CRI-40031 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Following the completion of the taught element of the degree students complete a 15,000 - 20,000 words dissertation under supervision by a relevant member of staff drawn from the programme teaching team.

To allow students to demonstrate their ability to design and execute an individual research project under supervision by a relevant member of staff.
To allow students to complete a significant literature survey and demonstrate their ability to write an analytically sophisticated account of current thinking on a particular area of crime/criminal justice.
To enable students to understand the importance of process to the production of valid research through the completion of either a significant piece of library work or a fieldwork based Disseration.

Intended Learning Outcomes

design and complete a research project and understand the importance of research process in the social sciences.: 1
critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in the field of Criminology and Criminal Justice.: 1
evaluate methodological approaches to research problems, develop critiques of them, and generate new hypotheses where appropriate.: 1
show originality in their application of knowledge to theoretical and substantive problems in the study of contemporary crime and criminal justice.: 1
demonstrate an understanding of how methodology and theory interact and how these knowledges create and interpret new research.: 1
show autonomy and originality in solving theoretical and substantive problems in the field.: 1
work with complex theoretical and substantive issues and make reasonable judgments related to these issues on the basis of limited data.: 1
demonstrate a critically informed understanding of the principles of literature collection and analysis and be able to complete a comprehensive literature review.: 1

Study hours

10 hours individual supervision meetings (this is flexible but is envisaged as 5 x 2 hour individual supervision meetings between student and supervisor)
6 hours group research skills workshops
3 hours group workshops to share, discuss and present updates
20 hours structured engagement with online resources via the KLE.
361 hours: independent study - identification of topic, formulation of research question, research design and methodology, reading and
researching dissertation
200 hours: preparation and drafting of chapters and editing/revision/writing of final dissertation.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment