CRI-10015 - Punishment: Beyond the popular imagination

Coordinator: Santiago Abel Amietta

Lecture Time: See Timetable...

Level: Level 4

Credits: 15

Study Hours: 150

School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

NONE

Barred Combinations

NONE

Description for 2020/21

This module will introduce students to a range of debates about the nature of punishment and its representation in popular culture. It will introduce students to a range of formal and informal sanctions before focusing on physical punishments (most notably corporal and capital punishments) and the emergence of the use of imprisonment. It will consider the arguments for and against different forms of punishment, the reasons why so many societies have moved away from the use of corporal and capital punishments and why a number of societies have retained (or in some cases re-introduced) them. It will also examine the nature of contemporary systems of punishment based on imprisonment, the challenges they face and the alternative forms of punishment that have emerged in the second half of the 20th century.

Aims

1) To increase students knowledge and understanding of a range of debates about the nature of punishment and its representation in popular culture
2) To develop students appreciation of the variety, form and distribution of criminal sanctions in different cultures and different historical periods
3) To develop students understanding of the changing nature and scope of punishment
4) To enable students to appreciate the importance of comparative analysis in investigating punishment

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/cri-10015/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

Recognise and describe sociological perspectives on punishment: 1
Recognise and illustrate the impact of processes of social change on responses to crime: 1
Recognise the importance of comparative analysis in investigating punishment: 1
Identify different representations of punishment in the media and public discourse: 1
Make use of research evidence, other data and some basic criminological theories in developing arguments and making judgements about punishment issues: 1
Recognise and describe the relationships between punishment and social divisions based on age, gender, class and ethnicity: 1

Study hours

11 hour Lectures
10 hour seminars
12 hours presentation preparation (formative student group presentations ungraded )
45 hours assessment preparation
72 hours Preparation reading

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Online Tasks weighted 100%
On line self marking task
Online task. Students will be required to work through a set of online activities. The test will comprise 100 separate short activities that will test the students breadth of knowledge and engagement with the whole module. Example questions will be made available to students prior to the assessment. This online activity will be made available to students after the taught component of the module is completed. The test is designed so that it can be completed comfortably in the equivalent of three-four hours, but students are encouraged to focus on addressing/answering each task accurately rather than quickly, so the allotted timescale gives students the time to pause and consult their notes, readings and module materials every time they encounter a task that they are not able to answer/complete.

CRI-10015 - Module Specification School of Social, Political and Global Studies Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

CRI-10015 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences