Program Description
About the course
Crime and how to deal with it are amongst the most significant and contentious issues of our time, so it is vital that we understand this subject. Criminology is the study of crime, its causes and effects, and what we do about it. At Liverpool Hope University, you will study how crime is defined and who defines it, why some people commit offences, and what happens to those who commit crimes if they are caught.Criminology also studies the impact of the various agencies and organisations that deal with crime: the police, the courts, the probation and prison services, as well as the role of the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office. Studying Criminology enables you to focus on questions such as ‘is criminal behaviour learned or inherited?’ and ‘why are some actions defined as criminal and not others?’; ‘what is the purpose of punishment and to what extent does it deter criminal behaviour?’Criminology is a well-established degree at Liverpool Hope and is taught by staff with considerable experience at national and international level. Several key criminological textbooks are written by members of the School. The Criminology team is enthusiastic and dedicated and will help you to get the most out of your degree. Criminology is heavily focused on justice - how it is delivered, to whom, by whom and whether or not it is effective. This reflects Liverpool Hope’s commitment to social justice both nationally and internationally.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. Lectures will map the discipline of Criminology, providing you with a general framework. Seminar activities and discussions help to develop basic understandings of the background and historical development of criminal justice and social policy. Tutorials in groups of around 10 help you to develop skills of analysis of how the justice system works. You will also have the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week. If you are studying Criminology as a Single Honours degree, in your first year there will be approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 teaching hours in your second and third years. If you are studying Criminology as a Combined Honours degree, in your first year there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years.On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend a number of hours studying independently each week, as well as group study to prepare for any group assessments you may have.
