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- Sociology and Criminology BA (L314)
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Explore our Sociology and Criminology degree at Warwick
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- 2a
- L314
- 2b
- Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- 2c
- 3 years full-time
- 2d
- 26 September 2022
- 2e
- Department of Sociology
- 2f
- University of Warwick
- 3a
Why do people commit crime? Can crime be prevented? How should we respond to crime? Studying Sociology and Criminology will enable you to make sense of a world undergoing unprecedented social change and uncertainty.
- 3b
This degree emphasises the way in which social cleavages such as race, gender and class intersect with the study of crime and criminal justice in an international context. Combining these subjects will give you a thorough, yet broad understanding of the surrounding issues and concepts that relate to questions of justice and criminalisation today.
Drawing on established strengths within our Sociology Department, you will explore a variety of areas: culture and ethnic identities, geo-political conflict, gender, environmentalism, social movements, sexuality, social theory, state crime, terrorism and modern society, punishment and community justice, youth crime, youth justice, policing, and issues of security in a global context.
- 3c
What you will learn
- To apply key sociological categories such as class, gender, and ‘race’ to analyse various social problems and imagine creative solutions to these issues
- How societies have changed over time and how key institutions within these have functioned
- How we might explain offending behaviours and explore the effects of crime on individuals and communities
- How the criminal justice system operates and with what impacts
- To search for answers to social justice issues by examining and questioning the role of the police, courts, prisons and civil society
- To critically engage with theoretical and methodological debates in contemporary Criminology and Criminal Justice as well as in Sociology
- To develop theoretical and conceptual knowledge and enhance your understanding of empirical research
This degree covers topics such as:
- Culture and ethnic identities
- Geo-political conflict
- Gender
- Environmentalism
- Social movements
- Sexuality
- Class and capitalism
- Social theory
- State crime
- Terrorism and issues of security in global context
- Punishment and community justice
- Youth crime and youth justice
- Policing
- Prisons
- Inequalities
- Discrimination, racism, xenophobia
- Health and illness in society
- 3d
Most modules are taught using a combination of weekly lectures and seminars. Lectures give an introduction to a topic to help prepare you for discussions in seminars. In seminars, you can engage in debates and share your views.
You will have a personal tutor who you can speak to about any questions you may have. There are also regular feedback sessions and opportunities to speak to module directors and seminar tutors.
- 3e
Seminars have 15 to 17 students. Lecture sizes vary.
- 3f
There are 10–11 hours of formal contact time available per week in Year One, to help you settle into University life. After then, 8 hours of contact time is available per week.
- 3g
You will be assessed through a combination of essays, reports, podcasts, reflective writing, and unseen exams. In the final year, there is a 10,000-word dissertation.
- 3h
Study abroad
You have the option of studying abroad which will add one year to your degree, as you will spend your third year abroad. Immerse yourself in life in another country and grow as a global citizen. Explore other cultures, languages, and understand global connections and inequalities.
Countries Sociology students have visited:
Europe
- École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, France
- Charles University Prague, Czech Republic
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat Jena, Germany
- Goteborg University, Sweden
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
- Universitat Autōnoma de Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Bremen, Germany
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Iceland Worldwide
Worldwide
- Monash University, Australia and/or Malaysia
- Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Western University, Canada
- University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Sun Yat-sen University, China
- Tsinghua University, China
- Xiamen University, China
- Hokkaido University, Japan
- Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
*Please note countries and institutions are subject to change.
- 4a
A level typical offer
ABB. You must also achieve grade B or 6 in GCSE English Language.
A level contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is BBB. See if you’re eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
- 4b
IB typical offer
34. You must also achieve grade B or 6 in GCSE English Language.
IB contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 32. See if you’re eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
- 4c
We welcome applications from students taking BTEC qualifications, either alone or in combination with A levels. Our typical BTEC offers are as follows:
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate plus 2 A-Levels: D plus AB.
- BTEC Level 3 National Diploma plus 1 A-Level: DD plus A.
- BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma: D*DD.
- 5a
Year One
History of Sociological Thought
What holds societies together? How do societies change? And how is politics in the conventional sense affected by factors such as class, status, ethnicity or religion, or the state of the economy? These are some of the questions with which you will engage with when you consider the history of sociological thought. You will gain skills of research, analysis and debate by considering the extent to which sociology may be considered a science and how the evolution of sociological thought has been shaped by events and the cultural, economic and political problems of the day.
Criminology: Theories and Concepts
This module will develop your understanding of key criminological perspectives and will encourage you to reflect on different assumptions and ideologies behind these different perspectives. It will equip you to be able to apply criminological theory to a broad range of contemporary problems of crime, social inequality disorder and social harm.
Researching Society and Culture
What is society and how do you study it? Is human behaviour governed by rules similar to the natural world that you can study objectively? Or do human beings consciously act upon their environment and change the world through creativity and intelligence, driven by their own understanding and motivations. These are some of the questions that this module will explore.
You will be introduced to the core ideas behind sociological research and the practical tools to undertake research yourself. As well as looking at some of the key qualitative methods (for example, interviews, ethnography and discourse analysis), you will also examine the political, ethical and practical issues that social research inevitably entails.
Crime and Society
This module will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between crime, its social context and current issues in the socio-political global context of crime and punishment. You will explore the sociological approaches to crime, victimisation and punishment through categories such as class, gender, ethnicity, mobility and space. You will develop the necessary analytical, theoretical and critical skills to examine contemporary problems and debates in the fields of criminalisation and justice.
Introduction to Social Analytics in Social Inequalities Research
In the age of ever-increasing data availability which is paired with a growing sophistication of statistical techniques, the opportunities for social science research are vast. This module will give you an understanding of the basic elements of core descriptive statistics which will allow you not only to critically engage with quantitative findings in existing social science research, but also conduct quantitative analysis yourself. The module covers the topics of conceptualisation, operationalisation and measurement, as well as the principles of sampling and the basics of research design. You will be introduced to the process of social science research and quantitative methods in one hour lectures, and then explore these in extended seminars (2h) both through readings, and the statistical software SPSS. We will be working on real data sets, such as the European Social Survey.
Year Two
Designing and Conducting Social Research
This module will teach you the core concepts and practical skills to undertake qualitative social research in academic and professional settings. These include research design, ethnography, in-depth interviewing, documents and discourse. As well as practical skills, you will investigate how social research has changed in recent decades, considering:
• ethical questions when researching life online
• how (and whether you should) study Twitter
• effects of social media on social interactions
• how to engage diverse audiences
You will also gain analytical skills to critically evaluate previous research, and develop your ability to collect and analyse data using a range of qualitative methods.
Modern Social Theory
This module will introduce you to the main thinkers and movements in critical social theory. Topics include Marxism, post-structuralism, class and culture. The changing conceptualisation of power and class is a focus throughout the module. This helps you to see how the different theoretical approaches relate to each other, and to historical and political events.
Gender, Race and Sexualities in the Criminal Justice System: Policy and Practice
This module will develop the necessary analytical, theoretical, and critical skills to analyse the complex relationship between gender, race, and sexualities in criminal justice institutions. You will be presented with contemporary conceptual issues around the categories of race, gender and sexualities and will be invited to consider how these are essential to unpacking current problems in policing, courts, sentencing, prisons, and community justice settings. The module will unpack criminalisation and victimisation in relation to contemporary problems linked to misogyny, sexism, racism, and homophobia.. In this module you’ll have the chance to engage with key readings in feminist criminology, queer criminology, and in post-colonial, southern criminologies and will be invited to consider practical and policy-informed solutions to some of the most enduring problems of contemporary criminal justice systems.
Policing and Society
The institution of the police is one of the state’s most important and yet most scrutinised and challenged institutions. Questions around policing and justice are arguably some of the most urgent in contemporary criminological scholarship and need theoretical as well as practical examination. In this module we sociologically and criminologically unpack the purpose of the police and consider different approaches to policing. We also examine the impact of policing on different communities and explore current debates around racism, discrimination, and excessive force in policing practices. Taking an international as well as critical perspective we consider the evolution, efficacy, and viability of the police and of policing in the 21st Century.
Year Three
Dissertation
- 5b
Year One
- Sociology of Race
- Sociology of Gender
- Life of Media: Past, Present and Future
- Sociology of Education
- Class and Capitalism in the Neoliberal World
- International Perspectives on Gender
Year Two
- Commercial Cultures in Global Capitalism
- Educational Inequalities
- Relationship and Family Change: Demographic and Sociological Perspectives
- Becoming Yourself: The Construction of the Self in Contemporary Western Societies
- Media, Audiences and Social Change
- Practice and Interpretation of Quantitative Research
- Multivariate Secondary Analysis of Social Data
- Political Sociology
- Gender and Violence
- Surveillance and Society: Race, Gender, Class
- Beyond the Binary: Trans-forming Gender
- War, Memory and Society
- Social Theory of Law
Year Three
- Social Movements and Political Action
- Racism and Xenophobia
- Ethnography and the Anthropological Tradition
- Transnational Media Ecologies
- Race, Resistance and Modernity
- Sociology of Knowledge, Science and Intellectuals
- Punishment, Justice and Control
- Feminist Pedagogy/Feminist Activism
- Postcolonial Theory and Politics
- Queering Sociology
- State Crime, Human Rights and Global Wrongs
- Applying Quantitative Methods to Social Research
- Experiments in the Social Sciences and Humanities Sociology of End Times
- Global South and Indigenous Feminisms
- Social Data Science
- Sociology of Green Transformations
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- Find out more about fees and funding.
- 6b
- There may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement or study abroad will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.
- 7
Where a Sociology and Criminology degree can take you:
- Professional roles in various national and international NGOs, civil society and charity organisations
- Civil service careers
- Researchers and research analysts for state and independent bodies
- Professions in various criminal justice institutions
- Accounting and Finance careers
- Academic careers and doctoral scholarships for further study
- Teaching Careers
- Social Work
- Careers and Employability Assistant
- Customer Representatives and HR Graduates
- Directorate Administrators
- Event Administrator
- Resident Tutors
- Management Trainees
- Marketing & Development Coordinators
- Senior Sales Consultants
Graduates have gone on to work for employers such as:
- Cambridge Judge Business School
- Centrica PLC, Choice
- Spotify
- Common Vision UK
- Credo Care
- Girlguiding
- Hawkins Estate Agents
- Holmfirth Junior and Infants
- Imperial College London
- National Counties Building Society
- Oslo University Hospital
- Qualia Analytics
- Teachfirst
- Orange Tree
- 7a
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you.
They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year.
- 9a
Where a Sociology or Sociology and Criminology degree can take you:
- Professional roles in various national and international NGOs, civil society and charity organisations
- Civil service careers
- Researchers and research analysts for state and independent bodies
- Media and communication industry
- Advertising and Marketing
- Accounting and Finance careers
- Academic careers and doctoral scholarships for further study
- Teaching Careers
- Social Work
- Careers and Employability Assistants
- Customer Representatives and HR Graduates
- Directorate Administrators
- Event Administrators
- Resident Tutors
- Management Trainees
- Marketing and Development Coordinators
- Senior Sales Consultants
- 9b
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you.
They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year.