Criminology and Politics (with Professional Placement Year)

Acquire specialised subject knowledge while developing the practical skills needed to tackle contemporary challenges, issues and debates.

• Explore theoretical and applied approaches to criminology and politics.

• Learn how to effectively challenge assumptions and interrogate evidence.

• Examine crime, justice and punishment at local, national and transnational levels of society.

This combined Criminology and Politics degree encourages you to look beyond the boundaries between different disciplines. You'll challenge assumptions, question how decisions are made, and investigate the causes, motivations and consequences of crime.

Why study Criminology and Politics?

Politics influences every aspect of our lives, from major challenges like poverty, climate change and wealth inequality, to the nature of state education and the role of technology in our consumption of news.

Criminology explores the causes, motivations and patterns of crime. You'll study crime from a variety of approaches, gain practical experience, and develop transferable skills that you can take into a range of sectors. You'll explore different responses to crime and learn how criminology informs policies and practices in policing, law, criminal justice and punishment.

You'll also develop key transferable skills such as how to plan a project, measure and evaluate outcomes, and communicate effectively with different audiences for different purposes.

More about the Professional Placement Year

A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

In year one, you'll follow a broad curriculum which allows you to ask questions, challenge your own assumptions, interrogate evidence, data and opinions. You’ll be introduced to key concepts, theories and issues, and learn about research traditions. You’ll investigate different types of crime and criminal justice agencies and institutions.

The second year builds on the first, combining academic study with the acquisition of practical, professional skills. You'll begin applying your knowledge and understanding to specific problems, debates and ideas, and you can choose from several optional modules to create a programme tailored to your personal interests. You'll explore the history and development of policing, crime control and prevention, as well as differing perspectives and theories within criminology and politics.

As part of your third year, you'll focus on one final project that consolidates everything you've learned so far. This might be an extended piece of academic writing, but it could also be a pitch to a local employer, a funding application for a community project, or the creation of digital resources for an external partner.

Alongside your final project, you'll choose additional modules that may explore topics such as identity, inequality, terrorism, world politics, punishment and victimisation. You’ll have the chance to take an optional module that involves working with prison learners through a partnership with HMP Erlestoke, or undertake a voluntary placement in an organisation relevant to the criminal justice sector. You’ll also have the chance to write for publication in an international affairs NGO magazine.

You’ll undertake a wide range of authentic assessments, which means your work will be relevant and applied to real-world issues and contexts. We use a wide variety of assessment methods, including essays, presentations, group projects, individual projects, practical tasks, portfolios, surveys, crime scene investigation reports, reflective writing and briefing papers. You’ll also learn to communicate key messages visually, as well as in words.