Childhood and Youth Studies with Criminology BA (Hons)

You’ll learn how to carry out research ethically when working with communities and organisations to address real-world issues.

You’ll develop your own research proposal with expert guidance - from forming questions to methodology design.

Build transferable research skills you’ll use throughout your degree, from reflective practice to clear communication of your findings.

You'll explore key theories and research on the ways children and young people develop, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth.

By the end of the module, you'll have a better understanding of how to support children's wellbeing and development.

You'll look at the historical development of criminal justice, as well as the duties of the criminal justice agencies that exist today, and how they work together.

You'll also explore the ideas behind the different types of punishment used within the criminal justice system.

You’ll develop skills in independent thinking, teamwork, problem-solving and project work, and get to grips with academic writing, referencing procedures, and the use of technology to enhance your skills.

You’ll also begin developing your ePortfolio, a personal collection documenting your learning journey.

You'll examine the origins of criminology, considering the rise of the scientific study of crime and criminality.

You'll also think about the social, cultural, political and economic factors that led to the development of the study of criminology that we know today.

You’ll complete your practical placement in an educational or community setting serving children and youth, shadowing experienced professionals to help address learner needs across academic, social-emotional and behavioural domains.

You'll gain essential employability skills demanded by the industry, enabling you to explore theoretical concepts related to professional practice in the context of children and young people.

You'll also reflect on your own practice to understand personal, ethical and professional behaviour, and how you collaborate with other professionals.

You'll examine the criticisms and challenges of criminology as a social science, thinking about the part it plays in creating social order.

You'll also explore theories of social control and cultural resistance through debate and published ideas on the subject, which will help you develop an understanding of justice and dissent.

You’ll delve into the interplay of technology, media, peer networks, subcultures and counterculture movements in shaping youth identity expression, from music to activism and more.

You’ll explore pressing issues facing today’s youth, and evaluate innovative youth work initiatives supporting young people’s wellbeing and development.

You'll explore the complex relationships between ethics, laws and imprisonment policies.

Alongside your classmates, you'll focus on pressing issues like mental health, violence and gender while arguing for a more humane, effective prison system.

Using existing studies as an example, you'll examine the key issues to think about, such as ethics, protection of the children involved, and data protection. You'll learn how to carry out ethical, meaningful research with children and young people, including quantitative and qualitative research methods that put children first, from observation and focus groups to surveys.

You'll think about how to choose a research area to investigate, and how to design and carry out a research project with children and young people – essential skills that will help you prepare for your dissertation.

In this module, you’ll explore European colonisation of Africa, asking questions like - how did they justify colonial rule, and how did African peoples respond to these colonisers?

You’ll learn how, after World War II, colonial rule was increasingly challenged from both within the empire, by growing African demands for political rights, and in the international arena, with the global trend towards trusteeship, development and self-determination.

You’ll also explore European relations with Africa in the post-colonial era, looking at themes which may include ideas about civilisation, universalism and race, modern attempts to 'rehabilitate' empire in the media, and the legacies of colonialism in Britain, Europe and Africa.

You’ll analyse the essence of security, exploring how security needs are addressed around the world and on a national level, down to a community and even an individual basis.

You’ll explore different forms of societal risk and insecurity, and approaches to dealing with security threats, taking into account the nature and impact of economic and political developments.

You'll learn how to think critically about the key concepts that link language, culture and communication, considering the benefits and limitations of these ideas.

You'll explore the different ways in which communication intersects with culture across themes such as identity, education, gender, and the media.

Alongside what you learn, you'll improve your skills in analysis, research and intercultural awareness.

You'll learn about consumer behaviour and brand strategy, and spend time examining real-world marketing campaigns. You'll also think about how social, political and technological forces can affect the way businesses approach marketing their products and services.

Skills you'll develop include carrying out market research and learning how to use what you learn, crafting targeted messaging across different marketing channels, and presenting your ideas verbally and in writing.

You'll learn about major economic, political and cultural changes in Western Europe over the nineteenth century, and how these affected the rest of the world as time went on.

You'll explore the big ideas that have shaped the modern world, and weigh up the benefits and perils of globalisation. Skills you'll develop on this module include independent research, critical thinking and effective communication.

You'll also learn to understand the opportunities and challenges of today's world from an informed, global perspective.

You’ll look critically ideas of nationalism historically and today with a focus on the everyday, intimate and embodied boundaries of nation-states and how these shape our lives, including those of us living in the most privileged parts of the world.

You’ll explore real-world cases to understand the individual and societal impacts on human lives, developing your analytical skills and imagining more compassionate alternatives.

You’ll unpack the language of tabloids, broadsheets and online news, analysing how journalists shape public understanding of current events.

Develop your critical thinking by confronting moral panics and polarised politics in reporting.

Create your own news stories and gain real insight into mass communication in a rapidly changing landscape.

You'll analyse major cases of economic crime and weigh up their wider societal implications.

You'll also learn how to recognise disciplinary perspectives, become familiar with the key investigating organisations, identify investigative techniques, and gather and analyse real case information.

You’ll analyse American texts against the backdrop of intellectual, social and political change, evaluating how writers grappled with emerging ideas around national identity, race, gender and more.

By honing skills for contextual analysis and independent thought, you’ll form your own interpretations of iconic works that reflect the American experience.

You’ll analyse diverse transitional justice approaches balancing community healing and judicial accountability after mass atrocities.

Comparing mechanisms like war crimes tribunals, truth commissions and reparations programmes, you’ll evaluate effectiveness in restoring dignity and preventing recurrence.

With case studies from Europe to Africa, from Latin America to Asia, you'll examine tensions between western models and local cultural perspectives, assessing what ‘justice’ means to vulnerable peoples.

Throughout, you'll trace incremental human rights legislation advances, assessing global institutions’ roles protecting civilians from authoritarian regimes and wartime abuses.

Through interactive lectures with academics, speakers and professionals, you'll discuss, debate and complete practical exercises exploring wildlife crime alongside your classmates.

You'll spend time examining wildlife crimes and the factors behind them, as well as environmental justice and sustainability.

Deep dive into critical matters like bullying, inclusion and resilience. You'll get insight into Transition Theory and how social factors form perspectives, and have the chance to direct your own learning, with a choice of essay topics and the opportunity to engage in dialogues with special guests.

This combo of theory and personal focus builds essential knowledge of the forces forming children's social development

You'll also apply the ideas and concepts you learn directly to working with young people, and reflect on your own experiences and approaches to learning.

You’ll look at the factors that shape childhood and the challenges children face, including the development, differences and successes of different education systems and the impact that has on children, teachers, and communities.

You’ll explore the relationships between education and social understandings with a specific focus on identities, inequality, and constructions of childhood.

By the end of the module, you’ll have developed a critical understanding of the complexities that shape childhood around the world.

With a minimum 80-hour commitment, you’ll apply what you’ve learned so far on your degree to real-world professional settings within our community of local businesses, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations.

You’ll have support from interactive workshops, tutorials, and guest speaker events, encouraging you to set achievable professional goals and evolve your professional identity.

You'll evaluate contemporary support themes, analyse young people's relationships, and learn how theory relates to practical social work.

This module prepares you for the complexity of helping young people with more advanced needs.

They may appear isolated, anxious and fearful, or they may seem unhappy or disturbed. As part of this module, you’ll look at the characteristics of these problems, as well as some of the explanations that have been offered about how these problems arise.

We will also be discussing ways in which we can support children and young people facing mental health difficulties across a variety of settings.

It's up to you what your dissertation or project is about – this will be your chance to showcase your passion for childhood studies by choosing a subject area or topic that most interests you.

You'll draw on everything you’ve learned so far to investigate, analyse, craft and refine your dissertation or project, using existing texts, sources and artefacts to support your arguments and give them context. You'll have the support of a dedicated dissertation tutor to guide you throughout this module.

This real-world, project-based module lets you address an identified need or gap by designing an innovative product, service or resource.

With support from university staff and external partners, you'll demonstrate critical thinking, ethical awareness and project management abilities.

Your final project and presentation will showcase your employability and capacity for high-impact solutions.

On this module, you'll explore online human behaviour and how digital technology influences our actions on individual, group and wider societal levels.

You'll use psychological and criminological ideas to investigate cyberpsychology, and delve into these debates by designing and carrying out your own small-scale research projects on issues like virtual relationships, online identity, digital addiction, and more.

You'll consider concepts like risk, dangerousness and risk management and how they vary and affect the way criminals are managed in different countries, including the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia.

By analysing historical and modern-day debates around dangerousness and public protection, you'll develop your own informed perspectives on legislation, policies and key criminal behaviour profiles.

Environmental problems are a serious national and international concern, regularly dominating media headlines.

As scientific research has shown, these issues are increasingly urgent and include climate change, pollution, habitat loss, species decline and the destruction of our natural resources.

Through interactive lectures, discussion, debate and practical exercises, you'll critically analyse perpetrators and victims of green criminology, examine national and international policing and risk regulation roles, and reflect on justice issues.

You'll examine the powers afforded to police constables as they carry out their duties, alongside professional standards, accountability and key issues around diversity, ethics, values and wellbeing.

You'll discuss the purpose of the police force, demonstrate critical understanding of consent principles, evaluate equality policies, summarise resilience strategies, and critically examine the application of law within policing.

Through an interactive mix of debates and research projects, you'll take an in-depth look at diverse perspectives on racial bias in policing, sentencing and incarceration rates.

By engaging with cross-cultural theories and data, you'll build informed views on how we can continue to reform these systemic issues.

You’ll develop your knowledge of core linguistic frameworks in order to investigate a range of communication issues, such as language and control, the role of interpreters, the veracity of witness statements, and the interviewing of vulnerable witnesses, such as children.

You'll explore this question on this module, examining how gender affects pathways into offending, victimisation, punishment, treatment, rehabilitation and more.

You'll think critically about crime, criminology and criminal justice from the perspective of gender, with a focus on the experiences of women and those who identify as women.

You'll also spend time looking into serious offences such as organised crime and terrorism, and evaluate the role of the police in countering these threats.

With a minimum 80-hour commitment, you'll apply what you've learned so far on your degree to real-world professional settings within our community of local businesses, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations.

You'll have support from interactive workshops, tutorials, and guest speaker events, encouraging you to set achievable professional goals and evolve your professional identity.

You'll think critically about the theoretical concepts behind existing approaches to offender rehabilitation, comparing and evaluating how they work in the real world.

Through independent research and reflection, you'll gain crucial skills you can use to examine and find ways to improve rehabilitation practices across the criminal justice system.

On this module, you’ll dissect the media phenomenon of true crime, looking at public perceptions of crime and justice.

You'll think critically about how emotive true crime narratives frame key players, from villains to victims. Exploring ideas of prejudice, you’ll investigate whether sensationalised serial killer stories simply reinforce stereotypes of class and gender.

Alternatively, could advocacy-focused wrongful conviction cases challenge assumptions and drive social change?

By applying criminology theory, you'll uncover complex biases shaping everything from podcasts to primetime prison documentaries.

You’ll delve into the various types of sexual offending, gain an understanding of the consequences, examine the role of media in shaping public perception, and discuss alternative methods for addressing offending.

There’s a strong emphasis on fostering respectful and informed discussions of sensitive topics.

During your study abroad year, you’ll expand your global perspective and develop additional skills to boost your future career, as well as making memories, new friends and career contacts.

You could also improve your foreign language and intercultural communication skills. This is an amazing opportunity to expand your horizons and set yourself up for your future career by studying abroad and becoming a student ambassador for our university.

We'll help you find and secure a work placement that inspires you in a destination you can explore and make home during your placement year.

You'll have the chance to try out skills and gain experience that'll help you clarify your next career steps, while building capabilities employers seek and applying what you've learned on your degree so far to a real-world working environment.

Return feeling confident and re-energised for your final year or first year of your career, ready to make an immediate impact in whatever you choose to do next.