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Programme Information & PLOs
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Title of the new programme – including any year abroad/ in industry variants
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BA Hons Criminology
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Level of qualification
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Please select:Level 6
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Please indicate if the programme is offered with any year abroad / in industry variants Year in Industry
Please select Y/N		No
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Year Abroad
Please select Y/N		Yes
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department
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Lead Department SociologyN/A
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Other contributing Departments: Social Policy and Social WorkN/A
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Programme Leader
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Maggie O'Neill
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Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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Statement of purpose for applicants to the programme
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Criminology is the study of crime and deviance within society. York's Criminology programme provides students with a critical understanding of the social construction of crime and deviance, and the differing theoretical approaches and practical applications to key criminological issues, such as victimisation, the representations of crime and offenders, boundary breaking and criminal justice responses. The programme at York uniquely reflects the multidisciplinary nature and vitality of criminology, as it combines the strengths of the two departments of Sociology and Social Policy. As a Criminology student, you will learn about the role played by inequalities in crime and deviance; how criminal justice institutions function; and the complexity of tackling criminal activity. As a graduate of the programme, you will be prepared for a range of careers in and beyond the boundaries of the criminal justice system as a consequence of the embedding of specific skills such as critical thinking, evaluating and analysing the merits of criminological theory and research; developing a critical understanding of the principles of ethical research in criminology; and the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods skills; evaluating and analysing complex criminological problems. You will have the opportunity to develop important skills of team work, written and oral communications, computing and digital skills. Criminology graduates will be in a position to contribute in creative, ethical and robust ways to thinking about the study of crime and deviance, criminological theory, social and cultural transgressions as well as social justice and social policy outcomes and they will be equipped for a range of employment and career possibilities.
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Programme Learning Outcomes
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the programme can be expected to do.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Interpret, explain and analyse offending behaviour through a critical understanding of criminological theory and criminal justice institutions, policies and practices.
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2Confront and analyse real-world social and crime-related problems via criminological debates and criminal justice institutions, agencies and policies to critically assess the complexity of societal transgressions.
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3Work creatively in teams by cooperating with others in a manner which is respectful of diverse views, values and the cultural position of others.
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4Design and undertake ethical criminological research projects which draw upon appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative skills to produce empirically rigorous analysis of social issues upon which future actions can be based.
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5Synthesise complex arguments about crime and deviance in order to challenge assumptions and misperceptions about offending behaviours and criminal justice system.
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6Critically communicate information and well-reasoned arguments in appropriate formats concerning matters of crime and deviance, using a range of media and digital technologies.
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Programme Learning Outcome for year in industry (where applicable)
For programmes which lead to the title ‘with a Year in Industry’ – typically involving an additional year – please provide either a) amended versions of some (at least one, but not necessarily all) of the standard PLOs listed above, showing how these are changed and enhanced by the additional year in industry b) an additional PLO, if and only if it is not possible to capture a key ability developed by the year in industry by alteration of the standard PLOs.
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N/A
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Programme Learning Outcome for year abroad programmes (where applicable)
For programmes which lead to the title ‘with a Year Abroad’ – typically involving an additional year – please provide either a) amended versions of some (at least one, but not necessarily all) of the standard PLOs listed above, showing how these are changed and enhanced by the additional year abroad or b) an additional PLO, if and only if it is not possible to capture a key ability developed by the year abroad by alteration of the standard PLOs.
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Criminology graduates who study for a year abroad will be able to: 1. Interpret, explain and analyse offending behaviour through a critical understanding of criminological theory and criminal justice institutions, policies and practices in different national and cultural contexts. 2. Confront and analyse real-world social and crime-related problems via criminological debates and criminal justice institutions, agencies and policies to critically assess the complexity of societal transgressions in different cultural contexts. 3. Work creatively in teams by cooperating with others in a manner which is respectful of diverse views, values and the cultural position of others. 4. Design and undertake ethical criminological research projects which draw upon appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative skills to produce empirically rigorous analysis of social issues upon which future actions can be based. 5.Synthesise complex arguments about crime and deviance in order to challenge assumptions and misperceptions about offending behaviours and criminal justice system, in culturally attuned ways and in different cultural contexts. 6. Critically communicate information and well-reasoned arguments in appropriate formats concerning matters of crime and deviance using a range of media and global digital technologies.
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i) Why the PLOs are considered ambitious or stretching?
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They are considered ambitious and stretching because the degree of independent learning, thinking and writing that our students engage in, from term one, supported by our encouragement, facilitates immersion in challenging debates and research and enables them to conceptualise and explain the subject matter of criminology, the links between criminal and social justice , put theories into operation and conduct and evaluate research. Criminology is a theoretical and empirical endeavour. Only by doing so, and avoiding the textbook approach, can our students graduate into critical thinkers that can apprehend the complexity of social worlds and crime, deviance and justice within society, and attune themselves to the ethical principles governing criminological research, the local, national and international contexts and socio- legal and policy responses too, as well as the impact of culture in the shaping of emerging economic, political and technological forces in how we live our lives.The programme requires that the students meet the PLOs through the diversity of assessments offered.
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ii) The ways in which these outcomes are distinctive or particularly advantageous to the student:
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Taken together, we are confident that our PLOs articulate the progression of our students throughout the degree to the point that they graduate as truly independent thinkers, with the ability to cogently analyse social dynamics, issues and situations in all their complexities. Our graduates leave with a diverse range of skills and a critical sensibility that transfer across disciplines and professions and can point to a host of varied empirically driven tasks and projects that demonstrate their flexibility to prospective employers. 4. Design and undertake ethical criminological research projects which draw upon appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative skills to produce empirically rigorous analysis of social issues upon which future actions can be based.
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iii) How the programme learning outcomes develop students’ digital literacy and will make appropriate use of technology-enhanced learning (such as lecture recordings, online resources, simulations, online assessment, ‘flipped classrooms’ etc)?
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This is most explicitly addressed in PLO 6. Our departments have, over many years, designed their programmes of study alongside considered use of technological developments - for example, both were early adopters of the VLE, and individual modules have been innovative in their use of the full functionality of the VLE (such as some lecture capture, wikis and library searches). As a programme we have made the move to online submission and online assessment in all modules. Both partner departments, supporting the programme, are interested in enriching technology-based/digital learning and as the provision is developed in each department we will audit the implications for the BA Criminology and continually look for opportunities to enhance the programme with respect to developing students' digital literacy.
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iv) How the PLOs support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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The programme as it stands is distinctive in that it reinforces the nature and extent of criminology as a both a theoretical and empirical subject, that is interdisciplinary in scope and allows us to address the PLOs in a robust way combining both applied and theoretical knowledge to understand real world social and crime related problems and issues. Third year BA Criminology students consulted about employability identified Understanding Criminal Justice, Debates in Criminal Justice and Social Research Methods as directly enhancing their knowledge of employment in the Criminal Justice System and employability. In the programme, contact with staff will propel student learning through a number of ways: a) by retaining the lecture, seminar and workshop formats as our core framework for delivering learning; b) enhancing the use of digital technologies across the programme; c) more effective and increased face-to-face contact throughout the programme - within the context of a group-work focussed and collaborative learning culture. We have increased crime-specific content at year 1, with a move from a more generic Ways of Knowing (year 1) and Understanding Criminal Justice (year 2) to Introducing Criminal Justice (year 1) and Debates in Criminal Justice (from 2017-8, year 2). Skills work is embedded at every level of programme. For example, Introducing Criminal Justice seminars are especially designed to develop different skills throughout the first year: referencing, how to use academic resources, databases, use of statistics, social media. Introducing Sociological Theory includes how to make use of theory and close text reading of theoretical texts. Victimisation and Social Harm (2nd year) involves an extended project, which is good practice for dissertations, and Social Research Methods (year 2) is key for empirical research skills, literature searching and critiques. At Level 3, a newly created Criminology-specific dissertation module is now propelling independent learning and research through contact with Criminology staff, with specific skills sessions now running throughout the year. In response to student feedback expressing a lack of a sense of cohort, we have: a) streamlined the induction programme and created more Criminology-specific sessions; introduced a module options workshop at level 2; introduced the dissertation module at level 3 and we will continue to look for opportunities to develop the sense of a strong cohort with our students in response to student feedback. Additionally, all teaching staff provide a weekly 2 hour drop in session, the email response rate is to reply within three days and the new dissertation module provides both face to face supervision sessions, dissertation workshops and specialised sessions with library staff. However, there is more to be done. We will work with our employability officers in both departments over the Autumn term to develop plans for further employability co-ordination, exploring opportunities to embed employability within the programme more deeply.
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vi) How will students who need additional support for academic and transferable skills be identified and supported by the Departments?
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Students will be introduced to academic and transferable skills in the first year and these are built upon, progressively, in years two and three. Module leaders and academic supervisors provide advice and support to all students via the weekly drop in office hours and take care to provide additional support to those who need it. In the first year we will evaluate the recent changes to the programme (The Ways of Knowing first year skills module has now been replaced by a crime-specific module called Introducing Criminal Justice from 2017-18, that maps onto PLO1 and PLO 2) in order to propel impact in student learning. There will also be a new more in-depth module at level 2 called Debates in Criminal Justice. This is a move welcomed by staff and students and addresses some of the points raised in the last periodic review. There are now two specialist crime modules in year one – a major improvement to the programme.  For the second years the teaching team  will investigate patterns of teaching and assessment in order to foster research skills that can be built upon in the final year and investigate further opportunities for collaborative learning  using digital technologies to collaboratively develop their collective skills, and hone their group-working skills. For third years, we will increase contact time by introducing more lectures to support the dissertation, in which programme staff will make explicit the transferability of skills being used in their individual projects to real-world learning scenarios and employers' expectations. We will also undertake an annual curriculum review in order to enhance the partnership work across the programme and facilitate communication across the teaching team, with a view to enhancing coherence of the programme even further. The BoS secured approval for a new Criminology dissertation module for 2016-7 and this is now running. Further cultivation of sense of cohort for students has been advanced – e.g. specialist induction for 1st years (including Library sessions tailored for Criminology), module options taster sessions in Spring term year 1 & 2, specialist dissertation module at year 3. These are all improvements which have been implemented for 2016-7. These developments knit together to build on the strengths of the existing programme, provide additional support for academic and transferable skills, but also to develop a stronger sense of a criminological cohort.
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vii) How is teaching informed and led by research in the department/ centre/ University?
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Staff teach students in every year on topics that they also research in - this is most apparent in the options offered to year 2 and year 3 students, with staff teaching in their area of research expertise, but it is also a focus of year 1 teaching too. The demonstrable link between teaching and research has been a long-standing strength across the programme and is appreciated by students throughout the degree, not only through the experience of research led teaching, but of being part of a student cohort in a programme with a strong culture of research, constituting a strong and multi-disciplinary criminological offer.
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Stage-level progression
Please complete the table below, to summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of each year. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each PLO, but this can be done if preferred (please add information in the 'individual statement' boxes). For a statement that applies across all PLOs in the stage fill in the 'Global statement' box.
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Stage 1
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On progression from the first year (Stage 1), students will be able to:
Understand core criminological theories and concepts, and engage with primary research in core criminological topics, contemporary issues and demonstrate that understanding and awareness of the academic field through a series of individual assessments and group activities.
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PLO 1PLO 2PLO 3PLO 4PLO 5PLO 6PLO 7PLO 8
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Use introductory core disciplinary concepts and theories to identify the criminological significance of contemporary issues.

Access and evaluate criminological literature on contemporary issues and cultural trends.Work creatively in teams by cooperating with others in a manner which develops awareness of the diverse views, values and the cultural position of others. Undertake ethically responsible research which draws upon appropriate empirical skills to
produce summary analysis of criminological issues

Understand social and criminological situations effectively by assessing real-life interactions. Communicate sociological and criminological research and arguments to peers, via a range of media and digital technologiesN/AN/A
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Stage 2
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On progression from the second year (Stage 2), students will be able to:Consolidate their understanding of core and specialist criminological theories and concepts, engage with primary research in core and specialist criminological topics and use their understanding and awareness of the academic field, evidenced through a series of individual assessments and group activities, in order to plan their own independent research, develop their own analytical approach and demonstrate increasing confidence in critically evaluating real-life criminological issues and situations.
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PLO 1PLO 2PLO 3PLO 4PLO 5PLO 6PLO 7PLO 8
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Use core disciplinary concepts and theories to identify and interpret the criminological significance of a range of contemporary criminological issues.Access, evaluate and critically review empirical criminological literature on contemporary issues and cultural trends.Work creatively in teams by cooperating with others in a manner which is respectful of diverse views, values and the cultural position of others. Design responsible research projects which demonstrate awareness of appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative skills to produce empirically rigorous analysis of criminological issues.Interpret social and criminological problems and situations effectively by synthesising complex arguments and challenging common assumptions systematically. Communicate complex information and sociological and criminological arguments, in appropriate formats and via a range of media and digital technologies.N/AN/A
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Stage 3
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On progression from the third year (Stage 3), students will be able to:N/A
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PLO 1PLO 2PLO 3PLO 4PLO 5PLO 6PLO 7PLO 8
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N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
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Programme Structure
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Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

‘Option module’ can be used in place of a specific named option. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists these lists should be provided in the next section.

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA') . It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

If summative assessment by exams will be scheduled in the summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7) a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place.
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Stage 1
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term
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CodeTitle123456789101234567891012345678910
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30SOC00002CIntroduction to Sociological TheorySAAEA
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30SOC00003CSociology of Crime and DevianceSAAEA
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30SPY00021CIntroducing Criminal JusticeSAEA
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30SPY00002CIntroducing Social PolicySAEA
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Stage 2
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term
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CodeTitle123456789101234567891012345678910
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30SOC00003ISocial Research MethodsSAAEA
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30SOC00002ICrime, Culture and Social ChangeSAEA
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30SPY00025IDebates in Criminal JusticeSAEA
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30VariousOption (List A)SEA
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Stage 3
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term
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CodeTitle123456789101234567891012345678910
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40SOC00044HDissertationSEA
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20SOC00001HTheoretical CriminologySEA
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20VariousOption (from Soc) (List B)SEA
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20VariousOption (from SPSW) (List C)SEA
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20VariousOption (from Soc or SPSW) (Lists B and C)SEA
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Optional module lists

If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists these lists should be provided below. If you need more space, use the toggles on the left to reveal ten further hidden rows.
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Option List AOption List BOption List COption List DOption List EOption List FOption List GOption List H
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Stage 2 (30 credits)Stage 3: Sociology (20 credits)Stage 3: Social Policy (20 credits)N/A
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Popular Culture, Media and SocietyGender, Crime SexualityCriminal Justice and PolicingN/A
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Contemporary Political SociologyAdvanced Social TheoryVulnerability, Deviance and Social ControlN/A
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Gender, Sexuality and InequalityMorbidity, Culture and CorpsesWelfare States and the Economic CrisisN/A
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Sociology of Health and illnessSociology of the ParanormalHousing PolicyN/A
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Divisions and InequalitiesAnalysing Doctor-Patient InteractionUnderstanding Families and Family LifeN/A
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Social Interaction and Conversation AnalysisBirth, Marriage, DeathPoverty and InequalityN/A
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Victimization and Social HarmRacial StatePrisons and Penal PolicyN/A
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Citizenship, Difference and InequalityMigration and TourismPhilosophy of Criminal LawN/A
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Policy ProcessEmotions in the Social WorldIllicit Drug UseN/A
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N/AGlobal transformation of HealthYouth JusticeN/A
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N/AHumans and Other AnimalsDeath and PolicyN/A
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N/ACrime, Justice & the Sex IndustryGender, Citizenship and the Welfare StateN/A
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N/AN/ASustainable Development and Social InclusionN/A
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N/AN/AWellbeing of Children and Young PeopleN/A