BA Criminology

Criminology – the study of crime – has existed as a nameable discipline for around 150 years during which time humanity has witnessed innumerable instances of what we would now call ‘atrocity crime’: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Often occurring under the cover of conflict, these organised mass crimes indelibly mark individuals, whole societies and humanity’s collective consciousness. They have occurred on all continents, in all decades, to people of very diverse backgrounds; they are happening now as you read this sentence. Why is it then that virtually no criminological scholarship in this general area existed until the dawn of the twenty-first century? Why has most criminology focused on the street-based crimes of the powerless, and not the state-led crimes of the powerful? What, if anything, can criminology offer the study of mass violence? What can it learn? Drawing on ideas from across the social and psychological sciences and from original fieldwork, this unit aims to establish the potential for a reflexive, interdisciplinary and ethically responsible criminology of mass violence.

The unit aims to establish the potential for a reflexive, interdisciplinary and ethically responsible criminology of mass violence.

On completion of the course, the engaged student will be able to -

• Understand criminology's historic complicity & silence in genocide studies

• Apply criminological theory to instances of mass violence

• Draw on complementary ideas from psychology, sociology and penology

• Critically assess the nature & worth of the criminological gaze.

Teaching and learning across course units consists of: (1) preparatory work to be completed prior to teaching sessions, including readings, pre-recorded subject material and online activities; (2) a weekly whole-class lecture; (3) a workshop; and (4) one-to-one support via subject specific office hours.

• Coursework essay: 3000 words (75%) 
• Reflective learning portfolio: 1000 words (25%)

• Rafter, N. (2016) The Crime of All Crimes: Towards a Criminology of Genocide. New York: NYU Press.
• Alvarez A (2010) Genocidal Crimes. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Jones A (2010) Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction. Abingdon: Routledge.

Information
This course is restricted to final year students only.

Available to students on BA Criminology, BASS and other programmes across the School of Social Science; others at the discretion of the Course Unit Director and subject to overall capacity.

Pre-requisites: no, though knowledge of theories of crime and deviance an advantage (knowledge is assumed).

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students.

Learn more about fees and finance for international students .

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships . This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026.