, Down’s syndrome, deafness, and developmental language disorder, and well as the impact on development of growing up in adverse environments such as poverty.

This module examines in detail the relationships between behaviour and the nervous system. You will explore these relationships through the consideration of key topics in the field of neuroscience including learning, psychopharmacology, brain damage, aphasia/alexia, organic brain disorder, and mental health.

Develops your understanding of the relevance of psychology to education and provides opportunities to apply psychological theory and principles in the field of education and professional practice.

During this module, you will learn to apply theories and methodologies from cognitive psychology to real-world behaviour. You will explore the influence of emotional processing on human cognition and performance and reflect on the optimal conditions for thinking and decision-making.

An applied module which will introduce you to offender profiling, lie detection techniques and psychological theories of criminal behaviour; guest speakers have included a serving chief investigating officer, a forensic psychologist and a probation officer.

This module explores the effects that exposure to media has on people, as well as how people process information from media. It looks at advertisement, persuasion, news journalism, social media and internet use, including the use of metaphors in the media. It also covers conversation analysis and discursive psychology.

A practitioner based module which will provide you with a tour of relevant theories and topics (including stress, selection techniques and change at work), as well as an assessment opportunity to apply these in real-world settings, including your own experience in the workplace.

A new module which considers the role of psychology in a global context. You will have the opportunity to use your psychological knowledge to explore the issues of the day.

This module aims to introduce you to the concepts, theory, methods and applications of health psychology. It is concerned with the psychological aspects of physical illness, their treatment and management as well as what it is that keeps people healthy and well.

The psychology of serial homicide, mass shooting, and terrorism. The module also explores the neurodevelopmental and psychosocial risk factors in serial killers and mass shooters, the pathway to intended violence in such extreme cases of violence and the neuropsychodynamics of individuals who commit serial homicide and single homicide.

You will explore conceptualisations of mental health, explanations of mental health, legal and social ramifications of mental ill health, the range of conditions treated within psychiatry, and therapeutic modalities and agencies. You will also think about the language used in the field, such as the shift from talking about ‘abnormal psychology’ to less stigmatising terms, and also the linguistic origins of the terms used to describe mental health conditions.

You will have the opportunity to put what you've learnt into practice by undertaking a work placement.