1. Deliver a 12-minute paired e-poster presentation that showcases how students propose to ‘research’ a particular sociological/criminological topic encountered on the module.

Presentation should include: a concise outline of the concept, a succinct review of literature on the topic and the various research methods used to study the topic to date, identification of gaps in knowledge and what research methods the pair propose to use to study the topic, indicating merits and limitations of their research method and how their investigation would meet ethical guidelines (weighted 70%)

2. Revisit career platforms and search engines to research a career that student thinks they might like to pursue when they graduate and produce a 500-word outline of a 3-year steps to reach career plan that illustrates what steps will be undertaken to realise student’s chosen career aspirations (weighted at 30%)

Close examination of studies about different aspects of society, crime and deviant behaviour will allow students to learn key features of designing a research project and develop skills in research practice.

The first half of the module introduces students to a series of sociological/criminological studies that have explored the following issues: 1) abusing positions of power within prisons and marginalised groups, 2) substance misuse and studies of deviant others, 3) structural inequalities; race relations and education, 4) gang culture, 5) mental health asylums, 6) chore wars – unequal divisions of labour and gender relations, 7) family relationships, divorce and death. For each of these weeks, students will undertake carefully designed problem based solving tasks to identify the following information about each of the key studies: what the researcher studied (concept), why they studied this particular topic (e.g. debates/concerns), how they studied it (e.g. research methods), and merits and limitations with these studies. Completion of these tasks will equip students with an understanding of the key processes involved in project design.

The second half of the module, equips students with the skills to search for and develop a contemporary review of literature and gaps in knowledge on one of the seven topics covered in the first half of the module. Students will receive tuition in how to develop a small-scale research project, including, developing a research question, aims, objectives and justify why they propose to use a particular research method to investigate their chosen topic. Students will be supported to recognise potential ethical issues that could arise through their study of a chosen topic and will be supported to think through solutions that could be employed to minimise and manage such ethical problems. Students will be taught how to design a poster on PowerPoint, introduced to technology for audio-recording their paired poster-presentation, how to embed audio on their poster and saving the e-poster as an MP4 file. Finally, students will undertake the second task that continues to actively support them in planning how they will reach their career aspirations following graduation.

The 14% scheduled activities, 86% independent guided study:

14% scheduled activities comprise:

The first half of the module will include 7 two-hour problem-based leminars:

For seven weeks, the module will focus on groups of sociological/criminological studies that surround the study of society, crime and deviance. Each week, students will undertake carefully designed problem based solving tasks that support them to identify the following information about each of the key studies: 1) what the researcher studied (definitions and conceptualisation of the topic), 2) why the author studied this particular topic (appreciating the circumstances, debates and societal concerns present in this era which shaped how the topic was studied), 3) how the author justified their choice of particular research methods to study this topic, how they operationalised the concept – including measures to study particular issues, and an ability to recognise merits and limitations of these particular studies. Finally, students will also be invited to ask critical questions about the potential ethical, moral and political considerations of engaging in such studies.

The second half of the module will include 6 two-hour workshops where students will be given a series of manageable study tasks each week that allow them to acquire the necessary skills and processes involved in research project design.

By week 8, students will have organised themselves into pairs and will have decided which of the seven topics encountered earlier in the module, they wish to base their hypothetical study on.

Students will use digital technologies such as the VLE discussion forum to unpack their project ideas and receive peer feedback on their ideas to strengthen them. Students will also be encouraged to record information in a personal e-journal so they can record their weekly project reflections and chart their research project progress during class. Students can revisit these journals when they are working on their coursework.

A series of pre-recorded weekly e-podcast materials that cover core processes in designing a research project will be made available for students to listen to, before the timetabled face-to-face workshops.

Students will be directed to listen to each of these podcasts before coming to the workshop.
Pre-recorded e-podcast materials will cover the following content:

a) the skills to search and develop a contemporary review of literature

b) pre-recorded ‘demonstration’ by our subject librarian showcasing how to use the library catalogue and online databases (e-journals, lexis-nexis)

c) how to create and record summaries of key information from reviewed literature including recording reference details

d) how to begin identifying gaps in literature/knowledge

e) how to design a small-scale, feasible research project (the importance of designing research questions, aims, objectives that will hypothetically generate data that will answer their research question and begin to address gaps in current knowledge on their topic)

f) choosing a particular research method because of the kinds of knowledge/data it should generate and in turn should answer the research question

g) the connection between choosing a particular research method and anticipating the kinds of knowledge/data it will generate and how this should answer the research question

h) anticipating ethical issues and moral dilemmas they might hypothetically encounter in the study of their topics and how they can minimise and manage such ethical problems

i) designing a poster using PowerPoint, technology students could use to audio record their paired presentation, how to embed audio on their poster and saving the e-poster as an MP4 file
The 6 weekly face-to-face workshops will give students the opportunity to practice their research skills and consolidate the e-tuition they received in the pre-recorded podcasts.

Face-to-face workshops will include:

i) students undertaking practical exercises such as developing search terms and phrases to help identify relevant literature on their topic, using the library catalogue and databases to search for relevant contemporary literature, recording summaries and notes from the literature they are reviewing, compiling a bibliography of the reviewed literature

ii) guided library tours within the main collection of the Thompson library, so students can find suitable books in the main collection.

iii) Designing project research questions, aims, objectives, deciding on a research method to research their chosen topic, anticipating the kind of knowledge/data that this research method would generate and how it could answer the proposed research question

iv) Students will consider the potential ethical issues and moral dilemmas that could arise in their proposed studies and to come up with solutions that would aim to minimise and manage such ethical problems

v) Students will begin drafting their poster Presentation on a PowerPoint Slide with consultation from the module tutor. They will also have the opportunity to practice recording a 3 minute speech, encouraged to evaluate their personal performance and presentation style, think carefully about interference and distortion, they will also practice saving this recording onto the PowerPoint slide so it can be played back for assessment purposes.

vi) The penultimate workshop will be co-led by an employability consultant and the module leader. Students will be supported to revisit careers websites and platforms to continue their thinking about the careers they might like to pursue when they graduate. The employability consultant and module leader will also introduce students to ways the students can actively plan and steps they can take to realise their chosen career pathways following graduation.

vii) One-to-one consultation opportunities regarding the assessment
During the 86% independent-guided study students are given some specific tasks to complete which include:

Students will become effective at independent learning through the completion of small preparatory tasks before the workshop and completing weekly readings relevant to the study and research process.
Individual tutorial support will be provided on request and students will be encouraged to seek individual tutorial guidance if required.

Students will be given both informal feedback about their progress during the problem based leminars and workshops and written feedback on their coursework
In preparation for each formal taught session, students will be invited to do required readings, relevant to each week’s topic. Doing these readings will give students a deeper understanding of research design, research practice, analysing data, presenting information in report.

Key information set
86% guided independent learning activities comprising:
Preparation for scheduled sessions
Independent research
Guided reading and secondary research
Completion and submission of assessment tasks

Bryman, A., (2012). Social Research Methods. Fourth edition. Oxford. Oxford University press
May, T., (2011). Social Research, Issues, Methods and Process. Fourth Edition. Buckingham. Open University Press

Corbetta, P., (2003). Social Research. Theory, Methods and Technique. Translated from the Italian – B Patrick. London. Sage

Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., McNaughton Nicholls, C., and Ormston, R., (2014). Qualitative Research Practice, A guide for Social Science Students and Researchers. London. Sage

Mason, J., (2002). Qualitative Researching. Second Edition. London. Sage.

Field, A., (2009). Discovering Statistics using SPSS: and sex, and drugs and rock n roll. Third Edition. London. Sage

Bell, J. (2010) Doing Your Research Project. Open University

Denscombe, M. (2010) The Good Research Guide. Maidenhead: Open University Gilbert, N. (2008)

Researching Social Life. Second edition London: Sage.

Hammersley, M. (2011) Methodology: who needs it? Sage

Oakley A., The Sociology of Housework. Martin Robertson

Finch, J., and Mason, J., Negotiating Family Relationships.

Finch, J., and Mason, J., Passing on: Kinship and Inheritance

Smart, C., (1984). The Ties that Bind

Rex, J., Tomlinson, S., Hearnden, D., and Ratcliffe, P., (1977) Housing Employment Education and Race Relations in Birmingham: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 16 (1-2)

Willis, P., (1977) Learning to Labour, How Working Class Kids get Working Class Jobs.

Hall, S., Critcher, C., Jefferson, T., Clarke, J., and Roberts, B., (1978 ). Policing the Crisis, Mugging the State, and Law and Order. MacMillan

Qurashi, F., (2018). ‘The Prevent Strategy and the UK ‘War on Terror’: embedding infrastructures of surveillance in Muslim Communities’: Palgrave Communications. 4 (17)

Becker, H.S., (1991) Outsiders, Studies in The Sociology of Deviance. The Free Press

Foote Whyte, W., (1955). Street Corner Society, The Social Structure of an Italian Slum. Chicago. The University of Chicago Press

Haney, C., Banks, C., and Zimbardo, P., (1973). A study of Prisoners and Guards in a Simulated Prison. Stanford University. Naval Research Reviews.

Rosenhan, D.L., (1973) ‘Being Sane in Insane Places’: Science. 179

Coomber, R., (2002). ‘Signing your Life Away?’: Why Research Ethics Committees shouldn’t always require written confirmation that participants in research have been informed of the aims of a study and their rights – the case of criminal populations’: Sociological Research Online. 7 (1)

Seddon, T., (2007). ‘Coerced Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System’: Conceptual, Ethical and Criminological Issues. 7 (3)

Johnston, H., Godfrey, B.S., and Turner, J., (2017). “I am afraid she is perfectly responsible for her actions and is simply wicked”: Reconstructing the Criminal Career of Julia Hyland’ in Nash, DS., and Kilday, AM., (eds). Law, Crime and Deviance since 1700: Micro Studies in the History of Crime. London. Bloomsbury. P209-225

Johnston, H., and Turner, J., (2017). ‘Disability and the Victorian Prison: Experiencing Penal Servitude’: Prison Service Journal. 232 P11-16

A flat lecture/workshop computer lab/room flexible enough for paired and small group work and a computer and projector for module leader PowerPoint presentations
The VLE learning environment will be available and fully resourced to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.

1. Use the library catalogue to search for books and journal articles in order to research a topic in sociology or criminology
[enquiry]

2. Review contemporary literature on one of the issues encountered on the module and identify gaps in knowledge and show how your proposed area of study would contribute to gaps in knowledge [understanding, application]

3. Demonstrate that students have acquired understanding of the steps needed to design a small-scale, feasible research project
[knowledge, problem solving]

4.Design, and deliver a e-poster presentation (embedded with audio) that demonstrates how student proposes to study a specific sociological/criminological topic encountered on the module [enquiry/analysis/communication]

5. Revisit career platforms and search engines to research a career that student thinks they might like to pursue when they graduate and outline a 3-year plan that illustrates what steps will be undertaken to realise student’s chosen career aspirations
[enquiry, application]

Students will be introduced to the key schools of social theorising in order to understand how society coheres, what makes society more than a random number of individuals – thinking how society forms individuals rather than vice-versa.