module specification

The overall aim of this module is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to design and conduct an independent criminological research project, and to produce a written research report. This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of criminological theory and its application, of the quality and significance of criminological research evidence, and the relevance of your research to contemporary issues and debates in criminology and criminal justice fields.

The module aims to:

1. Give you the opportunity to reflect upon your learning, your experience, and the skills you have acquired to date, to independently define and research a criminological topic which is of interest to you.
2. Further develop your research skills, encouraging you to formulate feasible criminological research questions, to select appropriate quantitative/qualitative methods, and to reflect upon ethical issues which arise in research.
3. Give you the opportunity to produce a written research report which demonstrates your knowledge, understanding and skills for conducting criminological research, recognising the relationship between criminology and related fields as well as the limits of knowledge.

Available for Study Abroad? NO

The syllabus will focus on preparing you for your research project through a series of workshops in the autumn term. The workshops provide advice and guidance on the key aspects:

Choosing a topic and planning your research project: the first session encourages you to think about criminological topics of interest and the formulation and feasibility of research questions/plans as well as relevant /required skills (LO 1,2).

Reviewing the literature: looks at how you develop/demonstrate critical engagement with relevant research evidence/literature, locating your own research within the field (LO 3).

Methodology: explores research design and methods, considering the appropriateness of quantitative/qualitative methods for criminological research (LO 1,2,3,4,5,6).

Researching people – Ethics and Access: considers ethical issues as they may arise in the research process and the guidelines which students/criminologists are expected to adhere to (LO 4,5,6).

What next? Where to start?: considers how you might put together a research proposal which involves a plan/schedule for your research.  We will also consider how you might plan your time and where to begin with work on your independent project as well as considering the support from your supervisor and the development of a good working relationship (LO 2, 6).

Good research guide: past students share their examples and experience of undergraduate criminological research projects (LO 2,4,6).

Later sessions are offered on more of a ‘drop-in’ or ‘as required’ basis and tend to cover Data collection/analysis; Writing up; Student-led support sessions (LO 1,2,3,4,5,6).                                                     

The rest of the year on this module consists largely of students’ self-directed learning activity with some support from supervisors.

Workshops: You attend up to 10 workshops which encourage reflective learning.  The workshops address issues relating to conducting a student research project.  The sessions are run by the module leader with the support of criminology colleagues and guests/past students.  Workshops are constructed in relation to key aspects of designing and conducting a research project.  The sessions will be interactive and will provide students with an opportunity to seek clarification on various stages of the research project – this is continued throughout the year via supervision arrangements (see below).  Group activities and discussions also provide a forum for you to engage with your peers and discuss your progress and experience.  Opportunities are also provided for you to engage with guest speakers in relation to the research experience.

Supervision: You will be allocated a supervisor who will offer guidance and advice throughout the research project.

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate in writing their capacity to define a research problem and research a topic within the criminological field (and related fields); reflecting upon the limits of the field/s.
2. Demonstrate reflexive practice in the development of research including reflecting upon the skills developed and the ways in which these may be useful in the future.
3. Engage critically with seminal and current research evidence as a resource in research, recognising the significance and/or limits of resources available.
4. Identify an appropriate methodology for a particular research project, recognising its limits.
5. Reflect in writing, upon the ethical issues which arise in research.
6. Specify and/or conceptualise problems arising in the research process.

You must achieve an overall minimum mark of 40% to pass the module.

The module is assessed via one piece of written coursework as follows:

o A written discursive project report (9,000 words) – (100%) (week 28)

The 9000-word project report gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking /analysis skills in relation to conducting and writing up research on a criminological topic of your own choosing.  You must achieve an overall minimum mark of 40% to pass the module. The workshops and supervision sessions will support you with the preparation and completion of assessments.

Please note all entries are listed as core (as all projects will be unique it is not possible to select just two or three core resources for each of you).  Whilst it is not necessary/feasible for you to purchase/read all of the resources listed, you may wish to check them for relevance/significance to your own research/plans. Each of you will need to identify a wide range of resources relevant to your topic/research.

Key reading:

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/D5470B70-AB51-AC74-7A1E-2E46BE3B6C48.html?embed=1&lang=en&login=1