module specification

The aim of this module is to explore the range of crimes committed by the powerful, such as white-collar, state, corporate and environmental crime, and the level of harm they cause to societies and economies. Traditionally, criminal justice systems and criminology as a discipline, have focused on the crimes committed by the most disadvantaged and powerless members of society.  Crimes committed by powerful individuals or organisations have not faced the same level of attention and scrutiny. This is despite the fact these crimes are often very serious and contribute to more injuries, deaths, financial loss and social harm than ‘conventional’ crimes.

In this module you will gain a critical understanding of the key concepts, theories, and issues, past and present, in relation to crimes committed by the powerful. You will be encouraged to actively participate in discussion and debates linked to key themes and given opportunities for reflective learning. You will develop the skills to investigate, critically examine, and present detailed analysis of current case studies of crimes committed by states, corporations and powerful individuals. In this module, you will also gain an understanding of the difficulties experienced when trying to regulate, investigate and research these crimes. As part of your assessment, you will be required to create a ‘campaign for social change’ file related to crime committed by powerful entities. You will develop transferable skills in oral and written analysis, independent learning, reflective learning and group-work which will help in future professional practice or postgraduate study.

Available for Study Abroad? YES

The syllabus will cover:

An Introduction to Crimes of the Powerful - this session will introduce the module and key concepts (LO 1).

Crime, Power and Social Harm - explores the zemiological critique of criminology and the social harm approach (LO 1, 2).

Colonialism - looks at colonial crimes and their impact past and present (LO 1,2, 3, 4, 6).

State Crime - explores criminal, repressive, and negligent actions of States (LO 1,2,3, 4, 6). 

Corporate Crime - examines types of corporate crime, causes and impacts (LO 1,2, 3, 4, 6).

White-collar Crime - covers types of white-collar crime, motivations, and costs to society (LO 1,2, 3, 4, 6).

Environmental Crime - examines crimes against the environment by powerful entities (LO 1,2, 3, 4, 6).

Researching Crimes of the Powerful - looks at barriers to researching crimes of the powerful and how researchers have overcome them (LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 6).

Legal Regulation - examines the difficulties in deterring, regulating, and punishing crimes of the powerful (LO 1, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Assessment workshops - supports you with your assessments (LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

The teaching sessions will encompass a blend of lectures, seminar activities, workshops and online materials. You will be set discovery tasks prior to the lecture/seminars such as reading academic material, an official report, news piece or a case study, watching/listening to a relevant documentary, short film, or podcast. In the sessions, you will be expected to actively participate in discussions and debates linked to key themes, theoretical perspectives and case studies related to crimes committed by powerful entities. You are expected to attend, engage in all sessions and collaborate with colleagues. Adopting a hybrid learning approach, VLEs will be utilised to encourage you to engage with online learning resources.

Collaboration in both online forums and in person teaching is encouraged with the use of digital platforms such as Google Docs and Online discussion forums. You are also expected to undertake 6-7 hours independent reading/study per week to develop your knowledge and critical thinking skills; to support your engagement in the sessions and the completion of assignments.

Workshops will also include opportunities assessment preparation and reflective learning. You will be expected to create a campaign file related to a crime committed by a powerful entity as part of your assessment. Following classroom sessions, to consolidate your learning further you will have access to further reading and resources to further develop knowledge and understanding.

On successful completion of the module you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of theoretical perspectives, concepts and issues past and present in relation to crimes committed by the powerful and their impact on societies and economies.

2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the difficulties involved in researching, regulating, and punishing crimes of the powerful.

3. Investigate, critically examine and present detailed analysis of current case studies of crimes committed by states, organisations and powerful individuals.

4. Formulate and defend, orally and in writing, evidence-based arguments on crimes of the powerful.

5. Create a campaign strategy document for social change.

6. Develop transferable skills for future professional practice or postgraduate study such as oral and written analysis, dependent learning, reflective learning and group-work.

Assessment 1 (30%): 1000-word campaign for social change strategy document.

You will be asked to complete a 1000-word campaign strategy document for social change. This will involve the creation of a campaign for social change in relation to a crime committed by a powerful entity or entities. You will identify a campaign name, goal, strategy, sources of support, a communication strategy, conduct a force field analysis and formulate a backfire strategy. As well as demonstrating you are able to create a campaign for social change strategy document (LO 5), you will demonstrate you are able to formulate and defend, orally and in writing, evidence-based arguments on crimes of the powerful (LO 4), and develop transferable skills for potential future professional practice (LO 6).

Assessment 2 (70%): 1500-word essay

This component will provide assessment choices. You will have the opportunity to conduct an assessment according to your perceived strengths and in so doing aim to facilitate inclusive practice (LO4, 5, 6). 

OR

Make a presentation with 1000-word supporting document, 10 minutes in length.

You will choose from a range of questions that will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge of theory and research on crimes of the powerful (LO1 and/or 2, 3,4).

Key Reading:

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/9A329C45-40FD-82DA-8A10-C97386ADB42C.html?lang=en&login=1