Course summary

Criminology at Birmingham Newman University explores crime and the criminal justice system from a critical perspective. You will quickly become a valued part of a diverse learning community seeking to understand the full range of crimes and social harms that affect us all in society. We will debate questions such as: Is crime the product of social factors or individual psychology? Is the law enforced equally on all sections of the community? What is the purpose of punishment and prisons? How can we best respond to youth violence? Our interactive classroom sessions are complemented by field trips to courts and prisons and talks by guest speakers such as ex-prisoners, Police and prison staff, magistrates, campaigners and internationally renowned academics. Why study Criminology? You might find that the teaching and learning on the Criminology programme at the University is not what you expect. Especially in this day and age, you can quickly access information via the internet in seconds, so for us, studying criminology at Birmingham Newman University is about you becoming critical criminological thinkers. Some facts that were ‘known’ about crime and criminal justice 100 years ago are now discredited. Sometimes you will know more than we do, and we will acknowledge this and let you educate us. This means you will be able to challenge us as lecturers, and each other, and even change what we are learning. Rather than listening to someone at the front of a classroom giving you information, we strive to create dialogical and democratic spaces in which we can all discuss the most pertinent and contemporary topics related to crime and the criminal justice system. This will hopefully inspire you to go and find out more. We also operate a small tutor group system designed to offer you more individual support with any personal issues and develop your study skills. You will have opportunities to get directly involved in real world scenarios throughout the course too; for example, by working with community groups and campaigners seeking justice for people who have died in custody or with our innovative youth and community work project – ReachOut – working with local young people around issues of community safety, social media and access to Higher Education. You will be taught by a team of experienced lecturers who all have not only written and published research in criminal justice but have worked professionally in the field too.