Crime and Social History
In this module, you'll come to understand the benefits of thinking of crime in the context of social history. Drawing on the disciplines of philosophy, social theory, and cultural studies in addition to criminology, you'll look in particular at the emergence and growth of the modern 'crimino-legal complex'. You'll see how our understanding of crime is connected to changes in philosophical and social ideas, and economic and political forces.
Key Topics
In this module you will cover a range of topics including:
- Introduction: understanding crime through history
- Pre-modernity: the intellectual, religious and political context
- Pre-modernity: the social and economic context
- Pre-modernity: mercy, torture, and the Witch-hunts
- Modernity: philosophical, scientific and political progress
- Modernity: social, economic and cultural changes
- Modern theory of crime and techniques of punishment
- The consequences of modernity: the holocaust
- Postmodernity: the history of an idea (or ideas)
- A Postmodern criminology
Assessment
There are a number of formative assessments that you complete as part of your studies and forward to your academic tutor for grading and comments.
You'll also take a summative assessment at the end of your module. Summative assessments include coursework, exams or a mix of both. Summative assessments take place twice a year and exam venues are located around the UK. Please note that there are additional summative assessment fees for each module.