BSc Criminology with Foundation

Compulsory modules

Introduction to the Foundations of Law 

Prepare for your undergraduate studies by learning the main principles of the English Legal System and Contract Law. You’ll be provided with a conceptual framework that will help facilitate your recognition of public and private law structures and policies and learn to analyse legal issues using relevant materials and arguments.

Further Foundations of Law 

Study the main institutions of the English Legal System and key areas of criminal and tort law. You’ll be encouraged to analyse and communicate legal issues using relevant materials and theories encompassing policy and practice.

Academic Skills 

Develop academic skills that are essential for undergraduate study. You’ll learn through a series of guided online tasks and practical workshops that will provide you with the grounding knowledge needed for carrying out quality research, reflection, and independent and group study.

Justice and Society  

Crime and Society 

English Legal System Project

Compulsory modules

Introduction to Criminology

Explore the key concepts, perspectives, and historical and global development of criminology as a discipline. You’ll learn the competing definitions and explanations of “crime”, philosophies of punishment and concepts of power and social control. As you study, you'll engage with criminological research and consider the challenges of measuring and studying crime. 

Legal Skills for Criminologists

Develop your understanding of the English legal system and he relationship between the disciplines of law and criminology. You’ll explore approaches to studying effectively at university, and develop the core skills required for undergraduate academic work in law and the social sciences.

Criminal Law

Explore the application of a range of criminal offences and defences as you learn the fundamental principles of criminal law in the English Legal System. You’ll gain an appreciation of the development of the criminal law by precedent and statutory interpretation, focusing on law in theory and practice and the need for reform.  

Introduction to Criminal Justice

Study the institutions, policies and practices involved in managing and responding to crime. Focusing on the development, role and organisation of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, you’ll explore the problems of criminal justice and develop an understanding of key concepts, perspectives and sources of evidence used to make sense of them. 

Optional modules

Law and Society

Discover the role that law plays in modern society as you examine some of the profound changes that have taken place in society over the last 200 years. You’ll critically analyse the ways law has evolved to meet the changing needs and values of our society and assess whether the legal system has been successful at keeping pace.  

Law and GenAI

Learn the skills to use generative AI (GenAI) responsibly and effectively. You’ll explore a variety of topics to gain a holistic understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with using GenAI. You’ll develop both your technical knowledge, such as how to write prompts, and understanding of key legal frameworks, such as protections for personal data and copyright.

Public Law 1

Study the field of constitutional law, administrative law, and protection of rights. You’ll be introduced to the essential features of the British constitution, including its legal and political institutions, and how it relates to the enactment, enforcement, and amendment of laws.

Optional choices from the University-wide catalogue

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules

Crime and Media

Learn to think critically about the relationship between media and crime. You’ll study theoretical perspectives on representation and the research methods needed to analyse media representations of crime and media in everyday life. Explore critical perspectives about media institutions and analyse how they build on and from ‘crime stories'.

Advanced Criminological Theory

Gain insight into the development of key criminological perspectives since the 1960s and their continuing relevance for understanding crime and processes of criminalisation. You’ll examine contemporary concepts and study the interconnections between crime, criminalisation, victimisation and social inequalities.  

Criminological Research Methods

Develop an understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods in the social sciences, research and how they are applied in the study of crime and justice. You'll explore a range of strategies for research design, ethical guidelines, data collection, and data analysis in the conduct of social research.

Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice

Study the administration of criminal justice and the agencies involved, including how they have evolved and how they engage with governmental bodies. You’ll gain an understanding of contemporary policy debates in criminal justice in the context of broader social changes, inequalities, and political and ideological processes. 

Optional modules

Critical Victimology

Analyse the experiences of victims and the processes by which the experience of being a victim is recognised by the criminal justice system. You’ll consider the main theoretical perspectives of positivist, radical and critical victimology as you develop a deep understanding of the role of ‘the victim’ and how crime impacts the individual.  

Introduction to International and European Human Rights Law

Learn about human rights treaties, conventions and resolutions implemented by the United Nations, and the international systems that operate to ensure their implementation and enforcement.

Evidence

Study the modern law of evidence in criminal and civil cases and gain an appreciation of the approach taken by the courts to evidential issues. You’ll take part in practical activities and scenarios to develop an understanding of the purpose and nature of legal rules of evidence.

Research Project

Develop your understanding of criminal law through your own research project.

Women, Crime and Justice

Explore women’s experiences of offending, victimisation, criminal justice and punishment. You’ll analyse women’s experience in  historical and contemporary contexts from a range of perspectives, relying on key theories and methodologies that employ a feminist analysis of crime and justice. 

Foundations of International Law

Gain a crucial understanding of international law and the key foundational aspects of the international legal system. You’ll study the way international law is created, the different subjects of international law, the role of international dispute settlement, and how states are found responsible for breaches of international law. 

Legal Writing Credit

Embark on a piece of assessed written work that will allow you to independently research a set topic and produce a critical essay. You’ll rely on relevant legal materials to develop a critical, original argument in response to your chosen topic. 

Religion and Law

Study the intersectionality of law within a variety of different religions. You’ll consider how different religions have impacted the law and cultivate a critical understanding of the relationship between the two. Considering theoretical stand points, you’ll develop an enhanced knowledge of religious freedom in the English legal system and its relation to international human rights.  

Art and Cultural Heritage Law

Understand the laws and policies used to safeguard intangible and tangible cultural heritage, and the vital role of institutions, such as museums and archives, in preserving our collective cultural heritage. You’ll gain insights into the various laws relevant to visual and contemporary artworks, exploring both how art portrays the law, and how laws impact on artworks.

Optional choices from the University-wide catalogue

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

Embark on a research journey that allows you to implement all you‘ve learned about crime and criminal justice. You’ll identify your own research question, conduct research, and analyse relevant evidence and literature to organise and articulate an extended written project.

OR

Research Writing Credit in Criminology

Research a selected topic and, after a period of reflection, produce an extended critical essay. You'll develop the ability to research a topic, critically analyse it, develop an argument, and use and cite source materials correctly.

Optional modules

Young People, Crime and Justice

Explore interdisciplinary approaches to the study of youth justice and young people’s offending. You'll study the history of childhood and delinquency, gain insights into young people’s experiences of criminal justice, and engage critically with the multiple explanations for youth offending.

Crimes of the Powerful

Moving away from street-based crime, you’ll consider the ways in which some of the most harmful crimes are committed by powerful actors within society – including states and corporations. You’ll examine the nature, extent and impact of harms caused by powerful actors, and explore how these types of activities can be explained.  

Family Law

Study the area of private law relating to the family and the consequences of familial breakdown. You’ll apply the law analytically to understand the process of dissolution and how arrangements for children are made. 

Police and Society 

Gain a holistic view of law enforcement practices, community relations, and the implications of emerging technologies influencing modern policing. You’ll study criminological perspectives on the history, structure and functions of policing, and contemporary challenges in policing policy and practice. Psychological perspectives will provide insights into the human dimensions of policing, including memory reliability, investigative interviewing, decision-making, and the role of bias.  

Prisons in Crisis

Explore how criminologists make sense of key debates surrounding prisons and the failure of contemporary penal practices across criminal justice systems. You’ll study crises related to prison violence and suicide, racialised mass incarceration in American prisons, the overcrowding of English prisons, and warehousing of prisoners in Brazil.

Children, Families and the State

Explore how the law is used to protect and promote the best interests of children and the duty of local authorities to assist children in their area. As you study, you’ll develop your presentation and research skills and have the opportunity to participate in a mock case. 

Gender and Law

Critically analyse contemporary issues relating to sex and gender in a range of legal areas. You’ll develop a deep understanding of theoretical approaches related to the study of gender and law and learn to use them as critical tools to apply a gender critique to established legal concepts and categories.  

Environment

Take a broad, comparative and transnational approach to the study of national and international environmental law and regulation. Alongside a main focus on English environmental law, you'll gain insights from countries across both the Global North and Global South.

Optional choices from the University-wide catalogue

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.