The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme in 2022/2023 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2023 or after, you can find the details of your programme: BSc Social Policy, Sociology and Crime (For students entering from September 2023 onwards)
Our Social Policy, Sociology and Crime degree is a unique interdisciplinary programme that examines the changing nature of social relations, the role of social problems in our everyday lives and how institutions of the state respond to them. As part of this programme, you learn about the inequalities that undermine the rights and recognition of marginalised groups and what role social policy can play in maximising our individual and collective welfare. You will learn about the social and political construction of crime, including who and what comes to be recognised as 'criminal'. In doing so, you will investigate how certain behaviours and populations are regulated and whose interests these interventions serve.
Through the course of your degree, you will investigate the dynamics between individuals and wider society and the contemporary challenges facing social policy that extend beyond national borders and discrete policy domains. By engaging with social theory, historical evidence and practical policy issues, your studies will draw on key thinkers across a range of fields to develop a deep understanding of the drivers behind particular social policies and their (often unintended) effects on individuals and civil society. At the same time, you will explore how policy areas such as poverty, health, housing, education and street-level crime (as opposed to the crimes of powerful elites and governments) have come to be seen and portrayed as social problems. Across these areas, this programme will help you question the methods and extent to which different states do or do not provide for the welfare of its citizens or effectively tackle their social problems. By connecting 'evidence-based' policy issues facing contemporary societies to social theory, you will be able to comprehend why social problems persist and identify what can be done about them. A wide range of optional modules are available allowing you to tailor your degree to your individual interests and study key topics in more detail.
The programme will provide the opportunity for students to combine sociological theory with the critical and creative aspects of the discipline of social policy and the policy area of crime. Students will study from both a policy and theoretical perspective as well as considering the impact of the welfare state on questions of poverty and social exclusion, racial justice, gender recognition, disability, climate change and globalisation. They will have the opportunity to deploy and combine various techniques of analysis and enquiry contained within the fields of Social Policy, Sociology and Crime to develop a conceptual understanding of policy debates and describe and comment on particular aspects of scholarship and recent research. Study in the programme is thus structured in ways that provides breadth, depth, proficiency in the application of policy analysis (both in term of the 'social' and the 'anti-social') and an aptitude towards theoretical concepts in quantitative or qualitative research. Crucially, opportunities will be provided for students to develop interests and informed opinions through autonomous study.
Ultimately, students will be able to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in a final year/level dissertation. This will provide students with the conceptual understanding required for future employment across a wide range of fields in the public, private and charitable sector, including employment spheres relating to crime or criminal justice. Students will graduate with key transferrable s
kills developed in policy analysis and evaluation, critical thinking, research methods and collaborative working.
(For students entering from September 2023 onwards)
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLSP1161 | Exploring the City: Local and Global Contexts | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP1181 | Crime and Society | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP1191 | Identities and Inequalities | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLSP1201 | Making Sense of Society: Reading Social Theory | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | PFP |
| SLSP1221 | Debating Welfare States | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | PFP |
Candidates will be required to study 20 credits of discovery modules.
(For students entering from September 2023 onwards)
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLSP2011 | Sociology and Social Policy Research Methods | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| SLSP2021 | Crime, Law and Regulation | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | PFP |
Students must take ONE of the following compulsory modules from the basket:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLSP2651 | Key Debates in Social Policy | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| SLSP2731 | Central Problems in Sociology | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
Basket 1: Candidates will be required to study 1 module from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLSP2041 | Disability Studies: An Introduction | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLSP2052 | Gender and Society | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP2146 | Crime, Race and Ethnicity | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP2181 | The Sociology of Culture | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLSP2933 | Sociology and the Climate Crisis | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Basket 2: Candidates will be required to study 1 module from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOSS2002 | Social Sciences and Emergencies: Theories, Contexts and Approaches | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| LAW2420 | Youth Crime and Justice | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| LLLC2222 | Violent and Sexually Offending Young People | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP2151 | Debates in Childhood and Youth | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP2976 | Social and Public Policy beyond the University | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO2251 | Sociology of Religion | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates will be required to study 20 credits of discovery modules.
(For students entering from September 2023 onwards)
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLSP3096 | Research Skills for your Dissertation | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLSP3200 | Dissertation in Crime | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
Basket 1: Candidates will be required to study 1 module from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAW3160 | Policing | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| LAW3173 | Technology, Crime and Justice | 20 | Not running in 202425 | |
| SLSP3230 | Global Terrorism and Violence | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP3500 | Gender, Technologies and the Body | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP3995 | Ethnicity and Popular Culture | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Basket 2: Candidates will be required to study 1 module from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOSS3002 | Social Science and Emergencies: Case Studies & Critical Analysis | 20 | ||
| SLSP3065 | Quantitative Social Research | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SLSP3075 | Disability and Development | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP3211 | State Crime and Immorality | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SLSP3220 | Contemporary Children, Young People and Families | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates will be required to study 20 credits of discovery modules
Last updated: 03/04/2025 16:21:41
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