LAW6922   The Cultures of Criminology   (15 credits)

Description

Criminology is a subject area to which the academic disciplines of sociology, psychology, economics and law are brought to bear. This module explores the cultures of criminology - what criminologists take for granted as common-sense about the theory and methods they use to explore various subjects - to discover the very different theoretical and related methodological assumptions made by criminologists of particular academic persuasions. This aids our understanding of the benefits and shortcomings of choosing one theoretical perspective over another, and of the complexities of cross-cultural, comparative research. All of which has direct relevance to what could be called 'applied criminology' - the world of policy and administration.

Reading List