Sociology and Criminology

Crime and the Media (Aut)

Module code: L3020A
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Portfolio

This module takes a cultural view of media representations of crime, examining the influence of crime on popular culture and everyday life including:

• advertising
• documentaries
• television news
• social media.

You’ll examine relationships between:

• instances of crime
• media about crime
• political reactions to crime
• public opinion about crime.

You’ll focus on the latter to explore how crime media causes reactionary and resentful responses to ‘criminals’, while also exploiting crime themes for entertainment and consumption.

Finally, you’ll consider how far media influences public opinion about crime, and if people really believe everything they read, hear and watch.

Module learning outcomes

• Critically identify media representations that contribute to criminological themes.
• Apply criminological approaches to media about crime.
• Understand the limits of media (including social media) as sources for knowledge about crime.
• Effectively communicate detailed analysis of a media example with consideration for format and audience.