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• Programme Specification

Programme Specification

SCHOOL OF SOCIOLOGY AND CRIMINOLOGY

PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION

PRINCIPAL PROGRAMME IN CRIMINOLOGY

Introduction

This document provides a summary of the main features of undergraduate programmes in Criminology taken as part of a Dual Honours degree.  It explains what a student can expect from studying Criminology at Keele University and includes information about what a student will be able to do if s/he takes full advantage of the opportunities provided during the course of this Programme. 

Names of programmes	BA (Hons) Criminology
Mode of study	Full time
Single or Dual Honours	Dual Honours Principal Programme
Duration	Three years (BA (Hons))

What is a ‘Dual Honours Principal Programme’?

Keele University is committed to offering a broad undergraduate curriculum based on a Dual Honours system which allows students to study two subjects to Honours level.  Each of these subjects is known as a ‘Principal Programme’.  Each Principal Programme is studied throughout the student’s three years at Keele.  This document describes the three-year Criminology Principal Programme taken together with another Principal Programme as part of a Dual Honours degree.

What is the philosophy of the Programme?

Criminology is a rapidly developing discipline which draws on theories and research methods from across the social and human sciences.  It is both a theoretical and an empirical discipline.  Criminology attempts to develop a systematic understanding of crime and official and unofficial ways of responding to it.  It also seeks to establish a firm evidence base for that understanding using a range of research methods.

Criminology at Keele

Keele University pioneered the teaching of criminology at undergraduate level in the United Kingdom and students will be taught by one of the largest groups of active criminological researchers in any British university.  The size of this group means that a wide range of core and elective modules in criminology is available in all three years of the Programme.  Criminology at Keele draws on the intellectual traditions and perspectives of other disciplines across the social sciences, but the focus of the Programme is always explicitly criminological. 

Aims of the Programme

The aim of the Programme is to enable students to:

• Think, talk, and write about crime, crime control and the ways in which they are represented in a systematic way drawing on the intellectual traditions and scholarly methods of the social sciences.
• Understand, evaluate and apply a range of theories about the nature, measurement and causes of crime.
• Acquire a critical understanding of the nature and development of a variety of formal and informal responses to crime, including policing and the operation of the criminal justice and penal systems.
• Appreciate the theory and empirical reality of crime and crime control in their historical, social, political, and economic contexts.
• Become familiar with the main quantitative and qualitative methods of social scientific research used in the collection and analysis of criminological data.
• Develop the ability to conduct and report on their own research using relevant criminological concepts, suitable methods of investigation and appropriate techniques of scholarship in the social sciences.
• Obtain the knowledge, skills and personal qualities necessary for them to find a fulfilling and rewarding career and become informed and active citizens with a lifelong interest in studying crime and ways of controlling it.

What students will learn

What students on the Programme will know, understand and be able to do can be described under three main headings:

• Subject knowledge and understanding
• Subject specific skills
• Key or transferable skills (including employability skills).

Students who complete all three years of the Programme and graduate with a BA (Hons) in Criminology will able to:

• Describe and evaluate the application of key concepts and theoretical approaches within criminology and criminal justice to a range of contemporary problems.
• Explain and analyse the impact of social inequality and diversity and the significance of historical, social, political and economic context on crime, victimisation and responses to them.
• Formulate criminological research questions and identify the most appropriate research strategies for answering them taking into account relevant ethical considerations.
• Comment on and present the conclusions of theoretical and empirical criminological work on crime and ways of responding to it to a range of audiences and in a variety of appropriate formats.
• Use the knowledge and skills they have acquired in a socially responsible way, in complex and unpredictable contexts and as the basis for more advanced learning or professional training.

How is the Programme taught?

Learning and teaching methods used on the Programme vary according to the subject matter and level of the module.  They include the following:

• Traditional lectures where the lecturer provides students with a framework for reading and independent study.  Some lecture classes may feature guest speakers working in the criminal justice system; others involve video and audio presentations.
• Interactive learning in large classes where students have the opportunity to work together in smaller groups, interact with the lecturer and reflect on their own learning.   Interactive lectures may involve the use of voting systems or involve students in writing ‘instant’ two minute papers on particular topics.
• Tutorials and seminars in groups of up to 15 students where key issues can be discussed in more depth.  Students are expected to play a full part, and occasionally to lead, these discussions.  Some tutorials and seminars consist largely of student presentations and many are based on the application of criminological ideas to case studies drawn from the media and the findings of criminological research.
• Independent study based on directed reading from text books, research monographs, academic journals, official government publications and the media.
• Web-based learning using the Keele Learning Environment (KLE).  The KLE is an online learning environment used to give students easy access to a wide range of resources and research tools, and as a platform for online discussions, quizzes, announcements and blogs.
• For those who choose to take the dissertation double module in Criminology in their final year, the opportunity to undertake a piece of independent research supervised and supported by a member of staff.

Apart from these formal activities, students are also provided with regular opportunities to talk through particular areas of difficulty, and any individual learning needs they may have, with their module, seminar and tutorial group leaders on a one-to-one basis.

These learning and teaching methods enable students to achieve the learning outcomes of the programme in a variety of ways.  For example:

• Lectures and independent study allow students to gain a systematic understanding of criminological ideas and how they may be used in the course of seminars and tutorials to analyse a variety of contemporary social problems.
• Seminars, tutorials and online discussions provide opportunities for students to ask questions about, and suggest answers to, criminological problems in a responsible way, and to present their own ideas to members of staff and other students using an appropriate medium of communication.
• Interactive lectures, seminars, tutorials and web-based activities encourage students to reflect on their own learning and take responsibility for its development by addressing areas of difficulty, perhaps by discussing them with their fellow students or by getting additional help from a member of staff.
• Undertaking a research dissertation with the support of an experienced and active researcher allows students to formulate relevant research questions and devise a feasible and ethically sound strategy for answering them.

Teaching staff

The permanent teaching staff on the Criminology Principal Programme consists of four full professors, three senior lecturers, four lecturers and a teaching fellow.  All members of staff have doctorates (PhDs or the equivalent) in criminology, criminal justice or a closely related subject in law or the social sciences.  As members of the University’s Centre for Criminological Research in the Research Institute for Law, Politics & Justice, they are all active researchers whose work across many different aspects of criminology has been widely published in books, research monographs and leading international journals.

The staff group has extensive experience of teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level in universities in the UK, continental Europe, North America, Australasia and Southern Africa.  Five members of staff hold teaching qualifications and three are fellows or associates of the Higher Education Academy. 

What is the structure of the Programme?

An outline of the structure of the Programme is provided in the table below.  Compulsory core modules are shown in bold; optional core and elective modules are in regular font. 

All modules are worth 15 credits.  Students must accumulate at least 120 credits in Criminology to graduate with a named Dual Honours Degree in Criminology and the other subject they have chosen to study. 

All students must take one compulsory core module in each semester in Years 1 and 2.  In Year 3 students must take at least one module in each semester in Criminology but may choose from a range of taught modules and the dissertation module.  The dissertation module is a double module studied in both semesters and is worth a total of 30 credits.

The elective modules listed for Years 1 and 2 and the modules listed for Year 3 are subject to change depending on staff availability and may not be offered every year.

YEAR	SEMESTER 1	SEMESTER 2
1	Understanding Crime Crime and Psychology Murder	Criminal Justice: Process, Policy and Practice Investigating Crime: Criminological Perspectives Punishment: Beyond the Popular Imagination
2	Research Methods in Criminology Crime, Culture and Conflict 1780 – 1950 Crime and the Media	Crime & Justice in a Global Context Building Safer Communities Working for Justice
3	Women and Crime Gender, History & Punishment Crimes of the Powerful Crime & Popular Culture Risk & Crime Philosophical Criminology Quantitative Data Analysis in Criminology Qualitative Data Analysis in Criminology Dissertation 1	Sentencing and the Community Politics and Cultures of the Death Penalty in the 21st Century Psychosocial Controversies War Crimes & Genocide Crime and Crime Control in Transition The Prosecution Process Dissertation 2

In addition to the elective modules listed in this table, students may choose to study modules which are offered as part of other programmes in the School of Sociology and Criminology, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and across the University.  These include:

• Modules in other subjects closely related to Criminology such as Sociology, Psychology, and Law.
• Modules in other subjects in which they may have a particular interest such as English, History, Politics or International Relations.
• Modules designed to help students for whom it is not their first language to improve their use of English for academic purposes.
• Modern foreign languages modules at different levels in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Japanese.
• Freestanding modules in subjects of general interest including ethics, contemporary religions and the politics, society and culture of some of Britain’s European neighbours.
• Freestanding modules related to student volunteering, studying abroad as part of the University’s exchange programme employability skills and personal development.

The table below sets out what students learn in each year of the Programme, the modules in which that learning takes place, and the main ways in which students are assessed on their learning.  In Years 1 and 2 these learning outcomes are achieved in the two compulsory core modules which all students are required to take.  Some of these outcomes may also be achieved in elective modules together with other outcomes not stated here.  In Year 3 the stated outcomes are achieved by taking any of the modules offered in each semester.

YEAR 1 First year modules provide students with a thorough grounding in the study skills needed for criminology and an introduction to the nature and scope of criminology as a discipline and the scope of criminological research.  They present a comprehensive overview of the ways in which criminologists have set about understanding crime and the criminal justice process. Subject knowledge and understanding
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Explain the distinctive characteristics of criminology as a discipline	Understanding Crime	Class tests; essay; unseen multiple choice examination
Recognise the relationship between crime and other social problems	Understanding Crime	Essay; unseen multiple choice examination
Distinguish between and evaluate the principal ways of measuring crime and victimisation	Understanding Crime	Essay; unseen multiple choice examination
Recognise the main theoretical traditions in criminology and illustrate their application in understanding different forms of crime and criminal justice processes, policies and practices	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Unseen multiple choice examination Poster & report; class test; review
Recognise and describe the relationships between crime, responses to it and social divisions and diversity	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Essay; unseen multiple choice examination Poster & report; class test; review
Recognise and illustrate the impact of social change on crime and ways of responding to it	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Unseen multiple choice examination Class test; review
Describe the development and current organisation and operation of official and unofficial responses to crime	Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Poster & report; class test; review
Recognise different approaches to social scientific research and their use in investigating crime and responses to it	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Essay; unseen multiple choice examination Poster & report; class test; review
Identify some of the main ways in which crime and ways of responding to it are represented in the media and by agents of crime control	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Unseen multiple choice examination Poster & report; class test; review
Subject specific skills
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Use appropriate bibliographic search tools to find relevant criminological materials in hard copy and electronic formats	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Class tests; essay Poster & report; review
Identify the main points of key texts and use them in developing arguments and making judgements about criminological issues	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Class tests; essay Poster & report; review
Present written work in criminology in an appropriate scholarly style using the Harvard system of citation and referencing	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Class tests; essay; unseen multiple choice examination Review
Key or transferable skills (including employability skills)
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Find and make use of information from closed and open sources using online search tools	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Essay; unseen multiple choice examination Poster & report; class test; review
Manipulate and present figures including ratios and percentages	Understanding Crime	Essay
Communicate ideas and arguments orally and in writing to an audience of their peers using appropriate visual presentation aids	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Class tests; essay Poster & report; class test; review
Work effectively as a member of a team	Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Poster & report
Reflect on and plan their own learning by acting appropriately on feedback	Understanding Crime Criminal Justice: Process, Policy & Practice	Essay (submitted for formative and summative assessment) Poster & report
YEAR 2 In the second year students build on the foundations laid in the first year.  Modules provide a comprehensive introduction to the quantitative and qualitative research methods used by criminologists and look in detail at how criminology has tried to understand the effects on crime and criminal justice of globalisation and other processes of social change associated with the coming of ‘late modernity’. Subject knowledge and understanding
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Explain the impact of globalisation and other processes of social change on crime and criminal justice	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Group presentation; case study; unseen examination
Evaluate the capacity of criminological theory and research, including comparative analysis, to explain contemporary developments in crime and social control	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Case study; unseen examination
Recognise the relevance and limits of criminological knowledge in explaining the consequences of rapid social change	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Case study; unseen examination
Explain the relationship between theory, methodology and methods in criminological research	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise Methodological critique of qualitative research
Analyse the history, logics and processes of quantitative and qualitative social science research in criminology	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise Methodological critique of qualitative research
Subject specific skills
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Evaluate criminological theories and apply them to the analysis of contemporary social problems and institutions	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Group presentation; case study; unseen examination
Undertake further study at the forefront of criminology	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Group presentation; case study; unseen examination
Formulate research questions and identify appropriate research strategies to address them	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise Methodological critique of qualitative research
Assess the usefulness of computer software in collating, retrieving and analysing research data	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise
Identify and assess the ethical issues that may arise in relation to criminological research	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise Methodological critique of qualitative research
Undertake a research project in criminology with suitable support and supervision	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise Methodological critique of qualitative research
Key or transferable skills (including employability skills)
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Evaluate and make use of abstract theories in analysing and resolving problems working alone and as a member of a team	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Group presentation; case study; unseen examination
Communicate complex arguments supported by appropriate evidence both orally and in writing	Crime and Justice in a Global Context	Group presentation; case study; unseen examination
Design a research project and undertake a range of basic research tasks making appropriate use of information technology	Research Methods in Criminology	Quantitative research design exercise Methodological critique of qualitative research
YEAR 3 In the third year students deepen their knowledge of selected criminological topics by choosing to study two or more modules in a range of subjects which vary from year to year but reflect the specialist expertise and active research interests of members of staff.  Students may also choose to write a research dissertation in criminology.  This may be library-based or involve ‘hands-on’ empirical research.  In either case students work under the guidance of a member of a staff group with a wealth of experience in theoretical and empirical criminological research. Subject knowledge and understanding
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Recognise, interpret and evaluate theories, concepts and research in defined areas at the forefront of criminology	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations
Apply established criminological theories and methods of inquiry to understanding and resolving new and unfamiliar criminological problems in areas of current research activity	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations
Subject specific skills
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Describe and make critical judgements about developments in current areas of research in criminology	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; short research papers; portfolios and presentations
Identify possible directions in which further empirical research and theoretical development might take place in areas of criminology at the forefront of the discipline	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations
Communicate ideas informed by contemporary research and new developments in criminological theory both orally and in writing	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations
Manage their own learning making use of appropriate criminological materials in a current area of research activity	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations
Key or transferable skills (including employability skills)
Outcome Students will be able to	Module	Assessment
Work productively in a largely unstructured context exercising initiative and personal responsibility	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; closed and open book unseen exams; short research papers; portfolios and presentations
Make decisions and plan activity in uncertain and unpredictable contexts	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations
Undertake appropriate further training of an academic, professional or practical nature	All modules approved as part of the Criminology Principal Programme	Modules are assessed in a variety of ways including: essays; short research papers; closed and open book unseen exams; portfolios and presentations

Students may leave the Criminology Principal Programme with one of three final awards:

1. 1.    Honours Degree (360 credits).  To be awarded a Dual Honours Degree in Criminology and their other Principal Programme Subject a student normally requires a total of at least 360 credits.  Of these 360 credits 120 must be obtained in Criminology and 120 in their other Principal Programme Subject.  Students must normally obtain a total of 120 credits at each level of study (i.e. in each of the three years of their degree).  Of these 120 credits at each level of study at least 30 credits must be obtained in Criminology and 30 in their other Principal Programme Subject.
2. 2.    Diploma in Higher Education (240 credits).  To be awarded a Diploma in Higher Education a student requires a total of at least 240 credits.  Of these 240 credits at least 120 must be obtained at Level 5 (Year 2) or higher.
3. 3.    Certificate in Higher Education (120 credits).  To be awarded a Certificate in Higher Education a student requires a total of at least 120 credits at Level 4 (Year 1) or higher.

How is the Programme assessed?

The function of the assessments listed in the table above is to test students’ achievement of the learning outcomes of the Criminology Principal Programme.  For example:

• Unseen closed and open book examinations in different formats test students’ knowledge of criminological theories and the findings of criminological research and their ability to apply that knowledge responsibly in understanding social problems.  Examinations may consist of essay, short answer and/or multiple choice questions.
• Essays, including those based on case study material, also test the quality and application of subject knowledge.  In addition they allow students to demonstrate their ability to carry out basic bibliographic research and to communicate their ideas effectively in writing in an appropriate scholarly style using the Harvard system of referencing.
• Class tests taken either conventionally or online via the Keele Learning Environment (KLE) assess students’ subject knowledge and their ability to apply it in a more structured and focused way.
• Reviews of other scholars’ work test students’ ability to identify and summarise the key points of a text and to evaluate the quality of arguments and the evidence used to support them.  In the case of work based on empirical research, reviews also assess students’ knowledge of research methodologies and their ability to make critical judgements about the appropriateness of different strategies for collecting and analysing data.
• Research design projects and short research papers test student’s knowledge of different research methodologies and the limits and provisional nature of criminological knowledge.  They also enable students to demonstrate their ability to formulate research questions and to answer them using an appropriate strategy.
• Oral and poster presentations and reports assess students’ subject knowledge and understanding.  They also test their ability to work effectively as members of a team, to communicate what they know orally and visually, and to reflect on these processes as part of their own personal development.
• Portfolios may consist of a range of different pieces of work but routinely include a requirement that students provide some evidence of critical reflection on the development of their own learning.

Marks are awarded for summative assessments designed to assess students’ achievement of learning outcomes.  Students are also assessed formatively to enable them to monitor their own progress and to assist staff in identifying and addressing any specific learning needs.  Formative assessment is not formally marked.  Purely formative assessment is concentrated in Year 1 of the programme when students are tested – and provided with extensive feedback - on both the quality of their academic writing and the development of their subject knowledge and understanding.  Feedback, including guidance on how students can improve the quality of their work, is also provided on all summative assessments and more informally in the course of tutorial and seminar discussions.

What are the typical admission requirements for the Programme?

The University’s general entry requirements are a minimum of two A-level passes or the equivalent in other qualifications, plus GCSE grade C or above in English Language and either mathematics or a science subject. 

In addition to the University’s general entry requirements, the tariff points needed to study Criminology depend on the other Principal Programme subject chosen.  As a general rule, offers are in the 260 – 320 point range.  There are no specific subject or additional GCSE requirements.

Keele welcomes applications from students with qualifications other than A-levels including 14-19 Diplomas, the BTEC National Certificate and Diploma, the Scottish Certificate of Education (Advanced Higher Level) and the International Baccalaureate.  Students with these qualifications are advised to contact the University’s Admissions Office before applying through UCAS.  The University also accepts Access to Higher Education Diplomas and normally requires 60 credits of which 45 have been passed at Level 3.

Applicants who are not currently undertaking any formal study or who have been out of formal education for more than 3 years and are not qualified to A-level or BTEC standard may be offered entry to the University’s Foundation Year Programme.  The Foundation Year includes a module specifically aimed at students intending to go on to study criminology.

How are students supported on the Programme?

Support for student learning on the Programme is provided in the following ways:

• Module and tutorial group leaders are responsible for providing support for learning on the modules and in the tutorial groups for which they are responsible.  They also give individual feedback on in-course assessments and more general feedback on examinations.
• Every student is allocated to a personal tutor who is responsible for reviewing and advising on students’ academic progress in Criminology and on their other Principal Programme.
• Personal tutors also act as a first point of contact for students on non-academic issues which may affect their learning and can refer students on to a range of specialist health, welfare and financial services co-ordinated by the University’s Centre for Learning and Student Support (CLASS).
• Additional help with University level study skills is available from the Learning Support Officer in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

All members of teaching staff on the Criminology Principal Programme are available to see students during advertised weekly office hours and at other times by appointment.

Learning resources

Criminology is taught in teaching rooms across the University, almost all of which are equipped with computers, internet access and electronic whiteboards or projection equipment.  Rooms may be arranged either in traditional lecture format or more informally to allow students to work together in small groups. 

The learning resources available to students on the Programme include:

• The extensive collection of criminological materials relevant to undergraduate study held in the University Library.  Built up over 20 years of delivering criminology at this level, these materials include books, journals and government publications.  Much of this material is also accessible online to Keele students from anywhere in the world with a University username and password.
• A smaller collection of criminological publications and materials held in a Resources Room in the University’s main Chancellor’s Building.  The Resources Room is open at regular times during teaching periods and the resources are specifically related to the needs of students on the Criminology Principal Programme.
  • The Keele Learning Environment (KLE) which provides easy access to a wide range of learning resources including lecture notes, electronic materials available in a repository maintained by the University Library and other resources – video, audio and text-based – accessible from external providers via the internet.

Other learning opportunities

Students on the Criminology Principal Programme have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in their second year studying at one of Keele’s partner universities in Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa or Hong Kong.  Exactly which countries are available depends on their choice of degree subjects.  No additional tuition fees are payable for studying abroad but students do have to bear the costs of travelling to and from their destination university and insurance.  Grants may be available to cover some of these additional costs for students choosing to study elsewhere in Europe.  Further information on studying abroad is available from advisers working in Keele International.

Other learning opportunities for criminology students vary from year to year but currently include a week long study trip to Ball State University in the American Midwestern state of Indiana.  During their time at Keele, students also have the opportunity to hear from, and talk to, a range of guest speakers and presenters including staff from local criminal justice agencies and leading academic criminologists from around the world.  Some of these activities are timetabled as part of taught modules, others are organised separately but are widely advertised and undergraduate students are always welcome to attend. 

Quality management and enhancement

The Undergraduate Criminology Programme Director is responsible for the overall direction of learning and teaching on the Programme supported by the Criminology Programmes Board.  The Programmes Board consists of student representatives plus all members of staff teaching on undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes in criminology.

The quality and standards of learning in Criminology are subject to a continuous process of monitoring, review and enhancement. 

• The Learning and Teaching Committee of the School of Sociology and Criminology is responsible for reviewing and monitoring quality management and enhancement procedures and activities across the School.
• Individual modules and the Criminology Principal Programme as a whole are reviewed and enhanced every year as part of the University’ Curriculum Annual Review and Development (CARD) process.
• The Programme is run in accordance with the standards set out in the University’s Academic Quality and Standards Manual (AQSM) and is subject to annual audits of its compliance with the Manual by the University’s Assurance and Academic Audit Office.

Student evaluation of, and feedback on, the quality of learning in Criminology takes place in several ways:

• The results of student evaluations of all modules are reported to module leaders and reviewed by the Programmes Board as part of the Curriculum Annual Review and Development (CARD) process referred to earlier.
• Findings related to the Criminology Principal Programme from the annual National Student Survey (NSS), and from regular surveys of the student experience conducted by the University, are subjected to careful analysis and a planned response at Programme and School level.
• Feedback received from representatives of students in all three years of the Criminology Principal Programme is considered and acted on at regular meetings of the Programme’s Staff/Student Liaison Committee.

In addition to this, the quality and standards of learning are regularly discussed and monitored by the Criminology Programmes Board and by the School Learning & Teaching Committee. 

Two senior members of academic staff from other universities are appointed by the University’s Senate to act as external examiners on the Criminology Principal Programme.  They are responsible for:

• Approving all examination questions
• Confirming all marks which contribute to a student’s degree
• Reviewing and giving advice on the structure and content of the Programme and assessment procedures.

External examiners see all work marked internally as a ‘fail’, of ‘first class’ standard or on the borderline between two classes (e.g. between a ‘2:1’ and a ‘2:2’).  They also see work on the rare occasions when there is substantial disagreement between internal markers and receive a sample of work from all modules in Years 2 and 3. 

The principles of programme design

The Criminology Principal Programme described in this document has been drawn up with reference to, and in accordance with the guidance set out in, the following documents

Programme Specification Template: Undergraduate, Keele University, 2009.

Guidelines for preparing programme specifications, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2006.

The framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2006.

Subject Benchmark Statement: Criminology, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2007.

Learning and Teaching Strategy 2007-2010, Keele University, 2007.

Keele Assessment Strategy, Keele University, 2008.

Educational Aims for Undergraduate Courses, Keele University, 2005.

Employability Skills Guidelines for Undergraduate Programmes, Keele University, 2007.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Learning and Teaching Strategy 2007-2010, Keele University, 2007.

This programme specification was written in January 2009 with final revisions June 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Criminology:/Programme Specification–Final version-June 09

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