Module overview: This module explores the complex intersections between diversity, inequalities and justice.

You will examine how social and structural inequalities shape experiences and outcomes within legal and criminal justice institutions. 

You will delve into historical and contemporary perspectives on systemic inequalities, structural racism, the overrepresentation of ethnic minority groups in criminal justice processes. 

How you’ll learn: You’ll learn about the module’s topic through mini-taught sessions. You’ll also take part in class activities, workshops, and group tasks where you’ll be encouraged to get involved and work with others. These sessions might include reading and presenting, interactive exercises, group work, solving problems, discussing ideas, debating topics, and doing quizzes to check your understanding. 

Assessment: You will be assessed through an essay and by submitting a podcast.  

Module details: This module will develop your knowledge of key areas in psychology, including social psychology, developmental psychology, and individual differences. You will explore how social influences shape thoughts and behaviours, how cognitive, social, and emotional development occurs across the lifespan, and how individuals differ in these processes. By evaluating different explanations for human behaviour, you will consider real-life applications, such as the impact of social media, peer influences, neurodiversity, and identity formation. This knowledge is essential for further study on social and developmental psychology and is valuable for careers in education, healthcare, social care, and community settings.

How you'll learn: This module is delivered through lectures and seminars, covering conceptual, theoretical, cultural, and historical perspectives on behaviour, identity, and individual differences. Lectures will link content to current affairs, while seminars will include interactive activities such as quizzes, discussions, and practical research exercises. You will explore real-world applications, such as identity formation and intelligence testing, while developing teamwork and self-reflection skills. These transferable skills will benefit various career paths, and seminar activities will also support you in preparing for assessments.

Assessment: You will be assessed through a poster and a portfolio, which will enhance your skills in presentation design, communication, and the ability to summarise, synthesise, evaluate, and apply psychological knowledge. These skills are essential for further study and postgraduate education, as well as highly valued by employers, supporting your future career development.

Module overview: You will develop an understanding about the key foundational theories, concepts and ideas of punishment and victimisation.

You will learn about punishment and rehabilitation, theories and how practices have changed. You will also learn what victimization is, how it is constructed and how it shapes the idea of justice.

How you’ll learn: You’ll learn about the module’s topic through mini-taught sessions. You’ll also take part in class activities, workshops, and group tasks where you’ll be encouraged to get involved and work with others. These sessions might include reading and presenting, interactive exercises, group work, solving problems, discussing ideas, debating topics, and doing quizzes to check your understanding. 

Assessment: You will be assessed through a poster and an essay.  

The purpose of this module is to teach you about carrying out social research. It is designed to introduce you to the processes involved in research design and their application to the social sciences, in particular sociology, criminology, digital forensics, policing, politics, and international relations. It is a practical module, during which you will conduct empirical research, consider ethical issues, and write a research proposal. We will examine the theoretical, ethical, and practical dimensions of the research process and will look at a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies for collecting and analysing social scientific data.

By the end of the module, you will be competent in carrying out criminological, policing, and/or sociological research. You will also develop a range of transferable skills including quantitative and qualitative data analysis and using software such as SPSS. 

Module overview: In this module you will critically explore the intersections of crime and deviance, social control, culture and urban space.

The module takes a critical and interdisciplinary approach to illustrate the broad scope of criminology as a cultural, mostly urban, phenomenon. It encourages you to critically consider their implications in urban policies.

How you’ll learn: You’ll gain knowledge of the module’s topics through mini-taught sessions, in-class tasks, and workshops. You’ll also take part in student-led activities, such as reading, answering questions, and presenting your answers to a supportive group of peers. Other activities may include interactive exercises, problem-solving tasks, and discussions or debates on various topics. 

Assessment: You will be assessed through an essay and poster.  

Module details: This module offers an in-depth exploration of forensic psychology, focusing on the psychological foundations of criminal behaviour and its application in criminal justice settings. You will critically assess theories and research on offending behaviours, considering factors like mental health, socioeconomic status, substance misuse, and life events. Topics such as eyewitness testimony, jury selection, rehabilitation models, and the relationship between mental illness and crime will provide you with a holistic understanding of forensic psychology in real-world contexts.

How you'll learn: Lectures will present core content, including psychological theories and research, complemented by case studies, videos, and insights from forensic professionals. Seminars will be interactive, with group discussions, case study analyses, and debates on key topics, helping you develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These sessions are closely aligned with module assessments, ensuring you gain the necessary analytical and reflective skills to succeed.

Assessment: Assessment in this module consists of a presentation and an intervention proposal, testing your ability to apply psychological theories to real-life cases. You will be evaluated on your oral and written communication skills, as well as your capacity to synthesise and critically evaluate research. The assessments will reflect the skills required for postgraduate study and careers in forensic psychology, criminal justice, and related fields, helping you develop valuable competencies for professional settings.

Module overview: You will explore the ways in which family life shapes, and is shaped by, crime and criminal justice processes.

By placing ‘the family’ at the heart of its analysis, this module draws together a range of established criminological topics such as youth justice, interpersonal violence, organised crime, policing, and victimology.  

How you’ll learn: You'll gain knowledge through a blended teaching approach that combines mini-taught sessions with interactive, student-led activities. These may include reading and presenting information, participating in group work, solving problems, engaging in discussions or debates, completing quizzes, and taking part in workshops. Alongside learning the core content of the module, you'll also develop transferable skills that enhance your employability. These activities are designed to help you apply what you’ve learned and deepen your understanding of key concepts.   

Assessment: You will be assessed through a poster and an essay.  

Module overview: In this module you will design and lead on an independent research project on a subject of your own choice, drawing on your knowledge related to your subject of study and of research methodology and ethics. 

How you’ll learn: This module includes lectures that will help you understand how to complete a research project. The sessions will be interactive, featuring activities like group work, problem-solving tasks, and discussions or debates on key topics. You’ll also receive support from a supervisor as you work independently on your project. 

Assessment: You will be assessed through a research project and a reflection piece of work. 

30 credits

You will develop your core academic and integrated English language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. You will become familiar with key academic skills and concepts, such as referencing methods and awareness of academic integrity and tone. You will apply these skills and knowledge to both broad topics and also your chosen subject pathway.

Teaching and learning

You will be required to actively engage in on-campus learning for up to 10 hours a week.

You will be taught through a full range of teaching and learning methods, which include lectures, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, group directed tasks and presentations. This will enable you to learn from your peers and tutors in both structured and information settings.

You will be encouraged to think creatively about your approach to learning and discussions with your peers. You will also have access to recordings, resources, links and signposting through Moodle to enrich your learning.

Assessment

You will be assessed through group and individual presentations, comparative and reflective essays, multiple choice exams, coursework and reports, oral exams, portfolios, case studies and blogs.

30 credits

You will develop your core academic and integrated English language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. You will become familiar with key academic skills and concepts, such as referencing methods and awareness of academic integrity and tone. You will apply these skills and knowledge to both broad topics and also your chosen subject pathway.

Teaching and Learning

You will be required to actively engage in on-campus learning for up to 10 hours a week.

You will be taught through a full range of teaching and learning methods, which include lectures, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, group directed tasks and presentations. This will enable you to learn from your peers and tutors in both structured and information settings.

You will be encouraged to think creatively about your approach to learning and discussions with your peers. You will also have access to recordings, resources, links and signposting through Moodle to enrich your learning.

Assessment

You will be assessed through group and individual presentations, comparative and reflective essays, multiple choice exams, coursework and reports, oral exams, portfolios, case studies and blogs. 

30 credits

You will develop your research, numeracy and information technology skills. You will investigate the difference between primary and secondary research, conduct your own research project and demonstrate your findings through data analysis. You will also develop your awareness of equality, diversion and inclusion in the UK, through a real-world issue; discrimination in the workplace.

Teaching and learning

You will be required to actively engage in on-campus learning for up to 10 hours a week.

You will be taught through a full range of teaching and learning methods, which include lectures, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, group directed tasks and presentations. This will enable you to learn from your peers and tutors in both structured and information settings.

You will be encouraged to think creatively about your approach to learning and discussions with your peers. You will also have access to recordings, resources, links and signposting through Moodle to enrich your learning.

Assessment

You will be assessed through group and individual presentations, comparative and reflective essays, multiple choice exams, coursework and reports, oral exams, portfolios, case studies and blogs. 

30 credits

This module focuses on an in-depth exploration of applied psychology, drawing on foundational theories and models that explain human behaviour. You will engage with the issues and debates around some of the core psychological concepts, such as prejudice, stereotyping, group dynamics, and conformity, gaining a broad understanding of what influences human behaviours.

The module introduces the bio-psycho-social model within health psychology, providing a holistic framework for understanding health-related behaviours. You will gain a knowledge of how different psychological theories and models can be applied to understand the development of risky health behaviours and can be applied to design effective health intervention strategies.

You will learn the skill of collaborative group work, which is an integral part of the module, encouraging you to apply your knowledge of psychological theories to analyse and present a case study on risky health behaviour. You will also develop the skill of critical analysis, integrating various theories and models in psychology to explain risky health behaviour and suggest intervention programs.

Teaching and learning

The teaching delivery for each module consists of one, one-three-hour lecture and one, two-hour seminar per week. You will learn through a blend of lectures and interactive sessions, case studies and group presentations.

There will be an additional 30 minutes of online support per week. This will consist of individual tasks such as quizzes, posting on discussion forums, watching videos and taking notes, and reading articles or chapters.

Assessment

This module will be assessed using a written assessment and a group presentation.

50% - written assessment, composed of two parts; essay and self-reflection. You will write an essay on your knowledge of at least two psychological theories or models to explain why people develop risky health behaviours and propose and evaluate intervention strategies. You will reflect on your experience and learning journey as you prepared for and wrote the essay.

50% - group presentation, where you will apply knowledge from psychology theories to plan health interventions on risky health behaviour.

30 credits

This module focuses on the different perspectives available in psychology to explain human behaviour.

You will get the opportunity to explore methods of scientific thinking and reasoning within a Psychology context in an enquiry-based way. Problem-based learning and blended learning (combines online and face-to-face time) approaches will facilitate deep, experiential learning.

You will gain knowledge on what scientific thinking is, how to distinguish this from pseudoscience and how the scientific cycle enquiry can be applied to the various perspectives in psychology.

You will be encouraged to explore how different perspective in psychology can explain human behaviour, scientific argumentation and ethical working practices in relation to current scientific topics as reflected in news reports, recent academic publications and historical case studies. You’ll gain the skill of critical thinking and how to apply concepts from psychology to explain everyday behaviour, as well as poster presentation and public speaking.

Teaching and learning

The teaching delivery for each module consists of one, one-three-hour lecture and one, two-hour seminar per week. Lectures will introduce the scientific basis of knowledge and research methodologies in the context of Psychology and empower you to distinguish between science and pseudoscience, while seminars will consist of individual and group activities on the weekly topics.

There will be an additional 30 minutes of online support per week. This will consist of individual tasks such as quizzes, posting on discussion forums, watching videos and taking notes, and reading articles or chapters.

Assessment

This module will be assessed using a group poster presentation and written assessment.

40% - group poster presentation, you will compare and contrast any two perspectives on psychology.

60% - written assessment, you will write a critical essay on how pseudoscience differs from science.