The Applied Criminology with Interpersonal Violence degree course aims to help you develop a solid foundation in core criminological theories as well as specialist knowledge of interpersonal violence. You will be provided with many opportunities to apply these theories to current crime and social problems. We also offer you opportunities to study related subjects such as Law, Criminal Psychology and Policing.
The course has been designed using the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) benchmarks for criminology degree courses, ensuring that your course provides you opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills valued by criminal justice and related employers. All your modules are core in order to enable you to develop the basic criminological knowledge you need alongside specialist modules focusing on interpersonal violence in years 2 and 3.
The Level 4 (first academic year) is divided into two semesters. In each semester you will study three modules, as shown below:
Semester 1
- Crime: Representations and Realities
- Crimes, Punishments and Societies
- Introducing Crime, Offences and Justice
Semester 2
- Transnational Crime and Global Markets
- Crime: Narratives and Explanations
- Introducing Psychology and Crime
Supporting students is at the heart of everything we do in the criminology course at CCCU. Please be assured that you will be fully supported to make sure that your transition to higher education is as smooth as possible and then throughout your studies. You will find the criminology staff friendly and readily available to support you.
You will also be allocated a personal tutor to provide you with academic and personal support and they will signpost you to other relevant departments for any additional help you may need.
Activities during Welcome Week will help to get you organised and settled in and these continue throughout the year. The key to enjoying and getting the most from university and the Applied Criminology course is to be fully engaged with what is on offer right from the start.
There's lots you can do to prepare for your studies in criminology. We recommend that you start regularly reading about crime issues in newspapers and online with a critical viewpoint. Look at a selection of newspapers, especially broadsheets, and see how the same event has been reported in different publications. Ask yourself how the news media affect our views and opinions about crime. Also think about the types of crime that are not mentioned much in the news.
There are lots of government and charity websites that have information about crime and criminal justice. Look at the Ministry of Justice and Home Office websites to learn about government policies in relation to crime. You can also find up-to-date crime statistics there and the latest figures on the prison population. Check out the websites of reputable charitable organisations, such as the Howard League for Penal Reform, the Prison Reform Trust, INQUEST, Victim Support and the Restorative Justice Council.
Think about key questions such as:
- What is crime? Is this a useful concept or do we need to think more broadly in terms of harm rather than just the law?
- Do prisons work? Often this is a difficult question to answer as there are many things we ask prisons to do. What do you think these different things are and which are most important?
- Why do people commit crime? Is this due to individual reasons or our their social forces at play as well?
- How do we know how much crime is being committed? What difficulties might there be in measuring this?
These are all areas we will be unpicking further with you during your studies - so it's good to start thinking about them before you come.
Your welcome and induction will be w/c 16th September 2024 - we look forward to meeting you then.
Community
On the social side, the Student Union (CCSU) has a huge range of clubs and societies – all of which have unique social calendars of their own and offer endless opportunities to make lifelong friends and discover new hobbies. And you can always create your own society and cultivate your own community!
CCSU will be hosting their Welcome Fayre on Wednesday 18th September 2024. Make sure you keep checking the CCSU website for further details and how to get involved.
We understand that you may be nervous about your first few weeks on campus but rest assured - you'll be joining a nurturing and supportive environment where diversity, equality and individuality are part of everything we do.
You can find out more about our welcoming community and making friends
If you are an International Student joining us then please see our International Student Support pages for further information and guidance.