Criminology and Sociology BA(Hons)

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Course structure

The course covers the following areas of study:

• deviance and control
• youth and delinquency
• the relationship between gender and crime
• the relationship between race and crime
• cross-cultural issues in crime and justice.

You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, and independent learning activities and research. As the course progresses there will a greater emphasis on independent study.

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

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up-to-date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you will be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 1

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

Modules

• Introduction to Researching Social and Cultural Life

  The module introduces you to the range of research methods used in the social sciences and will enable you to develop the skills necessary to collect and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data.

• 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'll 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: eg. police, courts, prison and probation. You'll explore some of the key debates and policies in relation to sentencing, victims and crime prevention. You will gain an understanding of the politics and controversies in criminal justice and develop your skills in identifying, analysing information and presenting coherent arguments.

• Foundations of Sociology

  This module will equip you with an understanding of traditional sociological theory and its applications today. You'll be introduced to the foundations of sociology including key thinkers, key debates, and main theoretical perspectives.

  The module will examine the development of classical ideas and the continued relevance for different sociological perspectives throughout the twentieth century. Recent challenges to traditional sociological theory will also be examined and assessed.

• Theories of Crime

  On this module you will examine criminological theories from an historical perspective, and gain an understanding of the political, social and cultural context in which different theories were developed, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their current application.

• Contemporary Social Inequalities

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

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

• Theorising the Social World
• Sociology and the Life Course
• Critical Perspectives on Justice
• Social and Cultural Research Practice

Options*

• Sociology Skills
• Community Engagement: Theory into Practice 
• Punishment, Power and the State
• Policing and Society

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

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

• Dissertation

Options*

• Society and Outer Space
• Class and Power
• Sociology of Globalisation
• Death and Society 
• Race and Equality
• Childhood and Society
• Utopian Theory and Practice
• Human Rights
• Education and Society
• Race and Immigration
• Sociology of Parenting
• Class and Conflict in Contemporary Britain
• Critical Addiction Studies
• Criminology of Borders
• Global Issues: Crime, Power, Harm
• Contemporary Studies in Crime and Justice
• Violence and Society

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

Facilities

Our multi-purpose Psychology Resource Laboratories have a range of high-tech facilities including:

• an applied cognition lab
• a creative methods lab for interactive experiments and focus groups
• experimental booths for one-to-one computer-based experiments
• mobile eye tracker, eye-tracking glasses and psychophysiology measuring kit.

You will also benefit from an open-access teaching space and a dedicated psychology technician who will support your experiments.

Click the image above to view a virtual tour of our Psychology Resources Laboratories.

Placement

In your second year of your Criminology and Sociology degree the Community Engagement option module offers the opportunity to engage with a local not-for-profit organisation and gain valuable hands-on experience. It is a great opportunity to develop your vocational skills and gain practical work experience while contributing to the wider community.

You will spend around 50 hours volunteering with the organisation. This will be supported and underpinned by organisational training, tutor support and by in-class teaching covering theories of community engagement, organisational structure and culture, and reflective learning. 

We will help you find a placement that is right for you from the range of local organisations who choose to work with our students.

The module features guest lectures delivered by external speakers drawn from the wider community. You will also produce a portfolio where you will reflect on your experiences and learning, with reference to practice examples and reflective theory.

Meet the team 

Dr Kyla Ellis-Sloan, joint course leader

Kyla is a senior lecturer in sociology. She started her research career interested in the problematisation of teenage pregnancy and parenthood. She is currently working on a project which tracks the housing trajectories of former teenage mothers in order to understand the impact of housing solutions on various outcomes and experiences across the life-course.

Kyla co-ordinates the first year module Contemporary Social Inequalities and brings her expertise in families, parenting (including parenting experts and policy), motherhood and fatherhood into a range of sociology modules. She has a keen interest in social policy and enjoys linking theory and research to lived experiences for students through extra-curricula events such as The Living Library and Inequalities Live.

Kyla’s desire is to explore alternative teaching methods in order to engage and led to her bringing the Human Library to the university - events which are designed to tackle stigma and discrimination.

Read Kyla's full academic profile

Dr Raphael Schlembach, joint course leader

Raphael Schlembach is a senior lecturer in criminology. He completed his PhD at the University of Manchester in 2010 and has held previous lectureships at UCLan, Liverpool Hope and Sussex.

Raphael’s research is in the areas of protest and social movements, criminology and criminal justice, and social and political theory. He is the author of Against Old Europe, a book on European social movements and has published widely on protest, policing and critical theory.

Raphael serves on the Editorial Board of Sociology Research Online and on the Management Board of the university's Research Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics.

Read Dr Raphael Schlembach's full academic profile

Other members of the teaching team:

Sociology

• Natalie Pitimson
• Dr Laura Harvey
• Dr James Ormrod
• Sarah Leaney
• Dr Kanwal Mand
• Dr Neil Curry
• Dr Steve Brown
• Dr Mark Erickson
• Dr Chris Wyatt.

Criminology

• Dr Dan Burrows
• Dr Roxana Cavalcanti
• Dr Daren Britt, Suzie Clift
• Deanna Dadusc
• Dr Craig Johnstone
• Matt Follett
• Dr Hannah Thurston
• Dr Yusef Bakkali
• Dr Kirsty McGregor
• Dr Lambros Fatsis.

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2023–24.

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

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Local area

Maps

Support and wellbeing

Sport at Brighton