CRI-10014 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

This module is concerned with the social history of modern investigative techniques. It will examine the emergence of criminal justice bureaucracies and of detective work as a specialism within them. It will go on to take a critical, sociological look at the development, impact and limitations of a range of technologies - motor vehicles, ICT, psychological and DNA profiling and technologies of regulation and surveillance - in the context of the investigation of crime and criminal justice practice more generally.

To increase students appreciation of a criminological understanding of crime investigation.
To increase students understanding and appreciation of modern investigative techniques.
To enable students to understand and reflect upon how the emergence of criminal justice bureaucracies and detective work impacts upon crime investigation.
To enable students to evaluate the impact and limitations of a range of crime investigation technologies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Reognise and describe the contributions made by various parties in investigating a criminal event: 1
Recognise and describe the contributions, compexities and limitations of a range of investigatory and evidence-gathering techniques: 1
Recognise and illustrate the impact of processes of social change such as globalisation on crime investigation: 1
Describe the development and current organisation, governance and operation of crime investigation: 1
Recognise and identify the importance of comparative analysis in crime investigation: 1
Identify different representations of crime investigations in the media and by agents of crime control: 1
Recognise the social context in which investigative techniques and practices have emerged and operate: 1
Describe the processes involved in gathering, evaluating and presenting evidence of a criminal event: 1

Study hours

10 hours lectures
10 hours tutorials
30 hours preparation for and completion of online task assessment.
100 hours personal study, preparatory reading and other work for lectures and seminars

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment