Social Science

Course summary

In Year 1 you will be given the opportunity to understand a range of crimes committed, for example, organised crime, assisted suicide, honour killings, acid attacks and domestic violence, to name a few. In addition, you will assess media representations of crime and the impact it has on public perception, as well as, the skills required to evaluate methods of collecting statistics about crime. In Year 2, you will understand the process of criminal investigations including the rights of individuals involved in this process and the processes for the prosecution of suspects. Criminology is one of the most popular undergraduate courses chosen by students at university. It is a Level 3 Diploma which will prepare you for university should you wish to undertake this subject at degree level. You will develop skills such as: independent research, the ability to write and structure a well-balanced argument, as well as, expertise in evaluation of theories and use of statistics. In addition, you will develop sound understanding of the following topics in Year 1: white-collar crime (corporate, professional and organised), moral crime, state crime and individual crime (hate crime, domestic abuse and honour crime). You will be required to plan a campaign to either raise awareness of your chosen crime or to elicit legal change (for example, harsher sentences). In Year 2, you will acquire skills to evaluate theories of crime (sociological, biological and psychological).