Course details
- A level requirements: ABB
- UCAS code: L311
- Study mode: Full-time
- Length: 3 years
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Our Criminology degree tackles the problems of crime, deviance, victimisation and social harm in a high quality programme that makes the subject exciting and intellectually challenging.
Criminology involves the study of complex issues of crime and criminal justice. Criminologists play an important role in the criminal justice system.
You will be taught by experts who help influence and develop policy; some of the world’s most influential and respected criminologists teach and research within our Department. The degree draws on the Department’s expertise in crime prevention, surveillance, policing, sentencing, victimology, youth justice and corporate crime. Modules are continually updated and designed to provide you with a well-rounded criminology learning experience.
Our programmes are based on cutting edge research and are ideal preparation for careers or further study where clear, creative thinking is valued. From the historical foundations of crime and punishment to the implications of digitisation in social, political, economic and cultural life.
Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.
The first year of the programme provides an introduction to exploring ‘crime’ in its social, historical and political context. Getting to grips with the key concepts in criminology and its wider social scientific roots is dealt with at year one to ensure easy transition to years two and three. Our Studying society module explores the use of social science research methods and ensures that by the second year all students are fully acquainted with all the skills they need to progress in their studies.
*Some modules may not be available depending on your selected programme of study.
This module provides a critical introduction to the criminal justice system. With SOCI107, it provides an essential foundation for your studies in criminology at Liverpool. Key criminal justice concepts, institutions- including the police, the courts, prisons – and processes are introduced and their roles and functions are subject to critical appraisal.
This module introduces you to the subject matter of sociological criminology. It provides an essential foundation for your studies in criminology at Liverpool. You will acquire an understanding of key issues and debates in the sociology of ‘crime’ and subject contemporary talk about ‘the crime problem’ to critical analysis.
‘Studying Society’ is designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the field of social enquiry. What is ‘the social’? Why would we study it? What would that involve? These are questions with which this module is concerned. It offers an introduction to the proper objects of social enquiry, relevant modes of thinking and questioning, strategies for finding, accessing, and evaluating sources of information, methods and techniques for generating and analysing data, as well as skills in communicating information and ideas effectively. In doing so, the module aims to equip students with a range of skills for the study of society at degree level and beyond. The module provides students with opportunities to both study and practice these skills.
This module provides a comprehensive introduction to classical and contemporary sociological theory. Tracing sociological analysis from its origins in the nineteenth century through to major present-day thinkers, the module addresses some of the discipline’s landmark studies and theories, in the process equipping you with understanding of the major frameworks for thinking sociologically.
This module examines continuity and change in social, cultural, political and economic life in Britain over the twentieth and into the twenty-first century, particularly in the period after 1945. The module will examine areas of British life like politics, the economy, the family, social and cultural relations, and the role of social policy in responding to and encouraging wider forms of change.
This module examines some of the main social changes that have taken place in British society since 1945. It draws upon sociological studies to discuss the inter-relationship between ‘race’, ethnicity, class and gender to understand the influence of these on society.
In the second year, the core modules provide a deeper coverage of the range of criminological knowledge and particular controversies in criminal justice practice. We also explore the role of the criminologist in the world of policy and activism.
The module is underpinned by three core aims. First to provide a broad overview of the historical, theoretical and political foundations of punishment, penality and prisons internationally but in the UK in particular. Second to examine the experiences and outcomes of imprisonment for identifiable groups of prisoners including: Children and young people; women; black and minoritised people; older people, LGBTQAI+. Third, to introduce a range of key debates and controversies surrounding the questions of punishment, penality and prisons in ‘modern’ societies and to subject them to social scientific interrogation and critical analysis.
This module examines how quantitative data can be used to investigate the social world. It considers how such data is gathered, the increasing prevalance of ‘statistics’ in making claims about the nature of social reality, how to go about assessing the accuracy of these claims, and how to practically analyse quantitative data to gain a better understanding of society.
This module is designed to provide students with an introduction to the theory and practice of social research using qualitative methods. The module covers qualitative research principles and design, ethics and reflexivity, data generation, data analysis, and presentation of findings. The module encourages students to develop both a critical understanding of and practical competencies in qualitative social research.
This module offers you the opportunity to explore how criminology has developed various perspectives throughout its historical and socio-political development. The key concepts devised and utilised by criminologists are also explored for their impacts upon criminal and social justice. The module is concerned with major controversies within criminological thinking and criminal justice practice.
This module provides an introduction to the sociology of policing and the police. Using a range of approaches to teaching, learning and assessment this module will equip you with knowledge and skills which will enable you to consider key issues in contemporary policing from an informed and critical perspective. Upon completing the module you should have a solid understanding of key concepts used to understand policing and the police from a sociological perspective, and you should be able to apply these concepts to a range of policing topics.
This module introduces you to the key sociological debates into social change, culture and power and their relationship to maintaining social order. The module explores the role of popular music, subcultural practice and media in order to introduce historical and contemporary case studies into social change and cultural practices.
SOCI 252 is a module that introduces students to the core sociological understandings of deviance in both a domestic and international context. The module is designed to provide a critical insight into the concept of deviance, connecting significant past and present issues in the construction of deviants with sociological analyses and broader social, legal and cultural changes.
This module is concerned with studying the origins and development of the concept of Social Exclusion. Students will explore and evaluate its theory and practice and will consider a number of case studies around class, ‘race’ and ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and gender. You will evaluate policy responses and social action to counter social exclusion; discuss the relationship between exclusion and other forms of social stratification and consider a number of theoretical perspectives that utilise inclusion/exclusion concepts.
This module introduces students to the recent history (circa last 250 years) of black migration and settlement to the UK. It will look at the importance of historical change on contemporary understandings of ‘race’ and ethnic diversity. Through examining the slave trade, colonialism and post-war migration, students will gain a sense of the resilience of such communities to different forms of racism and discrimination. In addition, the module assesses the neglected contribution that black communities have made to British society.
This year long core module provides students with a comprehensive overview of major developments in contemporary social theory, using the themes of structure/agency; culture; gender and knowledge as anchors. The module analyses theoretically informed and empirically grounded sociological theories and approaches and encourages students to apply key frameworks and perspectives to major contemporary social issues. In the course of the module students will be invited to cogitate on the ways in which prominent thinkers have conceptualised underlying social processes and transformations in the contemporary era. The methodological focus will centre on the deployment of diverse methods and competing epistemologies and ontologies. The overall aim of the module is to provide students with a robust understanding of how sociological theorists have interpreted fundamental social and cultural changes and enabled us to understand and scrutinise the modern world.
This module identifies and explores a range of empirical sites and critical theoretical perspectives in the study of education. It examines contemporary issues in education, in a cross disciplinary way, through different sociological, social policy and criminological lenses. In particular, the module considers the relationships between education, society, the state and the individual, and considers how forces like globalisation and marketization are impacting education. It pays close attention to educational (in)equalities relating to ‘race’ and ethnicity, social class, gender, sex and sexuality, dis/ability, and migration. Over the course of the module there is a focus on key debates and bodies of research in critical studies of education that can help us to better understand and respond to pressing educational issues.
Based on Esping-Andersen’s classic analysis of the ‘three worlds of welfare capitalism’, this module provides a framework for comparing welfare states, i.e. ‘the mixed economy of welfare’ in different ‘welfare regimes’: including the ‘liberal’ regime in America, the ‘conservative’ regime in Germany and the ‘social democratic’ regime in Sweden. It examines the ways in which these different regimes emerged historically, how they organise and deliver welfare, the social, political and economic priorities they embody, the outcomes they have for different social groups, including their role in the production of inequalities, and their prospects for the future.
This module will explore the sociology of sexualities, and focus on the debates and experiences surrounding the everyday lives of people who are not heterosexual, and how our construction of sexuality affects their life experiences.
Beginning with a consideration of the way that sociology has looked at sexuality as a social division, from labelling to queer theory, the module focuses on some key concepts such as heteronormativity and homophobia, and the way that ideas such as community, citizenship and social movements help us to understand sexualities. The history and development of the lesbian and gay movement and its campaigns for legal and social equality will give the opportunity to apply some of these concepts.
The second part of the module looks at a range of social policy issues and how people of minority sexualities experience their delivery and construction – for example, health and medicine, education, employment and marriage and personal relationships. Does heterosexism or homophobia continue to influence the experiences of same-sex couples or lesbians and gay men in the workplace?
Finally, the third section of the module looks at contemporary areas of debate and controversy – these may change dependent on social and political developments, but have included a study of the trans rights debate, and the position of ‘gender critical ‘ radical feminists and those campaigning for trans recognition and equality, and the existence of hate crimes and whether a queer criminology is needed to understand and tackle them.
This module will provide students with a critical introduction to sociological perspectives on violence. Different conceptual appreciations of violence will be presented and students will be expected to interrogate what is considered ‘violent’, the contexts in which violence occurs, who is assumed to engage in violence and who becomes a victim of it. Students will also be encouraged to consider where violence is said to occur the most, where it is obscured from view and how violence impacts upon society.
In year three, students will have the choice to study specialist subjects in-depth and develop their independent learning. Those who opt for a Dissertation are given freedom to pursue their interest in a topic of their choice, whilst those opting for our Applied social research or Social policy project module get a chance to combine work experience with academic knowledge. We have considerable experience in combining your research interests with the work needs and aims of local agencies.
Running across two semesters, the dissertation is a major part of the final year of study and completes their "apprenticeship" in social science. It allows students to revisit, consolidate and apply what they have learnt in the course of their degree studies by focusing in on an independent research project of their own choosing and which they must systematically complete and present as an original social science dissertation.
The module gives you the opportunity to engage in either an applied social research project or a distinct work project in collaboration with a local Voluntary Community Organisation (VCO).This is organised through the charity ‘Interchange’, based in the SLSJ.
This module offers an alternative approach to the traditional dissertation also offered to third year students and to the Interchange modules.
Students will be given the opportunity to work cross-faculty with engineering students on MECH327.
It will draw upon on the same skills and will test the same outcomes: subject knowledge in sociology, social policy, or criminology or interdisciplinarity as relevant to the chosen topic; desk top research skills; analytic skills and awareness of the limitations of knowledge; and presentation of findings.
Students will be guided through the research process by a supervisor who will have nominated a topic to investigate prior to each academic year (related to supervisors’ areas of specialism). This module will assist students who are unsure of a research topic themselves but wish to develop key transferable skills for employability purposes and provides the opportunity to work closely with an academic expert and fellow students working on similar topics.
The assessment is based on a portfolio comprising different elements. Students will be expected to evidence collaborative working in sharing resources, giving and receiving feedback, and critically reflecting on their delivery and/or preparations for delivery.
The module is an ‘alternative dissertation’ in that it requires group discussion, presentation of findings through a visual or other creative medium and will culminate in a portfolio of 8,000-10,000 words inclusive of appendices.
The module gives you the opportunity to engage in an in-depth investigation of benefiit to a local Voluntary Community Organsiation (VCO). This module may involve use of anonymised secondary data analysis, or literature review , or policy analysis, and does not involve the collection of new data. The enegagment with the VCO is organised through the charity Interchange, based in the SLSJ.
The aims of this module are to develop a broad range of sociological understandings of issues relevant to health, illness and the life course. This will involve critically examining new developments in theoretical and methodological approaches as well as a variety of empirical studies on the social and cultural aspects of health, illness and the lifecourse.
This module introduces students to key issues in contemporary feminist theory. Centering on the controversies and debates surrounding gender and identity the course examines the ways in which feminist theorists have developed, contested and expanded the concept of gender. To do so the module explores a wide range of contemporary issues on the body and power.
The overall aim of this module is to explore how particular ways of doing ethnography help us to analyse politics, policy, government and the state as social phenomena. Rather than provide a single ‘tool kit’, the lectures will highlight the diversity of ethnographic techniques and analytical practices that researchers actually employ. Based on this, and along with the small-scale exercise in observational resarch, the module provides ideas about how we might pursue politics and political actors through society for ourselves and in a variety of ways.
The course investigates the different ways in which gender is incorporated into national welfare states and the impact of national structures on the patterns and prevalence’s of gender inequalities. The course covers the theory and methodology of comparative studies and their applicability to the analysis of gender, especially how well existing typologies of welfare states fare when gender is the focus of analysis. A number of key patterns of inequality and policy areas will be studied and we will look at the political economy of neoliberalisation and austerity and its effect on gendered welfare state provision. By looking at these aspects of welfare states students will been encouraged to contrast approaches of different welfare systems and consider the particularism of national approaches.
This module focuses on social class. It takes ‘class’ as a conceptual term and unpacks its meaning, and material reality in society. Students are introduced to a range of classical and contemporary class theory, where they will critically consider historical debates in class-based analysis, and how these are connected to wider changes in political, economic, social, and cultural realms. Students will also analyse class manifestations in a range of sites such as, education, (social) media, sport and leisure, fashion, work, and, health.
This module seeks to enable students to develop a deeper critical understanding of societal issues concerning illegal drugs and crime, and to appraise how policy and practice have developed to try to alleviate them. Students will look at how issues of drug use, supply and associated criminal behaviour are socially constructed. Through these understandings, students will develop their own knowledge as to how policy responses to such ‘problems’ are interpreted and translated into practice. Students will be encouraged to consider how some people’s drug use is disproportionately framed as problematic, with reference to age, gender and class, as well as consider the spatial distribution of drug-related crime, violence, harm and links to wider social-structural processes. Due attention will be given to a range of criminological and multi-disciplinary perspectives in this module.
Culture, or the ‘symbolic environment’ in and through which individuals and groups make sense of their being, their actions, and the social and material world, shapes our understandings of crime and its control. Definitions and meanings of crime and transgression are constantly negotiated, and contested, in everyday life, global politics and media. In this module, students will engage with the interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approaches of cultural criminology. Students will explore how transgression and control are intertwined with various cultural phenomena and processes of meaning-making in order to develop an understanding of crime as a culturally mediated concept. Module topics include (virtual) subcultures, media representation in a multi-mediated age, consumerism, cultural and political resistance, green cultural criminology and feminist cultural criminology.
Photographyis becoming increasingly popular amongst the social sciences. Although somedisciplines like Anthropology and Geography have long made use of photographyas an integral part of the research process, others like Sociology andCriminology are relatively new to the method. In this module students willexamine how photography, particularly documentary photography, has been and canbe used to understand, analyse, illustrate and communicate the social world. Bylooking at work by both practitioners and scholars, as well as various theoriessurrounding the photograph, students will develop a visual literacy andmethodology to include within their research and practice repertoire.
This module aims to critically explore the concept of the ‘sex industry’ and will examine policy, policing of sex work, stigma, and the global sex worker rights movement.
This module examines the place of risk in the modern world. Students will be invited to explore the social impacts of various security risks and to examine the ways in which individuals produce, consume and manage risks in everyday life.
This module explores the phenomenon of corporate crime in historical and contemporary contexts. It does so by exploring the ways in which the law acts as a key source of the power to commit corporate crimes that victimise workers, consumers, communities and the eco-system. This course will explore the development of the corporation as a key institution in capitalist societies and the ways in which the law supports the corporation and can provide a structure of impunity for corporate crimes.
The module is underpinned by four core aims. First, to explore criminological and sociological conceptualisations of ‘youth’, ‘crime’ and ‘criminalisation’, and to engage with criminological theories of youth crime and youth justice. Second, to investigate cultural approaches to youth crime and violence, and the role of youth culture and subculture in understanding crime and transgression. Third, to analyse the control of, and responses to, youth crime by institutions and state agencies, and the management of youth crime and the regulation and governance of young people. Fourth, to look at the experiences of practitioners working in areas such as youth crime prevention, youth welfare, and the youth criminal justice system.
This module looks at how criminology has tried to understand the effects on crime and criminal justice of climate change and other processes of social change associated environmental insecurity. The module will provide a comprehensive introduction to, and look in detail at, crimes which harm the environment, and which can be committed, organized or coordinated across national borders, involving groups or networks of individuals working in or than one country. The module will also explore the global effort to prevent such crimes, together with the challenges of applying ordinary instruments of criminal justice to environmental matters. Here, specific examples will include: Illegal logging and deforestation, illegal undeclared and unregulated fishing or depletion of fish species which are endangered; illegal dumping of toxic waste, especially in the developing countries; Illegal Transboundary waste shipment; Toxic waste and pollution; Money laundering and transfer of the proceeds of environmental crimes; poaching and trade in wildlife species and wildlife parts, criminological environmental theories; UN Conventions, protocols and offices related to the environment, among other things.
This module looks at the impact of colonialism on patterns of migration to Britain in the post war period. It examines the changing nature of racism as an ideology by exploring and contextualising scientific and institutional forms of racisms. You will look at the conflictual relationship between the state and minority ethnic communities through an examination of various struggles including anti-immigration ones. The module will also seek to unpack constructions of ethnic and national identity in the context of post-colonial Britain
This module looks at the sociology of death and spirituality. In the first part of the module, rather than seeing death as simply a biological process, we unpack the various social processes and forces that influence how we see, understand, experience and cope with death. In the second part, we look at how groups and individuals engage with, imagine and construct relationships with spirits. From conversations with the dead in spiritualist churches, to faith healing, to Chinese spirit mediums and Hungry Ghosts, students will take a global perspective on the socio-spiritual world.
This module examines how ‘communities’ and members of the general public interact with and are ‘involved’ in crime control and criminal justice institutions. You will explore how the lay public are involved, who is involved and the effects of public involvement in different settings. The module is taught via lectures, seminars and independent study.
This module is based around a comprehensive introduction to social studies of architecture, and focuses on analysis of the architectural spaces of parliaments, prisons, and courts. Introducing sociological frameworks for understanding the relationship between states, architecture and power, the module addresses these three types of political architecture, including as they are put to practical use.
During your second year, you will study understanding crime, justice and punishment to provide you with a broader and deeper coverage of criminological perspectives and criminal justice controversies.
You can then choose 30 credits from the following options: punishment, penalty and prisons; policing; crime and social control; crime, deviance and culture; domestic and international drug policy; understanding non-profit organisations and social exclusion. If you wish to study a dissertation in year three, you can opt to take research methods modules in preparation.
By year three, you will be able to study from a range of areas that include: crimes of the powerful; community and public involvement in crime and criminal justice; the risk society; criminal victimisation; youth crime, youth justice and social control. In year three you may wish to study for your dissertation if you have completed the research methods modules. Alternatively, you can take the applied social research module and carry out a piece of research commissioned by a local agency. This offers both a great opportunity for you to study in the ‘real world’ as well as an experience that will appeal to prospective employers.
You will be taught through a combination of face-to-face teaching in group lectures and small class sessions, tutorials and seminars, which are supplemented by opportunities to get one-to-one guidance from academic staff during their weekly ‘open office’ hours. The rest of your study time will be spent undertaking directed independent study, making use of our excellent library and IT facilities.
You will also be supported throughout by an individual academic adviser. Learning is delivered in a variety of formats including lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, guided independent study, group work and reflective and experiential learning.
The primary purpose of lectures is to provide you with a broad introduction to key areas and debates on a given topic pitched at the appropriate level of study. The lectures aim to facilitate your reading and highlight issues to be explored during independent study time in preparation for seminars and assessment.
Seminars provide opportunities to explore particular issues and debates in greater detail in a way that supplements and builds upon the lectures. Seminars also allow for greater levels of student participation and such participation will be actively encouraged throughout the programme. Workshops frequently follow the format of seminars but they also may be used to develop particular skills in a teaching context. For example, workshops develop skills in data analysis and skills in interviewing.
Guided independent study may also feature in your learning experience. Group work is a feature of all seminar teaching and group work takes place both within and outside of formal scheduled classes.
Assessment takes many forms, each appropriate to the learning outcomes of the particular module studied. Most modules are assessed by means of a mixture of essays and examinations. Typically, a module in year two might involve a 4,000 word essay or a 2,500 word essay plus a one hour examination. Some modules are assessed wholly or in part by other appropriate means, such as the preparation of projects and individual or group presentations. The final degree class is based on year two and three marks, weighted in favour of year three marks.
We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.
Studying with us means you can tailor your degree to suit you. Here's what is available on this course.
Your course will be delivered by the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, in the School of Law and Social Justice Building. Students have access to state-of the-art facilities and are a short walk from the Sydney Jones Library. Based in the Knowledge Quarter, 10 minutes walk from the city-centre, students are surrounded by history and culture.
From arrival to alumni, we’re with you all the way:
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We will enable you to develop a range of social scientific, analytic and communication skills and a variety of transferable skills valued by many employers in a range of industries (eg media organisations, local government and charitable organisations, the criminal justice system and commercial and financial service sectors).
Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in:
Our recent graduates have found employment with the following:
The following work experience opportunities are available:
We also offer a series of specialist postgraduate programmes within Social Policy and Criminology, including:
79% of sociology, social policy and criminology students find their main activity after graduation meaningful.
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland) | |
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Full-time place, per year | £9,250 |
Year abroad fee | £1,385 |
International fees | |
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Full-time place, per year | £20,900 |
Year abroad fee | £10,450 |
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support. Learn more about tuition fees, funding and student finance.
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any course-related costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this course.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to help cover tuition fees and help with living expenses while at university.
Scholarships and bursaries you can apply for from the United Kingdom
The qualifications and exam results you'll need to apply for this course.
My qualifications are from: United Kingdom.
Your qualification | Requirements |
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A levels |
ABB You may automatically qualify for reduced entry requirements through our contextual offers scheme. |
T levels |
T levels considered in a relevant subject. Applicants should contact us by completing the enquiry form on our website to discuss specific requirements in the core components and the occupational specialism. |
GCSE | 4/C in English and 4/C in Mathematics |
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma |
DDD |
International Baccalaureate |
33 points with no score less than 4 |
Irish Leaving Certificate | H1,H2,H2,H2,H3,H3 |
Scottish Higher/Advanced Higher |
ABB in Advanced Highers, combinations of Advanced Highers and Scottish Highers are welcome |
Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced | Accepted at grade A with A levels BB or at grade B with A levels at grades AB |
Access | 45 Level 3 credits in graded units in a relevant Diploma, including 30 at Distinction and a further 15 with at least Merit. Relevant Diploma is Humanities/Social Sciences based. |
International qualifications |
Many countries have a different education system to that of the UK, meaning your qualifications may not meet our entry requirements. Completing your Foundation Certificate, such as that offered by the University of Liverpool International College, means you're guaranteed a place on your chosen course. |
Have a question about this course or studying with us? Our dedicated enquiries team can help.
Last updated 18 July 2023 / / Programme terms and conditions /