Victimology
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| SOCI3031 | Sociology and Social Policy | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- SOCI3031
- School
- Sociology and Social Policy
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module will chart the evolution of the social construction of the victim and presence in criminal justice policy by examining the historical, theoretical and research material in victimology. Topics may include:
• Theoretical underpinnings of ‘victimology’.
• The victim’s movement.
• Key issues and debates in the field of victimology.
• Various approaches to responding to victim needs by both governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Target Students
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Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 50% Group Presentation: 30 minutes.
- 50% Coursework: 2,000 words.
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
Victims have largely been absent from the vast majority of attention paid by criminologists to the crime problem. As such, this module seeks to balance the scales within criminology by considering the subfield ‘victimology’. Emerging in the early 20th century, the study has propelled the victim into a visible space which has resulted in the advancement of new theories about why some people become victims, how we can prevent victimisation and the role that victims should play in the adjudication of their cases. This module tracks the evolution of the victim in criminal justice and critically examines this from a number of varying vantage points.Learning Outcomes
Intellectual Skills
Students who successfully complete the module will be able to:
• Identify and discuss key issues in the history and development of victimology as an area of study.
• Recognise and explain the complexity and diversity of the ways in which victims and victimisation is defined, studied, experienced, explained and practiced.
• Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the role of the victim in the criminal justice system.
• Read, summarise and comment appropriately on scholarly writing on victimology.
Professional/Practical Skills
Students who successfully complete the module will be able to:
• Write clearly and concisely making effective use of the Harvard system of citation and referencing.
Transferable/Key Skills
Students who successfully complete the module will be able to demonstrate the following transferable/key skills:
• Written and verbal communication; self-management in relation to one’s own learning; problem-solving; critical thinking; basic literacy in the use of information technology for the purposes of scholarship.
Conveners
- Dr Lauren Bradford