Subject Intent: Why Criminology?
The study of Criminology provides an understanding of the complexity of behaviours and social implications of crimes and criminality and the impact of this on wider social issues, including government policies and initiatives. Students acquire academic skills such as research, report writing and communication along with practical skills including creativity, planning and organisation. Criminology provides the opportunity to apply knowledge to the real world, creating an awareness of the “big picture” and challenging students to hold to account, and question, decisions made on their behalf, encouraging them to engage with the society around them.
The course is good preparation for studying the social sciences at university, and also prepares students for work in crime-related contexts such as the law, policing and criminal justice.
What will I study?
- Changing awareness of crime: types of crime, perceptions of crime, unreported crime
- Media representations of crime and official data on crime
- Crime prevention and awareness campaigns
- Criminological theories: theories of criminality from biology, psychology and sociology
- Crime scene to courtroom: the criminal justice system from investigation to verdict – personnel and techniques involved in criminal investigations and courtroom procedures
- Crime and punishment: law-making, criminal justice, forms and functions of punishmen
Criminology
Please note: Subject videos have been filmed from colleges across our Trust.
What are lessons like in this subject?
In Criminology lessons, students participate in a range of learning activities as they progress through the course. This may involve discussion, independent and group research, along with classroom
quizzes. Students research a range of case studies of crimes in society along with how the criminal justice system operates.
As part of the formal assessment, students carry out extensive research, write a detailed report and plan a campaign to raise awareness of crime, developing transferable skills for employment. Students maintain a detailed folder of class resources and notes to prepare them for the different modes of assessment used in this course.
In addition, students can visit a Criminology conference and benefit from guest speakers who work in the field of crime and criminal justice.
What our
students
Criminology is a relevant and practical subject. I’ve really enjoyed looking at the different types of crime and how campaigns in the media are used to increase awareness of them.
Chris Clarke, Airedale Academy
