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Study information

Programme Specification for the 2024/5 academic year

BA (Hons) Sociology and Criminology with Employment Experience

1. Programme Details

Programme nameBA (Hons) Sociology and Criminology with Employment Experience Programme codeUFA4HPSHPS76
Study mode(s)Full Time
Academic year2024/5
Campus(es)Streatham (Exeter)
NQF Level of the Final Award6 (Honours)

2. Description of the Programme

The BA in Sociology and Criminology with Employment Experience at Exeter offers those with an interest in studying crime, criminal justice, and society to pursue their concerns in a supportive environment. The inter-disciplinary make up of the programme is rooted in sociological approaches, but also offers the potential to combine these perspectives for understanding and responding to crime and deviance with those from historical, political, and psychological studies. You will explore theoretical, empirical and methodological issues associated with these fields of social research. The emphasis will be on developing analytical and communication skills.

As a discipline, Sociology provides a critical understanding of society by examining a wide range of social activities from intimate personal relations to the operation of political and economic institutions. Students will examine cultural and economic issues such as identity, employment, inequality, deviance and health. Our sociology modules cover diverse subjects including music, media, cyborg studies, technology, terrorism, addiction, sexuality, ethnicity and immigration, and other subjects.

Criminology aims to provide systematic understanding of the historical patterning of crime, the causes of criminal behaviour and its consequences, as well as policy response. Through Criminology at Exeter you will learn to understand the multi-perspectival nature of crime, to explore terrains that are often contested, and to develop a critical appreciation of disciplinary perspectives. Throughout, attention will be given to the methodological issues and substantive challenges of the study of crime.

Studying Sociology and Criminology together will provide you with a full range of social science research skills that will enable you to engage with the nature and complexity of social life, deviance, and crime.

This programme is studied over four years. The first two years and the final year are university-based, and the third year is spent gaining employment experience at a suitable location in the UK.

This Employment Experience variant of the programme is a great way to incorporate graduate-level work placement or placements undertaken in the United Kingdom directly into your programme of study, to reflect critically upon these experiences, and for them to count towards the assessment of your degree. There is no better way to gain valuable employment experience that can be rewarded and recognised clearly by future employers. With preparation, support and approval from the Faculty, you can also demonstrate adaptability and resourcefulness by organising suitable placements in areas of employment related to your interests and potential future career.

3. Educational Aims of the Programme

The Programme will:

  • Provide an excellent Honours-level education in Sociology and Criminology, which meets the criteria for Honours level awards as set out in the FHEQ and the University’s statement of Levels and Awards, and which meets the standards set in the national Subject Benchmarking statements for both subject areas.
  • Facilitate graduates to become useful, productive and questioning members of society.
  • Provide a stimulating and supportive environment for students that is informed by research where deemed appropriate.
  • Work in partnership with students to produce graduates who are grounded in the main themes of Sociology through a combination of modules which develops a good understanding of how societies, institutions and practices of all kinds came into being, how they are currently organised around matters of identity, deviance, and crime, and how they might change in the future.
  • Work in partnership with students to produce graduates who are grounded in the main themes of Sociology and Criminology through a combination of modules offered across the university which develop a deep understanding of methodology and method in social research.
  • Offer a structured framework of study which ensures that within the time span of the programme every student follows a balanced and complementary range of modules, whilst allowing sufficient choice to ensure that students are able to follow individual areas of learning.
  • Develop students’ competence in the subject-specific skills required in Sociology and in Criminology through practical engagement with primary and empirical data.
  • Expose students to different teaching and assessment methods within an appropriate learning environment, supported by feedback, monitoring and pastoral care.
  • Provide a range of academic and personal skills which will prepare students from varied educational backgrounds for employment or further study, which will foster mental agility and adaptability, and which will enable them to deploy their knowledge, abilities and skills in their entirety, displaying balance and judgement in a variety of circumstances.

4. Programme Structure

The BA Sociology and Criminology with Employment Experience is a 4-year full-time programme of study at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). This programme is divided into 4 stages. Each stage is normally equivalent to an academic year.

5. Programme Modules

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=sociology

Stage 1


90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules

Compulsory Modules

A - you may pick ONE of these modules

B - this module is core ONLY for students transferring from BSc Criminology in Term 2. They will not take SPA1000.

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
SOC1000 Contemporary Society: Themes, Perspectives and Case Studies [See note a]30No
SPA1000 Imagining Social Worlds 30No
SOC1039 Social Issues: Part I - Introducing Crime and Deviance 15No
SOC1040 Social Issues: Part II - Themes in Criminology 15No
SOC1001 Social Analysis [See note a]30No
SOC1053 Imagining Social Worlds: Social Research Methods [See note b]15No
HAS1905 Employment Experience HASS 0No

Optional Modules

30 credits of stage 1 Sociology or Criminology (SOC1xxx) option modules

 

Sociology and Criminology modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=sociology

You may elect to take a maximum of 30 credit options outside of Sociology and Criminology, for example to develop skills attractive to employers such as language proficiency; to examine an issue you’ve covered in one of your Sociology modules from a different disciplinary perspective; or to widen your horizons and challenge yourself intellectually SSI1005 and SSI1006 are recommended optional modules that will provide a basis for being able take modules in later stages to add the Q-Step ‘Proficiency in Applied Data Analysis’ to your degree title.

 

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
SSI1005 Introduction to Social Data 15No
SSI1006 Data Analysis in Social Science 1 15No

Stage 2


75 credits of compulsory modules, 45 credits of optional modules

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
SPA2000 Knowing the Social World 30No
SOC2005 Theoretical Sociology 30No
SOC2036 International Criminal Justice: Application of Theory to Transnational and International Crime 15No
HAS2905 Employment Experience HASS 0No

Optional Modules

You will be able to choose 45 credits from a wide range of Sociology and Criminology options covering topics as diverse as counter cultures, health, media, forensic science, war crimes, ethics, addiction and human rights.

 

Sociology and Criminology modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=sociology

Faculty-wide modules (including SSIxxxx) https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=hass

 

Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
Criminology Stage 2 Option Modules 2024-5
ARC2514 Forensic Anthropology 15 No
BIO2068 Forensic Science 30 No
PHL2061 Philosophy of Law 15 No
SOC2024 Power and Domination 15 No
SOC2063 Policy Analysis in Criminology 15 No
SOC2068 Race, Ethnicity and Criminalisation 15 No
SOC2069 Crimes of the Powerful 15 No
SOC2098 Sociology of Imprisonment 15 No
SOC2101 Police and Policing 15 No
SOC2104 Victimology 15 No
SOC2133 The Anthropology of Prisons 15 No
SOC2135 Forensic Cultures 15 No
SOC2136 Deprivation of liberty: Imprisonment and beyond 15 No
SOC2033 Addiction 15 No
SOC2126 Forensic Science, Conflict and Justice 15 No
SOC2137 Organised Crime and Criminal Networks 15 No
POL2057 Security Studies 15 No

Stage 3


Compulsory Modules

120 credit compulsory placement module

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
SSI3020 Employment Experience (UK and Abroad) 120Yes

Stage 4


30 credit compulsory Dissertation, 90 credits of optional modules

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
SOC3040 Dissertation 30No

Optional Modules

45 credits Level 3 Sociology options, 45 credits approved Level 3 Criminology options

 

Sociology and Criminology modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=sociology

 

Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
Criminology Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5
ARC3510 Experimental Approaches to Forensic and Archaeological Investigations 15 No
PHL3061 Philosophy of Law 15 No
PSY3411 Psychology and Law 15 No
SOC3034 International Criminal Justice: Comparative Criminology 15 No
SOC3036 International Criminal Justice: Application of Theory to Transnational and International Crime 15 No
SOC3098 Sociology of Imprisonment 15 No
SOC3101 Police and Policing 15 No
SOC3104 Victimology 15 No
SOC3121 Policy Analysis in Criminology 15 No
SOC3126 Race, Ethnicity and Criminalisation 15 No
SOC3127 Crimes of the Powerful 15 No
SOC3134 Forensic Science, Conflict and Justice 15 No
SOC3141 The Anthropology of Prisons 15 No
SOC3143 Forensic Cultures 15 No
SOC3145 Deprivation of liberty: Imprisonment and beyond 15 No
SOC3033 Addiction 15 No
SOC3111 Evidence-Based Policing 15 No
SOC3115 Deception 15 No
SOC3149 Organised Crime and Criminal Networks 15 No

6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

1. Demonstrate an analytical understanding of Sociology, taking into account different sociological perspectives, modes of social analysis and their concomitant theoretical and conceptual frameworks
2. Show awareness of the social, political, historical, and economic origins of Sociology when analysing social problems and accounting for social theories.
3. Demonstrate competence in describing and applying a variety of methods of social investigation, including ethnographic and survey methods, questionnaire and interview design
4. Conceptualise social, psychological and personal issues in a specifically sociological manner.
5. Describe, explain and critically discuss the social organisation, economy and cosmology of a range of societies
6. Account for some of the main challenges in obtaining and conveying information about a range of societies
7. Demonstrate understanding (at increasing depth, according to level) of issues (increasingly complex, according to level) arising from the subject matter of the optional modules taken.
8. Assess the ethical implications of sociological enquiry and qualitative research more generally
9. Conduct research, within supportive guidelines, drawing on primary and secondary sources
10. Present work in the format expected of social scientists, including footnoting and bibliographical references.
11. 1. Understand Criminology as a multi-perspectival approach as well as the strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives.
12. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the types of criminological research
13. Question cultural and social assumptions about the nature of deviance
14. Use the repertoire of key concepts, theories and methods of criminological analysis
15. Identify and locate relevant materials and information in support of criminological research
16. Recognise some of the ways in which criminological knowledge and insight can be applied in a variety of contexts
17. Assess the ethical implications of criminology enquiry and qualitative/quantitative research more generally
18. Conduct research, within supportive guidelines, drawing on primary and secondary sources
19. Present work in the format expected of social scientists, including footnoting and bibliographical references

Sociology

1.This skill is developed on all sociology modules through lectures, tutorials and guided independent study, and is an aim of the sociology side of the programme, especially on core modules.

2-4. These skills are developed initially through lectures, seminars and essay work for stage 1 and 2 core modules and are developed on subsequent modules.

5-6 These skills are developed through similar methods on stage 1 core modules, and further developed on subsequent modules.

7. This skill is developed through the optional modules taken. The level of competence expected of students intensifies at each stage of the programme.

8. These skills will be developed through some of the stage 2 core modules and expanded on in optional modules.

9.-10. These skills will be practised through coursework and examination and seminar work in all modules, and consolidated specifically in core modules for stage 2 and the dissertation.

 

Criminology

11-13. These skills are developed in the approved criminology modules.

14-16. These skills are developed through core modules.

17-19. These skills will be practised through coursework and examination and seminar work in all modules, and consolidated specifically in core modules for stage 2 and the dissertation.

Exams (1,2,4,5,6, 7, 8-15, 18-19)

Essays (1,2,3, 5,6,7, 8-15, 18-19)

Other coursework (e.g. written analytical reflections, posters, research proposals) (3, 6, 8, 17, 18)

Presentations (1,2,5,6,7, 11-17)

Dissertation (1-19)

Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

20. Draw thematic comparisons between material from different sources.
21. Show awareness of contrasting approaches to research
22. Understand and demonstrate the different uses of qualitative and quantitative data, and evaluate their relative advantages and disadvantages.
23. Specify some of the basic philosophical questions arising from academic research.
24. Use library and the world-wide web to find appropriate and relevant information.
25. Develop and deploy argument, grounded in theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence.
26. Identify problems of reliability and bias in, and more generally evaluate, empirical evidence
27. Collate data from a range of sources.
28. Produce accurate reference to sources in written work.
29. Answer questions concisely and persuasively in written work.
30. Present work and answer questions orally.
31. Deploy complex terminology in a comprehensible manner
32. Demonstrate a critical appreciation of difference and cross-cultural variation in the way crime is understood as well as the specificity of one’s own cultural perspective

These skills are developed throughout the degree programme, but the emphasis becomes more complex as students move from stage to stage. They are developed through lectures and seminars, written work (including essays, reports, research outlines, dissertation), and oral work (both presentation and class discussion).

Exams (21-25, 29, 31)

Essays and other written assignments (20-29, 32)

Presentations (20-27, 30, 31)

Dissertation (20-30, 32)

Criminology-specific skills (32) will be assessed through exams, written assignments, presentations, and the dissertation

Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

33. Undertake independent study and work to deadlines.
34. Use a word processor and the world-wide web to a high standard.
35. Digest, select and organise material for written work and oral presentations, and write to varying word
36. Evaluate own work.
37. Sit timed, unseen examinations of a challenging nature.
38. Participate in oral discussions; present and evaluate complex arguments and ideas orally; digest, select and organise material for oral presentations.
39. Work with others as part of a team on challenging material.
40. Interact effectively with peers and staff.
41. Undertake group work, including the presentation and discussion of material in groups.
42. Communicate and argue effectively, both orally and in writing.
43. Express and defend opinions on a wide range of current and abstract issues.
44. Plan the execution of demanding work over a very long time scale.

33. This skill is an essential part of the successful completion of the programme and will be developed through regular assignments such as essays and presentations towards vigorously monitored and enforced deadlines. 34. This skill is developed through the requirement that all written work be word-processed, and through the requirement on students to use the WWW for bibliographical searches. 35. This skill is developed through essay and presentation work throughout the programme. 36. This skill is encouraged and developed throughout, and is aided by the student Self-Appraisal system which takes place in the inter-semester week of Spring Term. 37. This skill is developed through practice: at all stages, students are partly assessed by timed, unseen examinations. 38. This skill is developed through seminars, which form the whole or part basis of all modules. Skills 39-43 are developed to some extent in all modules, through interaction in seminars and in discussion with tutors about essay work, and in response to criticism both collective and individual. 44. This skill is developed through the through the Dissertation, which has a single end of year deadline

Exams (37, 42, 43)

Essays (33 -35, 42, 43)

Team Reports (36, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)

Individual Presentations (32, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43)

Group Presentations (33, 35, 36, 38-43)

Dissertation (33-36, 40, 42-44)

7. Programme Regulations

Classification

Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.

8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning

9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning

Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.

10. Admissions Criteria

Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.

11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

(Quality Review Framework.

14. Awarding Institution

University of Exeter

15. Lead College / Teaching Institution

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)

16. Partner College / Institution

Partner College(s)

Not applicable to this programme

Partner Institution

Not applicable to this programme.

17. Programme Accredited / Validated by

Not applicable to this programme.

18. Final Award

BA (Hons) Sociology and Criminology with Employment Experience

19. UCAS Code

Not applicable to this programme.

20. NQF Level of Final Award

6 (Honours)

21. Credit

CATS credits

480

ECTS credits

240

22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group

[Honours] Criminology
[Honours] Sociology

23. Dates

Origin Date Date of last revision