Sociology and Criminology

Police and Policing (Elective)

Module code: L4105E
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

Examine policing in contemporary British society through looking at:

• how policing has evolved since the start of the Metropolitan Police in 1829
• modern-day policing through the analysis of relevant theories, practices and policy considerations.

We focus on different types of approaches, contexts and situations, such as those relating to counter-terrorism, community, political protest, gender and hate crime.

The police are often thought of as a monolithic institution. We will explore this by looking at how different policing practices shape media and public perceptions, and how they affect political response.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of policing as an area of criminological study
• Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of empirical research on policing
• Apply theoretical arguments on policing to empirical examples, in order to critically analyse these examples
• Evaluate evidence from criminological studies of policing, including the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of these studies