Criminology and Criminal Justice
Course Director:
Professor Ronnie Lippens
Contact:
Christine Pointon
Position:
PGT Administrator
Address:
School of Sociology and Criminology
Keele University
Keele ST5 5BG
Telephone:
01782 733980
Fax:
01782 733957
Email:
sociologyandcriminology.masters@keele.ac.uk
Website:
www.keele.ac.uk/socrim
Entry Requirements
Applicants should have an honours degree at 2:2 class or
higher (or international equivalent) in one of the humanities
or social sciences subjects (e.g. law, criminal justice,
criminology, sociology, history, political science). However,
applicants with other qualifications and appropriate
experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Students for whom English is a second language will need
English language proficiency of at least 6.5 in IELTS test
scores (or equivalent).
Tuition Breaks, Grants and Bursaries
All American and Canadian students will be eligible for a 10%
bursary towards the overseas rate of tuition for the course.
In addition, all students graduating from one of our 30 North
American partners will be eligiblefor a further 15% bursary.
Finally, if a previous exchange student from one of the partner
universities decides to come back to Keele for graduate study,
they will be eligible for a 50% bursary. Further information can
be found here:
www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesfornastudents/
All students are eligible for an ERASMUS grant for the
period spent at an EU partner institution. For further
information on Erasmus grants and tuition breaks, please
contact International Recruitment and Development at Keele
University (international@keele.ac.uk)
Introduction
This course is designed for all those who want to acquire a
thorough understanding of the more recent and often complex
trends and developments in crime, criminal justice, and
governance more broadly. Combining theoretical reflection
and practical application, the course aims to provide you
with an opportunity to specialize in the latest developments
in criminology, criminal justice and governance studies.
School of Sociology and Criminology
MA, PG Diploma, PG Certificate
Full-time, Part-time
The programme welcomes recent graduates (whether UK
based or international students), mature students, and
professionals in one of the relevant fields (e.g. police officers,
prison officers, probation officers, social workers, lawyers,
magistrates).
The programme is block taught. You will be required to attend
four 3-day blocks of intensive teaching and discussion that
normally run between September and May. This format
allows students to combine their studies with either parttime or full-time professional activities should they wish to
do so. A significant effort will be made in the programme to
tailor teaching contents both to your individual educational
and professional background and to your intellectual or
professional interests. The programme has a teaching format
which will provide you with many opportunities to discuss
your own intellectual interests or professional experience.
The programme includes an additional half day dissertation
workshop where you will be able to prepare for your
dissertation research.
The programme is taught by staff from the School of
Sociology and Criminology who all have considerable
expertise (both research and teaching) in the fields of
criminology, criminal justice, and governance studies.
Aims of the Course
The Criminology and Criminal Justice programme aims to
deepen your understanding of recent trends in crime, criminal
justice, and governance by enabling you to explore advanced
topics and contemporary developments in criminology and
criminal justice studies in depth.
Course Structure and Content
Details correct at time of printing
The MA Criminology and Criminal Justice programme
includes four 30 credits module blocks and one 60 credits
dissertation of 15-20,000 words. All module blocks include at
least 12 teaching sessions. The taught programme includes,
in chronological order:
1. Contemporary Criminology: Theory and Practice
(Autumn Semester)
2. Researching Crime and Criminal Justice
(Autumn Semester)
3. Contemporary Challenges in Criminal Justice
(Spring Semester)
4. Advanced Topics in Criminology and Criminal Justice
(Spring Semester). Alternatively, Ethical Issues in Criminal
Justice (Spring Semester) dependent upon student
numbers and resources permitting.
Students are allowed to study part-time, i.e. all taught module
blocks in one year (or more), and the dissertation in the final
year, or full-time, i.e. all taught module blocks and dissertation
in one year only. If you complete all taught module blocks
but do not wish to write a dissertation you will be awarded a
Postgraduate Diploma. The successful completion of the first
two module blocks leads to a Postgraduate Certificate.
Assessment
Each of the taught modules is assessed by written,
summative coursework assignments of up to 5,000 words
(essay, case-study, research proposal and empirical research
report). If you successfully complete all taught modules,
you may apply to progress to the MA stage which involves
researching and writing a dissertation of 15-20,000 words.
There are no exams.
Block 2: Researching Crime and Criminal Justice
This module block includes sessions on topics such as (e.g.):
research strategies; databases and datasets in criminology
and criminal justice; oral history and documentary analysis
in criminal justice studies; quantitative data analysis lab;
qualitative methods and ethnographic research; research
in cultural and critical criminology; feminist research in
criminology and criminal justice; researching fear of crime;
researching courts and prisons; researching immigration and
crime; ethics in criminological research.
Block 3: Contemporary Challenges in Criminal Justice
This module block will introduce you to a number of
contemporary issues and developments in criminal justice and
governance. The module includes sessions on issues such as
(e.g.):
risk society, surveillance, and actuarial justice; plural
policing and nodal governance; the precautionary principle;
technology and criminal justice; fines and fixed penalties;
criminal injustice and miscarriages of justice; the expanding
prison complex; prison life and prison work; community and
criminal justice; policing the state of exception; transitional
justice and reconciliation.
Block 4: Advanced Topics in Criminology and Criminal
Justice (or, alternatively, Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice)
This module block consists of sessions on topics proposed by
students themselves, as well as sessions based on individual
staff members’ and dissertation supervisors’ expertise.
Course Module Blocks
Block 1: Contemporary Criminology: Theory and Practice
This module block will introduce you to criminological theories
and perspectives. However, in contrast to many if not
most theoretical modules in criminology, this module block
explicates theories or perspectives in criminology by applying
them to particular issues and problems. This module block will
thus include sessions on topics such as (e.g.):
biopolitics and crime control; crime and the governance of
space; crime and consumer society; the phenomenology of
‘edgework’; complexity theory, terrorism and organized crime;
cultural and critical criminology; post-structuralist theories of
crime and criminal justice; crime and the popular imagination;
the local and the global dimension of crime and criminal
justice; the political economy of crime and crime control in the
21st century.
Application Procedure
Details of application procedures are given on
the postgraduate website at www.keele.ac.uk/
postgraduate. If you are unable to access this
then an application form and the Postgraduate
Prospectus can be requested via email:
Home/EU: home-euadmissions@keele.ac.uk
International: international@keele.ac.uk
The list of subjects may vary from year to year depending on
e.g. staff availability. It is however anticipated that the majority
of sessions and/or topics will recur year after year.
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