Bachelor of Arts (BASS)

BASS Social Anthropology and Philosophy

Debate today's fundamental questions and how they relate to different cultures.
  • Duration: 3 or 4 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: LV65 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Study abroad
  • Industrial experience

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

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).

Scholarships/sponsorships

Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary , are available to eligible home/EU students.

Some undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year, in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.

You can get information and advice on student finance to help you manage your money.

Course unit details:
Understanding Punishment

Course unit fact file
Unit code CRIM20692
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 2
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

This course introduces some of the central issues and concepts involved in a critical consideration of the nature and functioning of penal systems. We will explore the main theoretical perspectives and apply these to some contemporary problems in the field.

Indicative content: (1) Why do we punish? The aim of punishment and societal structure (i); (2) The political economy of punishment (ii); (3) Punishment and discipline (iii); (4) Punishment and culture (iv); (5) Fines and intersectionality (v); (6) How do we punish? Probation, risk and electronic monitoring (i); (7) Restorative Justice (ii); (8) Prison (iii); (9) The death penalty and life imprisonment (iv); (10) Wrap up and essay guidance.

Pre/co-requisites

None, though prior knowledge of theoretical approaches to explaining crime and deviance would be an advantage. 

Aims

The unit aims to provide a thorough understanding of the main theoretical perspectives on punishment and their application to current issues in penal policy.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course successful students will be able to: (1) provide a critical account of the main theoretical perspectives on punishment; (2) explain how these can be used to understand contemporary issues in penal policy; (3) accurately summarise and evaluate complex material; (4) apply theoretical ideas to address practical/policy problems. 

Teaching and learning methods

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 or workshop; (3) a tutorial; and (4) one-to-one support via subject specific office hours.

Employability skills

Other
(i) analyse, critique and (re-)formulate a problem or issue; (ii) rapidly and thoroughly review/rate argument and evidence from targeted bibliographic searches; (iii) plan, structure and present arguments in a variety of written formats and to a strict word limit, (iv) express ideas verbally and organise work effectively in small teams for a variety of written and oral tasks; (v) obtain, manipulate and (re-)present different forms of data; (vi) manage time effectively; (vii) reflect on and improve performance through feedback.

Assessment methods

Coursework (90)% and online question/quizzes (10%)

Feedback methods

Formative feedback (both individual and collective) will be given  (1) on tasks and contribution in class, (2) developing essay plans. Detailed summative feedback will be given on the submitted essay via Blackboard (Grademark).

Recommended reading

Garland, D. (1990) Punishment & Modern Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Study hours

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

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Fiamma Terenghi Unit coordinator

Additional notes

Across their course units each semester, full-time students are expected to devote a ‘working week’ of around 30-35 hours to study. Accordingly each course unit demands around 10-11 hours of study per week consisting of (i) 3 timetabled teacher-led hours, (ii) 7-8 independent study hours devoted to preparation, required and further reading, and note taking.

Information
Restricted to: LLB (Law with Criminology) if not choosing LAWS20452 or LAWS20412 and BA (Criminology) for which this subject is compulsory. LLB (Law), BA/LLB (Law with Politics) and BA Social Sciences (BASS).
Other students from the Faculty of Humanities as approved by the Course Unit Director.

This course  is available to incoming study abroad students university wide.

Pre-requisites: None.

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