This module is designed to develop discipline-specific abilities and encourage a competent and professional use of criminological theories and concepts. The module aims to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in a range of contemporary criminological theories and key concepts that have been developed and are continuously developing in relation to crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance.

The module will examine:
- Cultural Criminology
- Deviant Leisure
- Ultra Realism
- Crimes of the Powerful
- Sports Criminology
- Sensory Criminology
- Green Criminology
- Border Criminology
- Southern Criminology
- Public Criminology
- Historical Criminology

Your assessment consists of two parts.

The first part of the assessment entails a verbal presentation to your module leader on two contemporary theoretical positions covered in the module with a focus on their strengths and weaknesses. The second part of the assessment requires you to produce a written report about the harm(s) that one form of crime or harm has on victims, perpetrators and society while applying one of the theories to explain the offending/harmful behaviour.

Scheduled learning and teaching sessions will include lectures, workshop activities, discussions, groupwork, and drop-in support sessions prior to assessments. Formative work and case examples will assist students to complete assessments. In addition to traditional classroom-based teaching, the module supports learning through the use of innovative and interactive IT based solutions such as Padlet and other interactive learning solutions.

In classes, you will have the opportunity to practice presenting on different topics on the module, including theories, cases and harmful behaviours, as part of groups and individually in tutorials and receive feedback to inform your summative submission preparation. You will also be able to submit an extract of your written report for feedback ahead of the deadline.

1. Assess, compare and contrast contemporary theoretical positions while demonstrating familiarity with their strengths and limitations.

Knowledge & Understanding

2. Apply complex Criminological theory to real world instances of crime/social harm.

Application & Problem Solving

3. Communicate effectively about new directions in contemporary criminological theory to academic audiences.

Knowledge & Understanding; Communication

4. Integrate insights from interdisciplinary perspectives to critically analyse contemporary criminological theories.

Critical reasoning & Collaboration

Burke, R. H. (2021) Contemporary Criminological theory : Crime and Criminal Behaviour in the Age of Moral Uncertainty. 1st edn. Routledge.

Carrabine, E. et al. (2020) Criminology : A Sociological Introduction. Taylor & Francis Group.

Kotzé, J. & Lloyd, A. (2022) Making Sense of Ultra-Realism: Contemporary Criminological Theory Through the Lens of Popular Culture. 1st edn. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Liebling, A., Maruna, S. & McAra, L. (2023) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. 7th edn. Oxford University Press.

Lynes, A., Treadwell, J. & Bavin, K. (2024) Crimes of the Powerful and the Contemporary Condition: The Democratic Republic of Capitalism. 1st edn. Bristol University Press.

Are you ready to immerse yourself in contemporary criminological theories? The module will allow you to engage with the work of a number of cutting-edge theorists while exploring diverse topics such as environmental crimes and harms, crimes of the powerful, leisure and consumerism. Are you shopping for leisure? Watch out - we are after you!