Students will learn different sociological perspectives on the relationship between crime and the media. This will include how the media reports crime, what types of crime are mostly reported, sensationalism, moral panics, deviancy amplification and fear of crime. This will also look at the interactionist perspective of how the media impacts who is most likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. This will be assessed by a 1500 word written task. This will provide students with Learning Outcome 1.

Students will learn a range of crime prevention policies, including situational crime prevention, zero tolerance, broken windows thesis and community policing. They will also look at restitutive justice versus rehabilitative justice, and sociological explanations for the causes of crime from left and right realist perspectives. Within this they will learn about different forms of punishment around the world and historically. They will be assessed by means of a presentation, that students will plan and present individually. This will encompass Learning Outcomes 2 and 3.

This module will comprise of the following:

Contact hours:

24 teaching weeks = 72 hours
Lectures – 24 x 1.5
Seminars – 24 x 1.5

Independent study hours: 128 comprised of:

Reading to support lectures.
Preparation for presentation.
Planning and writing written assignment.
Consolidating knowledge and revising for assessment.
Activities/discussions on Blackboard

200 hours total

1. Be able to show knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the media and crime.

1. Knowledge and understanding
2. Learning
4. Analysis
6. Communication
7. Application

2. Be able to learn and evaluate a range of different crime prevention policies, and communicate their effectiveness according to a range of different sociological perspectives, such as right and left realists.

2. Learning
3. Enquiry
4. Analysis
5. Problem Solving
6. Communication

3. Be able to analyse a range of different types of penal punishments. Show knowledge and understanding of a range of historical and global differences in forms of punishment, and sociological perspectives on their effectiveness.

1. Knowledge and understanding
2. Learning
4. Analysis
6. Communication
7. Application

Google Chromebooks

Holborn, M. (2015): Contemporary Sociology; Polity Press

Giddens, A. and Sutton, P. W. (2017): Sociology: 8th Edition; Polity Press

Webb, R. Trobe, K. Westergaard, H. Townsend, A (2016): AQA A Level Sociology: Book 2 Paperback; Napier Press

Jewkes, Y. (2015): Media and Crime (Key Approaches to Criminology) Paperback, Sage Publications Ltd.