Module SOCI2221: POLICING AND POLICE

Department: Sociology

SOCI2221: POLICING AND POLICE

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To explore:
• The changing forms and functions of policing and the police in British society.
• The historical and contemporary social, political, cultural, ideological and economic contexts that have contributed to these changes.
• The diverse ways in which scholars have theorised and understood the development and changes in policing and the police.
• Different policing strategies and operational practices, and ways of assessing them in relation to effectiveness, equity, human rights and civil liberties.
• The key theoretical and practical challenges facing contemporary security governance and policing provision.

Content

• Competing accounts and explanations of the evolution of policing and the police.
• The contribition of social theory to understanding security, social order, safety regulation and policing legislation and law.
• The role, practices, effectiveness, culture and accountability of policing professionals and why and how these have changed over time.
• Key theories, models and ideological perspectives of policing and the police including, but not limited to mechanical, environmental, reactive, proactive and community models of policing.
• The dominance of community policing as a strategy in contemporary British society and the associated research studies demonstrating levels of effectiveness, equity, civil liberties and human rights.
• Theoretical debates surrounding changes within policing and the police including, but not limited to Modern, Postmodern, and Late Modern approaches to the evolution of policing.
• The social, political, economic and cultural dimensions of the key challenges facing contemporary security governance and policing provision.
• Guest lectures from policing professionals to discuss their perspectives on the most important issues facing policing and the police.
• Opportunity to attend police training events to experience policing strategies, practices and challenges first hand.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of the module students will:
• Understand key concepts concerning the nature and characteristics of policing and the police in an historical context and how these have changed in contemporary British society into an increasingly diverse and complex set of practices.
• Be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of competing theories, ideological perspectives and explanations of change within policing and the police.
• Identify dominant policing strategies and operational practices in contemporary British society, and use evidence-based research to outline how these strategies may impact upon the effectiveness of policing, social and economic equality and the human rights and civil liberties of individuals.
• Analyse and synthesise academic, policy and popular sources to consider the challenges facing policing provision now and in the future.

• Understand and evaluate sociological and criminological theories, debates and evidence.
• Be confident in the use of abstract sociological and criminological concepts.
• Undertake and present sociological and criminological work in an appropriate scholarly manner.
• Be able to draw on, and employ, broader sociological and criminological theoretical and methodological expertise within the specific context of policing.
• Perceive the relevance of, and relate their sociological and criminological knowledge to, contemporary issues surrounding policing policy, provision and practice.

• Be competent in improving own learning and performance.
• Demonstrate competency in the use of IT resources.
• An ability to evaluate and interpret information and evidence from a variety of sources.
• An ability to formulate theoretical arguments and communicate ideas in writing.
• An ability to participate in theoretical debates orally.

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

• Weekly lectures will introduce students to core concepts, theories, strategies, practices, policies and challenges within policing and the police. In addition to academic and research material, case studies will be presented by the tutor drawing on their areas of research expertise. Students will have access to DUO where they will be able to read a session overview and focussed reading list for each lecture.
• Fortnightly seminars will allow students to deepen their understanding of fundamental topics by developing their application of theory to policing practice. The aim will be to develop the student’s ability to identify relevant information and present it as a structured and justifiable argument. Students will be provided with guided reading and a statement of discussion in advance of the seminar and will be expected to research the topic, present an explanation and answer questions.
• Formative work – seminars and essays – on key issues in policing, allow students to critically reflect on their knowledge of the issues and their skill in effectively communicating it to others.
• Formative work and assessment is developed by students pre-marking their own formative assessment submission. A formative assessment feedback sheet is submitted by students with their formative assignments on which they pre-mark their own work prior to submission to the tutor. The sheet clearly provides the criteria which the students require and, therefore, focuses their minds accordingly. By pre-marking their own work, the students will have to be able to justify the content of the formative essay with specific reference to the criteria. It will offer the students the opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses within their academic essay writing.
• The students will have the option of completing a summative essay OR a ‘Policing portfolio’. A summative essay tests student’s ability to research a specific topic in depth and construct a systematic discussion within word-limited constraints.
• A summative ‘Policing portfolio’ tests the student’s ability to identify what the key policing priorities are within their chosen postcode area, and then outline how they could be addressed most effectively, using evidenced-based resources to support their key arguments. The students are asked to use publicly available policing data (e.g. postcode-based information available through Police Constabulary or Community Saftey Partnership websites) to identify what the key policing priorities are in their chosen area. Drawing on academic, policy and police strategy resources, the students will then be asked to suggest which policing strategies and practices would be most effective in tackling these issues. The students are being asked to appraise and apply broader academic literature, empirical research, policy guidelines and policing strategy to specific policing demands at a local level.
• As well as the ability to give a coherent argument in a time-limited situation, a summative exam tests the breadth and range of effective communication, depth of knowledge and intellect.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 1500 word optional essay.

■ 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