BASS Social Anthropology and Data Analytics / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Criminal Law (Criminology)

Course unit fact file
Unit code LAWS10082
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Offered by Law
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

This course will examine general principles underpining criminal law as well as some of the core criminal offences (eg. murder, manslaughter, sexual offences, theft) and defences (eg loss of control, self defence, insanity).

 

Aims

This course unit aims to equip you with the ability to analyse the core criminal offences and defences of England and Wales, and to understand the role of criminal law within its wider social, political and moral context. It aims to enable you to develop a critical understanding of the general aims, values and principles of criminal law and to understand the content of selected specific criminal laws and to apply it to practical situations.

Learning outcomes

 

 

 

Teaching and learning methods

20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars.

Intellectual skills

- An ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the core criminal offences and defences.

- An ability to think critically about the values and principles that inform the criminal law.

- An ability to understand the role, and basis, of judicial law making in criminal law.

- A capacity to identify, analyse, evaluate and interpret significant legal, social, political and ethical issues pertaining to criminal law.

- A capacity to relate criminal law ‘in books’ to criminal law ‘in action’.

Practical skills

 - A capacity to provide reasoned and critical analysis of criminal law.

- A capacity to appraise historical, philosophical, social, and political arguments concerning the role of criminal law and its relationship to society.

- An ability to carry out independent library-based and electronic research.

- An ability to present argument coherently and fluently.

- An ability to structure argument and analysis.

- An ability to work in groups.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

- An ability to engage in structured oral discussion.

- An ability to collect information from the sources available, including electronic resources.

- An ability to manage one’s own study-time and meet deadlines.

- An ability to discern between the merits or otherwise of competing arguments.

- An ability to present material orally in front of a small group.

Assessment methods

Formative: One 1,500 word essay or problem question from a choice of 4. 

Summative Assessment will be by way of one examination 100% (2 hour and 30 min). Students will answer 3 from a choice of 7 questions. 

Examination at the end of the semester.

Feedback methods

Feedback is provided in a number of ways:

- you will receive written and oral feedback on your formative assessment.

- feedback will be provided in seminars.

- past examination, an outline of issues, giving guidance on appropriate content for examination and answers will be provided.

Recommended reading

J Child and D Ormerod, Smith, Hogan, and Ormerod's Essentials of Criminal Law 4th Edition 2021
Oxford University Press


Padfield, N., ‘Criminal Law’ 10th Edition 2016, Oxford: OUP

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 20
Seminars 10
Independent study hours
Independent study 70

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Geoff Pearson Unit coordinator

Additional notes

Closed book examination.

Information
Restricted to: BA (Criminology) for which this subject is compulsory;  BA (Econ) students (all pathways), BA Social Sciences (BASS). Other students may be accepted at the discretion of the course unit director.

This course is available to incoming study abroad students.

Timetable
See Law School Timetable.

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