Module SOCI3521: Young People, Crime and Justice

Department: Sociology

SOCI3521: Young People, Crime and Justice

Prerequisites

• Children, Young People and Families or Sociological Imaginations or Contemporary Criminological Theory

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• Through research-led teaching, to provide students with:
• criminological, sociological, policy and practice level understandings of young people, crime and justice.
• an understanding of theoretical perspectives that explain young people’s development and offending.
• a critical understanding of young people’s involvement in crime and deviance and the criminalisation of young people’s behaviours and spaces.
• a critical understanding of young people’s cultures, subcultures and marginalisation.
• knowledge of the intersectional nature of young people and crime, with particular reference to relationships between class, race and gender.
• insight into the youth justice system.

Content

• Criminological, sociological and social psychological theories of young people’s development and offending.
• Social policy focusing on young people and services for young people, with particular focus on youth justice.
• Exploration of young people’s: cultures and subcultures; engagement in transgressive leisure activities; crime, deviance and marginalisation.
• Trends, explanations and practices relating to young people, crime and deviance.
• Youth futures – young people’s rights and citizenship.
• Young people, gender, race and class.
• The youth justice system.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will:
• be able to reflect upon the policy and practice consequences of the research introduced in the module, and recognise how sociological and social scientific research on children, young people and families has shaped existing policy and practice responses;
• have knowledge of and apply different theoretical perspectives to explain young people’s development, crime and deviance;
• understand the workings of the youth justice system;
• have a critical understanding of young people’s cultures, subcultures, marginalisation and transgressive leisure engagements.

• By the end of the module students will be able to:
• Critically evaluate social science arguments and evidence.
• Critically analyse policy and practice responses.
• Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between social scientific evidence, theories, social policy and practice, in relation to young people and youth justice.
• Demonstrate orally and in writing the ability to articulate complex concepts and policy responses to young people’s offending.

• By the end of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:
• an ability to gather and process appropriate information from a range of academic sources;
• ability to plan workload and manage time;
• ability to work constructively as part of a small group;
• ability to construct systematic, coherent and conceptually correct oral and written arguments;
• a range of communication skills including the ability to: construct informed questions; evaluate and synthesise information obtained from a variety of sources; construct coherent written arguments; and communicate relevant information visually, orally and in writing.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures: introduce the main issues to be considered. They encourage students to develop skills in listening and selective note-taking. The module will be team taught and thus introduce students to a number of different lecturers, which will help students gain an appreciation of the different ways in which material can be organised and presented.
• Seminars: provide an opportunity for students to discuss module themes in a small group setting. Students will be supported in identifying and understanding abstract theoretical concepts, and will be encouraged to apply these abstract theoretical concepts to specific topics, issues and debates. Seminars help develop a number of transferable skills, such as oral communication, group work, the ability to evaluate evidence and make reasoned arguments, as well as the subject-specific skills mentioned above. In-class exercises and discussion also provide students with feedback on their understanding and progress at regular points during the academic year. Michaelmas term seminars will be topic focused. Epiphany term seminars will be task and assessment focused.
• Self-directed study: constitutes an important mode of learning on the module. It develops many of the subject-specific and key skills indicated above (e.g. the ability to undertake and present work in a scholarly manner, the ability to improve one’s own learning and performance, etc.).
• Summative assessment:
• A summative essay will enable students to demonstrate an understanding of key issues relating to young people, crime and justice using critical theoretical perspectives.
• A summative report will enable students to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between social scientific knowledge, social policy and practice by focusing on a key issue or example. This also provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate key communication and presentation skills.
• Formative Assessment:
• An optional formative essay: requires students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of module topics and prepares students for the summative assignment. It will develop key communication and library skills, as well as subject-specific skills relating to policy analysis and the critical assessment of evidence. Feedback will enable students to improve their future performance in the module by identifying strengths, weaknesses and areas to improve.
• A compulsory formative group presentation: students will work in small groups during Epiphany term seminars to develop a policy response to a key issue relating to young people, crime and justice. This will then form the basis of their individual summative report (above).

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One compulsory group presentation (up to 10 minutes per group). One optional assignment (up to 1500 words).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University