Criminology and Sociology BA(Hons)

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Top reasons to choose this course

• Fascinating subjects – course content includes deviance and control, youth and delinquency, the relationship between gender and crime and race and crime and cross-cultural issues in crime and justice.

• Learning is a varied mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, group work and independent learning activities and research.

• Expert teaching team with varied expertise and who are published and esteemed in their research areas.

• Opportunity to take a placement year, giving you hands-on experience and helping you stand out to potential employers.

• Guest speakers will add to your learning and provide networking opportunities. Speakers have come from organisations including Eastbourne Foodbank, St Mungo’s, Troubled Families Programme, Boing Boing and the Trust for Developing Communities.

• Join a vibrant community – the programme area sits within the School of Humanities and Social Science, all based in one building.

• Option modules enable you to tailor your degree to suit your personal career goals.

• The chance to specialise in both criminology and sociology – two vital fields in social science.

• In the first year, assessment is split between essays and exams – the second and final year mainly consist of coursework.

• International exchange opportunities at the University of Lyon 2 in France; Universidad Pontificia Comillas Madrid in Spain; and Örebro Universitet in Sweden.

• The Sociology of Brighton lecture series brings in speakers who deliver lectures in different locations around Brighton, such as the Palace Pier.

• We work with local LGBT mental health project MindOut to bring a Living Library to the campus. The library is designed to challenge prejudice and stigma with trained volunteers acting as ‘books’ to help you explore social issues. 

Year 1

In your first year, you will study modules that introduce you to both sociology and criminology. You’ll also begin to develop the research skills which you will use throughout your degree.

Modules

• Sociological Imaginations

  This module will introduce you to contemporary ‘sociological imaginations’ of the social world and will give you the opportunity to apply sociological theories and concepts to contemporary topics. You will develop your ability to think sociologically by first understanding key sociological concepts and then exploring how these are applied in contemporary sociological research examples.

• Criminal Justice Matters

  This module will introduce you to the criminal justice system in England and Wales by exploring its main institutions and agencies, for example, police, courts, prison and probation. You will explore some of the key debates and policies in relation to sentencing, victims and crime prevention. You’ll also gain an understanding of the politics and controversies in criminal justice and develop your skills in identifying, analysing information and presenting coherent arguments.

• Contemporary Social Inequalities

  This module will provide you with the theoretical and conceptual tools to confront normative/normalising explanations of difference and inequality. You will examine the ways that ‘differences’ and inequalities are formed and their consequences for everyday lived realities.

• Introduction to Researching Social and Cultural Life

  This module introduces you to key aspects of research design and the principles of qualitative and quantitative research. You will look at the principles of social research (eg, research ethics, quantitative/qualitative divide) and identify appropriate research methods, then apply these to specific contexts (eg, evaluating existing work, proposing new work).

• Foundations of Sociology

  This module will equip you with an understanding of traditional sociological theory and its applications today. You will study the foundations of sociology, including the key thinkers, debates and theoretical perspectives. You’ll also examine the development of classical ideas and the continued relevance for different sociological perspectives throughout the twentieth century as well as recent challenges to traditional sociological theory.

• Theories of Crime

  Here you will examine criminological theories from an historical perspective and gain an understanding of the political, social and cultural contexts in which different theories were developed, how they translated to policy, and their strengths, weaknesses and biases in explaining crime and deviance.

Year 2

In your second year, you will build your knowledge and skills and learn about the different ways in which societies try to control crime. 

The community engagement module is an opportunity to undertake a voluntary work placement with a local organisation.

Modules

Core modules

• Theorising the Social World

  This module introduces contemporary sociological and social theory, looking at debates around neo-liberalism and the individualisation thesis, including consumption, choice, freedom, notions of the self and globalisation. You will also explore the relevance of gender, race and intersectionality, social class and different notions of the self.

• Researching Social and Cultural Life

  You will take this 10-credit module if you are on an exchange programme to learn about ethics and qualitative/quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. You will gain an understanding of the philosophical underpinning of social research, methodologies and methods and pick either a qualitative or a quantitative stream to further deepen your knowledge.

• Critical Perspectives on Justice

  This module introduces perspectives on justice as a foundation for other criminology modules. You will explore long-standing and emerging developments and debates relating to justice in the UK and elsewhere and look at ‘mainstream’ criminal justice and new ways of resolving criminal and social harms, including approaches drawn from non-Western traditions. You will also consider the struggles that some segments of society face to secure justice and the factors influencing this.

• Sociology and the Life Course

  This module examines areas of significant sociological interest and introduces you to contemporary areas of study using different models of academic criticism and evaluation. Key topics covered include life course versus lifecycle; competing theories of childhood; cross-cultural perspectives on youth; debates around the changing nature of work in a global society; and debates within the sociology of death, including around euthanasia.

• Social and Cultural Research Practice

  In this module you will learn about qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods of research and then have the option to study either more advanced quantitative methods or more advanced qualitative methods. You will gain experience in the design and practice of research and the skills to develop a research proposal for your final-year dissertation.

Options*

• Sociology Skills (10 Credit)

  This 10-credit version of SS565 is for students on exchange programmes and will give you the opportunity to reflect on your sociological skills and then take short courses, each addressing a specific skill. These could span subjects including critical thinking in sociological work; applying and generating sociological theory; literature searching for sociology; writing a sociological literature review; and interpreting the social world.

• Policing and Society

  With a focus on contemporary Britain, this module examines the role of the police and explores a range of themes, issues and debates in a critical-analytical fashion. You will look at current and historical research on dilemmas in contemporary policing including a history of British policing, police ethics, police powers and citizens’ rights, policing in diverse societies and alternative or global models of harm reduction.

• Punishment, Power and the State

  In this module you will learn to apply critical thinking and key criminological concepts to the use of punishment in the criminal justice process. You will look at the penal system and the rationale for its use; examine the history of prisons, how punishment is decided upon and delivered; the prison demographic; the wider implications of the penal system; and the alternatives to orthodox punishment.

• Community Engagement: Theory into Practice

  At the heart of this module is a 50-hour voluntary placement within a local, not for profit organisation. You will explore community engagement theory, reflect on your personal values and aspirations and develop a range of transferable employability skills through both theory and practice.

• Sociology Skills

  You will reflect on your own sociological skills and select a number of short courses to take, each of which addresses a specific skill. These might include reading sociology; writing a sociological literature review; essay crafting for sociology; thinking critically in sociological work; applying and generating sociological theory; literature searching for sociology; and interpreting the social world.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placements

Spend a year on placement

Gain valuable experience and earn money during an optional placement year following year 2. You’ll return to the final year of your degree with added confidence, real-world experience and valuable contacts. 

A placement year significantly improves your CV, giving you a distinct advantage over others when applying for jobs and starting your career. It will also help you to develop the softer skills such as communication and teamwork.

For the assessed part of your placement, you will create a reflective piece of work on professional practice and skills. 

The university has links with a wide range of organisations including in health, culture and heritage, housing, councils, the police, the probation service, policy think tanks and charities.

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in getting a placement that meets with your interests and career ambitions. They can help with CVs and cover letter writing, applications, online testing and more. Plus, they’ll provide support and guidance when you’re on placement and make sure that everything is going well.

Other placement opportunities 

In your second year, the Community Engagement module offers the chance to gain hands-on experience by volunteering with a local not-for-profit organisation.

You’ll spend around 50 hours contributing to the community while developing valuable vocational skills. Supported by organisational training, tutor guidance and classroom learning, you’ll explore theories of community engagement and organisational culture. The module also includes guest lectures, CV building and interview preparation.

This experience not only enhances your employability but also allows you to make a meaningful impact. Past placements have included roles with organisations such as:

• Age UK

• MindOut

• The Alzheimer’s Society.

Final year

In your final year, you will write a dissertation on a topic in criminology, sociology or both. The dissertation is an opportunity to develop an idea independently, with the support of an academic supervisor throughout.

Modules

Core modules

• Violence and Society

  In Violence and Society, you will examine how patterns of power, control and dominance permeate society and impact on our social understandings and experiences of violence. You will gain an understanding of the key themes and issues around violence and its macro, cultural and embodied manifestations. By the end of the module, you’ll have a critical awareness of violence as constructed at different levels of society and in different arenas.

• Dissertation

  This enquiry-based module requires you to write a fully developed, researched and evidenced academic dissertation on a topic of your choice related to your degree programme. You will demonstrate the research, data handling, critical thinking, organisational and writing skills you have developed over the course of your undergraduate study.

Options*

• Sociology Topic 1

  This module will enable you to study an area of sociological interest structured around analysis of a significant issue related to current sociology. Drawing on the sociological knowledge you gained in your first and second years, you’ll apply concepts and theories to a specific topic and integrate research materials to reach your own conclusions. Topics could include childhood and society; race and ethnicity; religion and society; death and society; and class and conflict in contemporary Britain.

• Society and Outer Space

  Drawing insights from across the social sciences and humanities, this module explores the argument that societies are produced in relation to the rest of the universe. It covers a range of work from anthropological perspectives on cosmology, through studies of the role of satellites in warfare, communications and surveillance, to analysis of space fiction and the representation of aliens.

• Sociology of Globalisation

  This module explores the emergence of globalisation and considers the implications of living in an increasingly globalised world. You will develop a critical appreciation of current theories, issues and debates around the subject and explore the way in which globalisation has arguably become the central idea in trying to understand the social changes that we are living through today.

• Class and Conflict in Contemporary Britain

  In this module you will explore the new sociologies of class and apply them to examples of class conflict in contemporary Britain. You will engage with current debates within class analysis such as the role of the media in the reproduction of class disgust, the impact of gentrification on the lived experience of class inequality and the power of oppressed classes to revolt.

• Critical Addiction Studies

  You will study biological and psychological theories and models of addiction during this module and analyse government responses to substance use, including via drug and alcohol policy. You’ll look at historical and contemporary attitudes towards those who use drugs as well as reflecting on your own beliefs about and attitudes towards addiction and addicted people and how these inform and are informed by your experiences of the world.

• Community, Belonging and Exclusion

  This module brings together theories on community and belonging with practical examples of exclusion and marginalisation. You will examine these social issues through intersecting sociological lenses – including race, class, age, status, gender – and across multiple spaces and scales, including online communities, nation, cities and neighbourhoods. You'll be encouraged to engage critically with the places and communities that you are part of, as well as questions of power, inequality and exclusion.

• Global Issues: Harm, Crime and Power

  This module takes the study of criminology beyond mainstream conceptions of crime, power and harm to enable you to critically analyse a range of contemporary global issues, from human rights abuses to corporate environmental harms. This will give you fresh insights into and new criminological understandings of these global phenomena.

• Criminology of Borders

  This module applies criminological perspectives to issues associated with migration, its control and its impact on society. You will reflect on the limits of criminology as a discipline and consider the involvement of criminal justice agencies and policies in border control and the criminalisation of migration. You will also explore the construction of irregular migration as ‘deviant’, consider the intersection of immigration and criminal law and look at theoretical understandings of race, colonialism and citizenship.

• Human Rights

  This module explores the historical emergence and significance of human rights and the development of key institutions such as the United Nations. You will look at significant historical events and consider some contemporary rights issues such as free speech, minority rights, women’s rights and social justice. We will also focus on the events of 9/11 and the sidelining of human rights in the name of national security, global civil society and online rights issues.

• Sociology and the Climate Emergency

  It is increasingly clear that the climate emergency must be addressed at least in part by social change. Social science, and sociology in particular, can help us understand this and work towards achieving such change. During this module you will look at the social aspects of the climate emergency and use sociology to understand the roots and consequences of climate change.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Lab facilities

Mithras House has a series of lab rooms which can be used for teaching on your course or in your independent research work.

Life lab
A skills-based lab for practice-based teaching, social work, psychotherapy and counselling, and employability. The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.

City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.

Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment for you to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.

Community lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning, this is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme – our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.

Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab contains eight acoustically treated booths for both recording and transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research and for recording and editing podcasts.

Applied cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected. 

VR and eye tracking lab
The VR and Eye-Tracking Lab is used for psychological research using equipment, such as eye-trackers and virtual reality headsets. The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.

Meet the team 

Canglong Wang, course leader

Canglong’s areas of expertise involve the intersection of sociology and Chinese studies, specialising in race and ethnicity. He is interested in Chinese ethnic identity and the intricate patterns of transnational migration. His research uses qualitative and quantitative research strategies to provide a comprehensive and robust analysis of sociocultural phenomena.

“Central to my scholarly endeavours is the critical examination of Chinese citizenship. This inquiry critically intersects with issues of education and social justice, where I focus on the role of critical pedagogy and civic activism in the revival of Confucian education in China. This line of inquiry naturally extends to an examination of grassroots educational movements, which I scrutinise for their capacity to influence and reform Chinese civil society.”

Read Canglong’s academic profile.

Other members of the teaching team:

Sociology

• Dr Raphael Schlembach
• Dr James Ormrod
• Sarah Leaney
• Dr Neil Curry
• Dr Steve Brown
• Dr Chris Wyatt

Criminology

• Dr Roxana Cavalcanti
• Dr Daren Britt
• Suzie Clift
• Deanna Dadusc
• Dr Craig Johnstone
• Matt Follett
• Dr Hannah Thurston

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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