Criminology of Violence and Death (L5104A)

15 credits, Level 6

Autumn teaching

The module examines a variety of violent crimes. Specifically, it focuses on hate crime, state violence/terrorism and murder. The underlying aim of the module is to understand motivations for violent crime and to critically assess appropriate criminal justice responses.

The module will focus on three key areas of violent crime: hate crime, state violence/terrorism and serial murder, which are areas of increasing topical and policy concern. Each will be examined in relation to policy and the lived reality for victims and offenders. The module examines different victim groups, which might include ethnic minorities, the disabled or women, situating them within the wider field of victimology. The aetiology of offenders will be examined, which spans people who commit 'everyday' violent crime to those who are passionately committed to extremism. Finally, you will evaluate cultural and media representations of violent crime. 

On completion of the module you will have a more critical overview of crimes of hate and their policy responses.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.