BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CRIMINOLOGY  

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in the Knightsbridge University BA Programme in Criminology. The programme is designed to be completed within twenty-two months by a student devoting ten to twelve hours a week, working by distance learning.  

The Course currently consists of four modules, each divided into two sub-sections, A and B, and a Dissertation topic. The modules and a selection of topic headings currently are: 

A. THE ORIGINS OF CRIMINOLOGY

How does criminology relate to its subject: Delinquency? What is "the New Criminology Wave"? What is Theoretical Criminology? The "typical" and the "less typical" types of crime. 

B. SOCIOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGY

Sociological definitions of Crime and Delinquency. Delinquency and deviation. The main social dimension of crime and deviance. Crime and "social decay". Is crime a manifestation of structural problems in society? Causes of deviance. Sociological presuppositions for female crime and "female criminal justice". 

C. THEORIES OF CRIME

Crime and fear. The opportunity to commit crime and rising crime rates: "Economic Crime". Crime as part of the "normal" behaviour. Is there a correlation between the "type" of society and the dominant "type"; of crime? The "attraction" of crime: Excitement, satisfaction and temptation. How can society influence crime by providing legitimate satisfactions? 

D. PENOLOGY

What punishments should be applied - and why? The capability of punishment to reduce crime. Problems with the death penalty and with war crime. Punishment and the business community; punishment and the powerful in society. The specific features of imprisonment as punishment. Are there alternative and less punitive forms of social control? 

E. A DISSERTATION TOPIC

A dissertation of appr. 10,000 words on a topic to be agreed between student and supervisor. 

Aims and objectives

The principal aim of the Course is to expose the student to a wide introduction to the major areas and issues in the field. Training at Bachelor's level in Criminology is applicable to employment in a wide range of areas, such as law enforcement, correctional services, welfare services, public and private administration, youth services, community organisations, sociology and education. The Course does not aim to make the student an expert in any of the fields studied, rather to develop a full and coherent understanding of the field as a whole.

Methods of delivery

The delivery of the teaching for the Course is by distance learning. The material is designed to give you maximum flexibility as to the pace of learning. Course materials consist of topic lists, , text books, background reading, progress assessment tests, minor and major assignments.

Entry requirements

There are no predetermined entry requirements at Bachelor's level.

Candidates will normally be expected to have attained the age of twenty-four years, and all candidates will be expected to show a proficiency in the English language.

Each application will be considered on its own merits, however, and admission to a Course and all interpretations as to the eligibility for such admission remains at the discretion of the University.

Supervision and cohorts

The University is aware of the need to provide first rate supervision to students, given the fact that they are working in a distance learning mode. Each cohort of students will be allocated a Supervisor who is either an experienced academic or proven practitioner in the field. He or she will be the student's guide through the Course.

Aware of the fact that distance learning can be a difficult and isolating experience, it is proposed that each cohort of students should receive a list of its peers. These will be people who are undergoing the same stresses and strains. They will be facing the same problems and the same assignment difficulties at a similar time. It is the University's hope that students will wish to join with others to share their experience in a fellow feeling of a community. Unless an individual student wishes to maintain anonymity, each cohort of students will be given a list of their peers, in the hope that the overall standard of their work, their performance on the Course and, above all, their experience as a student is enhanced.

MASTER OF ARTS IN CRIMINOLOGY  

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in the Knightsbridge University MA Programme in Criminology. The programme is designed to be completed within twenty-two months by a student devoting ten to twelve hours a week, working by distance learning.  

The Course currently consists of four modules, each divided into three sub-sections, A, B, and C and a Dissertation topic. The modules and a selection of topic headings currently are: 

A. CRIMINOLOGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

What are human rights? Human rights and liberty. The political nature of human rights. Human rights and the principle of reciprocity. The hard-to-digest contexts. The "waivability" of human rights. Paying with life. The notion of competence and human rights. Imprisonment, legitimacy and human rights. 

B. CRIMINOLOGY AND SOCIAL CONTROL

The notion of socialisation and the need for social control. Deviance and deviation. The socialist state and its conceptual framework of deviance and normality. Issues of imprisonment, moral, and organisational dilemmas. The role of non-punitive institutions in the creation of deviance, and in the maintenance of social control. The idea of a system of criminal justice. The viability of correctional change. Pragmatism, liberalism, and neo-conservatism in the sociology of social control. 

C. PENALTY

The point of punishment: Justice or something else. The meritocratic rationale of punishment: To "deserve". Punishment as a reprimand. Imprisonment as a particular form of punishment: Its preventative aim. Discipline and accountability in the system of criminal justice. Is punishment solely in the domain of the State, or can it be "privatised"? Punishments "in the community". Issues of discretion in the meting out of penalties. 

D. THEORIES OF CRIME

Why is crime a political problem? Crime and the urban environment. The economic rationale for crime. Inequality as a cause of crime. The problem of criminal sub-cultures. Strategies of crime-control: Repression or provision of alternatives? Male and female criminals: Are there differences of principle? Crime and power. 

E. A DISSERTATION TOPIC

A dissertation of appr. 20,000 words on a topic to be agreed between student and supervisor.  

Aims and objectives

The principal aim of the Course is to expose the student already familiar with the principles of Criminology to an in-depth analysis of some of the current issues in the field. Training at Master's level in Criminology is applicable to employment in a wide range of areas, such as law enforcement, correctional services, welfare services, public and private administration, youth services, community organisations, sociology and education. The Course does not aim to make the student an expert in any of the fields studied, rather to develop a full and coherent understanding of the field as a whole.

Methods of delivery

The delivery of the teaching for the Course is by distance learning. The material is designed to give you maximum flexibility as to the pace of learning. Course materials consist of topic lists, text books, background reading, progress assessment tests, minor and major assignments.

Entry requirements

There are no predetermined entry requirements at Bachelor's level.

Candidates will normally be expected to have attained the age of twenty-four years, and all candidates will be expected to show a proficiency in the English language.

Each application will be considered on its own merits, however, and admission to a Course and all interpretations as to the eligibility for such admission remains at the discretion of the University.

Supervision and cohorts

The University is aware of the need to provide first rate supervision to students, given the fact that they are working in a distance learning mode. Each cohort of students will be allocated a Supervisor who is either an experienced academic or proven practitioner in the field. He or she will be the student's guide through the Course.

Aware of the fact that distance learning can be a difficult and isolating experience, it is proposed that each cohort of students should receive a list of its peers. These will be people who are undergoing the same stresses and strains. They will be facing the same problems and the same assignment difficulties at a similar time. It is the University's hope that students will wish to join with others to share their experience in a fellow feeling of a community. Unless an individual student wishes to maintain anonymity, each cohort of students will be given a list of their peers, in the hope that the overall standard of their work, their performance on the Course and, above all, their experience as a student is enhanced.

©Copyright Knightsbridge University 2005. No part of this Course Outline, in part or in whole, may be reproduced, distributed or used for commercial purposes without the written consent of Knightsbridge University.