L5 Unit Selection Booklet

BA/BSc (Hons) Sociology

BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology

BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology & Sociology

Level 5

2024/2025

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY & CRIMINOLOGY

Unit Selection Booklet

Contents

05

Using this handbook

BA/BSc (Hons) Sociology

BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology

BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology & Sociology

06

Semester 1 Options

Illegal Drugs

Intimate Relationships and Personal Life

Policing in Perspective

Forensic Linguistics

07

Semester 2 Options

Race, Racism and Society

Exploring Violence

Youth Justice

Trail by Media

Introduction

Welcome to the 2024/25 Options Selection process.

This Handbook is for Year 1 (Level 4) students moving into Year 2 in September 2024. The handbook will help you understand the structure of Year 2 of your course and support you to make informed choices in the selection of option units.

Each year of your course, you study 120 credits of units. Your second year is a mix of Core (compulsory) and Option units. You need to consider the different option units available and make your selection.

Option Selection Process

Read this section to understand the process for making your option selection:

Step 1: Read the Handbook

This handbook details the structure of your second year, identifies the academic guidance available to support you to make your choices, and provides an overview of each Option unit available with contact details of Unit Leaders.

Step 2: Attend your Options Talk

YOUR OPTIONS TALK:

1pm - 2pm on 12th March, in GMLT4 and online via this link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ MDk5YzcxNGItYWUxNC00MDY2LWI4N2ItYTc2ZjM4MzY2ZDBl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22283f fb50-a30b-488c-90f4-cdae4f7ae6d1%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a6e3782c-9d2d-4562-ae3b-29640fb6274f%22%7d A recording will be made available.

Step 3: Make your Selection

Option selection is an online process. You will receive information by email about the process and how to access the online form. Please keep an eye on your Manchester Met email account.

MAKE YOUR SELECTION:

Monday 18th March to Friday 22nd March 2024.

If you do not make the selections during the timeframe, you will be auto allocated an option based on available spaces.

Support For Making Your Options Choice

• Options Unit Leaders can discuss the content of their units with you in more detail to help you make informed choices.

• Your Personal Tutor can offer a perspective on what might be ‘good’ combinations of units for you and your degree route.

Additional Support:

Role Name Email

Deputy Programme Lead Ben Hall B.Hall@mmu.ac.uk

Head of Year 1

Head of Year 2

Lynn De Santis L.DeSantis@mmu.ac.uk

Carla Cordner C.Cordner@mmu.ac.uk

PLEASE NOTE: If you experience technical difficulties with the Option Selection platform, seek advice from IT Help.

IT helpline number: 0161 247 4646

Sensitivity Disclaimer !

When choosing your options, please read the unit descriptions carefully. Several units either focus on or include sensitive topics that may trigger an emotional or psychological response. You are encouraged to consider each unit’s topical content carefully in making your choices.

Please note that not all unit descriptions give an explicit sensitivity warning.

Using this Handbook

Please review the structure of your degree programme (below) to find out the specific mix of Core and Option units you will take in your second year. This will allow you to identify the semester(s) you have option unit choices to make.

• Read the Option Descriptions for each of the units offered.

• Contact Unit Leaders to discuss any questions you have regarding the content of units or their assessment.

• Book an appointment with your Personal Tutor if you’d like another perspective on your choices.

• If you have questions about your course structure or about your second year, please contact relevant Heads of Year or the Deputy Programme Leader.

Year 2 Course Structure

BA/BSc (Hons) Sociology

Year 2 (Level 5) on the BA and BSc (Hons) Sociology course consists of an even mix of 60 credits of Core and 60 credits of Option units. You will study 30 credits of Core and 30 credits of Option units each semester.

Semester 1

CORE units (30 credits)

• Quantitative Data Analysis (15 credits)

• Creative Research Methods (15 credits)

OPTIONS: Choose ONE from the list below:

1. Illegal Drugs

2. Policing in Perspective

3. Intimate Relationships and Personal Life

4. Forensic Linguistics

*OPTION units are all 30 credits

Year 2 Course Structure

Semester 2

CORE units (30 credits)

• Contesting Social Theory (15 credits)

• Social (In)Justice (15 credits)

OPTIONS: Choose ONE from the list below:

1. Youth Justice

2. Race, Racism and Society

3. Exploring Violence

4. Trial by Media

BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology

Year 2 (Level 5) on the BA and BSc (Hons) Criminology course consists of an even mix of 60 credits of Core and 60 credits of Option units. You will study 30 credits of Core and 30 credits of Option units each semester.

Semester 1

CORE units (30 credits)

• Quantitative Data Analysis (15 credits)

• Creative Research Methods (15 credits)

OPTIONS: Choose ONE from the list below

1. Illegal Drugs

2. Policing in Perspective

3. Intimate Relationships and Personal Life

4. Forensic Linguistics

*OPTION units are all 30 credits

Semester 2

CORE units (30 credits)

• Crime, Deviance & Control (30 credits)

OPTIONS: Choose ONE from the list below

1. Youth Justice

2. Race, Racism and Society

3. Exploring Violence

4. Trial by Media

Year 2 Course Structure

BA/BSc (Hons) Criminology & Sociology

Year 2 (Level 5) on the BA and BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology course consists of a mix of 90 credits of Core and 30 credits of Option units. You will study 30 credits of Core and 30 credits of Option units in semester 1, and 60 credits of Core units in Semester 2.

Semester 1

CORE units (30 credits)

• Quantitative Data Analysis (15 credits)

• Creative Research Methods (15 credits)

OPTIONS: Choose ONE from the list below

1. Illegal Drugs

2. Policing in Perspective

3. Intimate Relationships and Personal Life

4. Forensic Linguistics

*OPTION units are all 30 credits

Semester 2

CORE units (60 credits)

• Contesting Social Theory (15 credits)

• Social (In)Justice (15 credits)

• Crime, Deviance & Control (30 credits)

Semester 1 Option Descriptions

On the following pages, you’ll find descriptions of the indicative content and focus of each of the Options offered in Semester 1.

1. Illegal Drugs

2. Policing in Perspective

3. Intimate Relationships and Personal Life

4. Forensic Linguistics

Semester 1 Option Illegal Drugs

Unit Leads

Content

Assessment

Rob Ralphs

r.ralphs@mmu.ac.uk

Mike Salinas

m.salinas@mmu.ac.uk

This unit focuses primarily on drug use, drug using contexts, and drug policy in the UK but provides a comparative element by drawing upon examples and polices from USA, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Portugal.

The unit covers drug policy, drug trends, the evolution of the illegal drug economy (i.e., drug markets), as well as a range of ‘hot topics’ and emerging drug trends, including prescription drugs, ‘Spice’, and drug testing.

You will become familiar with a broad range of topics relating to psychoactive drugs, including: i) problematic drugs (e.g., crack and heroin), ii) recreational drugs (e.g., cannabis and ‘laughing gas’), iii) club drugs (e.g., ecstasy and ketamine), iv) new synthetic drugs (e.g., ‘Spice’ and ‘Mamba’), and v) human-enhancement drugs (e.g., steroids and ‘study drugs’).

Assessment 1 (25%)

Presentation (Audio Screencast)

Assessment 2 (75%)

Critical Commentary

Semester 1 Option Policing in Perspective

Unit Leads

Adam Westall

a.westall@mmu.ac.uk

Lynn De Santis

l.desantis@mmu.ac.uk

Content Policing in Perspective seeks to demonstrate a critical insight into policing and society. It provides an overview of some of the key concepts and issues in social control and the delivery of justice and will encourage you to think about the police and policing from different perspectives. Key issues confronting contemporary policing are explored together with an enhanced theoretical awareness of the historical context within which contemporary policing has developed.

Debates about policing are situated within wider discourses of social control, governance, accountability and legitimacy, and the impact on policing of organisational culture and social inequalities is considered. You are encouraged to think critically about the role and function of the state in the regulation of behaviour and protection of citizens and of the role and function of citizens, and others in maintaining social order.

Assessment

Assessment 1 (20%)

Group Work (Auto Narrated Poster)

Delivery Method

Assessment 2 (80%)

Journal-Style Academic Article

The unit will be delivered through weekly lectures and then workshops where students will work around problems and challenges connected to the police and policing. The sessions will include delivery from several guest speakers subject to availability.

Guest Speakers Police practitioners and those who work with the police.

Semester 1 Option

Intimate Relationships & Personal Life

Unit Lead

Content

Assessment

Jenny van Hooff

j.van-hooff@mmu.ac.uk

This unit examines what sociology can tell us about our personal lives and intimate relationships. The unit questions why researchers have started to focus on personal relationships, what the study of intimacy includes and what the key debates are in this area.

We examine the shift from traditional ‘Sociology of the Family’ to ‘Personal Life’, which explores the diverse relationships and encounters that make up our intimate connections. We also critically examine the claims made by late modern social theorists about the detraditionalization of intimate relationships. The impact of technology and consumption on our personal relationships is also critically explored. In particular, we look at couples, friendships, families, singlehood, and digital intimacy.

Assessment 1 (30%)

Annotated Bibliography

Delivery Method Weekly leture/Workshops

Assessment 2 (70%) 2000 word essay

Semester 1 Option Forensic Linguistics

Unit Lead

Content

Assessment

Dawn Archer

d.archer@mmu.ac.uk

This unit provides you with an opportunity to explore the use of language in legal and forensic settings and contexts, with a particular focus on the exercise of power and linguistic disadvantage.

Syllabus content will explore the use of language and linguistic issues arising from key stages in the criminal justice system (including, for example, during emergency calls to the police, police interviews, and during courtroom trials). Indicative content includes how victims of sexual assault and other vulnerable witnesses are treated during cross-examination, and how a police interview differs from an interrogation. We’ll consider how linguists can improve access to justice.

Warning: We will explore language used in sensitive and often distressing contexts including sexual assault including rape, child sexual abuse, 999/911 emergency calls, murder, and suicide. You will read transcripts, listen to audio, and watch videos of authentic data relating to these topics. You should consider very carefully whether you should take this unit, especially if you have been affected by crime.

Assessment 1 (50%) In-Class- Test

Assessment 2 (75%) Bibliography

Assessment 3 (25%) Case-Study

Semester 2 Option Descriptions

On the following pages, you’ll find descriptions of the indicative content and focus of each of the Options offered in Semester 2.

1. Youth Justice

2. Race, Racism and Society

3. Exploring Violence

4. Trial by Media

Semester 2 Option Youth Justice

Unit Leads

Content

Assessment

Daniel Marshall

d.marshall@mmu.ac.uk

Jodie Hodgson

j.hodgson@mmu.ac.uk

‘Youth in Crisis? Young People, Crime and Justice’ critically engages with the issues and challenges that face children and young people when they find themselves entangled within the youth justice system.

The unit will start by recognizing that the terms ‘childhood’, ‘young people’ and ‘crime’ are all social constructs. By this we mean that the terms do not exist in a vacuum; each term is subject to individual and societal emphases and interpretations. The unit will move on to explore the direct experiences of those within the justice system, with a particular focus on contemporary issues such as gender, ethnicity, class, and neurodiversity. The unit will go on to critique the agencies of the state charged with managing children and young people, including the police, youth courts, youth offending services and custodial establishments.

The unit is taught by internationally recognised scholars in the field of youth justice. All the lecturers are members of the award-winning Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS) and the unit is informed by the Centre’s research. Drawing on external experts, the unit will also support you with practical, transferrable skills that will be applicable to careers working with and supporting children and young people.

Assessment 1 (30%)

Multiple-Choice -Test (Online)

Delivery Method Weekly lectures and workshops

Guest Speakers Yes

Assessment 2 (70%)

Group Presentation

Semester 2 Option Race, Racism and Society

Unit Lead

Content

Assessment

Shafqat Nasir

s.j.nasir@mmu.ac.uk

How do we understand concepts of race, racism, and racialisation? We will explore internalised, interpersonal, cultural, structural, and systemic racisms. This will be underpinned by an analysis of socio-historic, economic, and political factors.

This unit will take a student-centred approach to explore sociological and criminological issues and concerns. Key areas that can be studied include racialised identity, media representation, discrimination (including institutional racism in the police force and higher education).

Much of the unit will be taught online; this is a deliberate strategy with a clear rationale. However, there will be film/ video viewings followed by discussion and debate. There will also be opportunities for student-led activities.

Assessment 1 (30%)

Report Review

Assessment 2 (70%) Essay

Semester 2 Option Exploring Violence

l.desantis@mmu.ac.uk

Content

Anna Norton a.norton@mmu.ac.uk

The most basic definition of ‘violence’ is that it is behaviour intended to cause physical or psychological injury. Most of us might like to believe we would be neither willing nor capable of deliberately harming our fellow human beings. However, an uncomfortable fact is that violence runs inescapably throughout our history; war, personal conflict, aggression and violent crime have remained constant features of the human condition. Does this show we have an innate tendency for violence and, if we do, why are some people more violent than others?

This unit explores these issues and reviews some of the identified ‘root causes’, risk factors and predictors of aggressive behaviour, along with typologies and violent crime data. Theoretical perspectives are examined, including biosocial, criminological, and sociological explanations for violence. We consider topics such as violence through history, gender-based violence, interpersonal and collective violence, and the effect of violence portrayed in the media.

Whilst the unit can only offer an introduction to the complexities of violent behaviour, you will achieve a better understanding of why some of us are able to commit unspeakable acts of brutality whilst others are prevented from being aggressive by what are known as the “better angels of our nature.”

Warning: This unit explores sensitive and emotive subjects using transcripts, imagery, audio, and video, that may trigger distress. Please consider this when making your selection.

Essay

Unit Leads

Lynn De Santis

Assessment

Assessment 1 (20%)

Case Study

Assessment 2 (80%)

Semester 2 Option Trial by Media: The Politics of Representation

Unit Leads

Content

Assessment

Anneke Meyer

a.meyer@mmu.ac.uk

Delivery Method

Katie Milestone k.l.milestone@mmu.ac.uk

This unit explores high-profile transgressions – acts of crime, deviance, shaming, and scandals – which are subject to huge media interest, scrutiny and outrage. It delves into the complex webs of power that drive definitions of guilt and innocence, fame and shame, and considers what notions of ‘truth’ and ‘justice’ mean in the context of a digital society, online culture wars and transgressions being tried in the courts of media spectacle and public opinion.

The unit examines means of representation – such as images and language – used in the media to drive public outrage and defame certain individuals and social groups. While shaming and abuse have become common-place in recent decades, some groups are more vulnerable to be targeted than others –for example, minority groups but also celebrities.

We investigate the power of representations, the power of people and the power of social structures to make sense of why some transgression turn into scandals while others are quickly forgotten, how some individuals manage to hide their scandalous behaviour, why celebrities are both powerful and vulnerable, and why online culture has become so marked by vitriol and hate.

Assessment 1 (30%)

Independent Project (Students to engage with a mini project which outlines an act of transgression and analyse the media’s response)

Assessment 2 (70%)

Essay

(Students to complete a written essay; one question can be chosen from a list of questions relating to the unit content)

A mix of interactive lectures and seminars – frequency and exact nature depends on the timetable and cannot be predicted