BA(Hons) Law and Criminology (with Foundation Year)

Through thematic projects, this module will help you develop the academic, practical and professional foundations needed for undergraduate study in business and law. You'll work collaboratively and independently, using academic theory and professional practice to address relevant problems and societal issues. Indicative themes include a business simulation focused on organisational processes and teamwork, and a societal issue explored through values, research, debate and persuasive writing. Along the way, you'll strengthen your project management, digital, decision-making, presentation, feedback and self-management skills while exploring areas connected with your interests.

This module will support your professional and personal development by helping you evaluate your skills, set meaningful goals and monitor your progress. You'll explore self-management, reflective thinking and writing, wellbeing, resilience, social development and networking. Indicative themes include understanding yourself through skills audits, mindset and goal setting; working in teams through group roles, dynamics, motivation and feedback; and considering your wider context through personal mission, vision, values and future plans. Reflective practice will help you learn from experience, take responsibility for your development and prepare for collaborative project work.

This module will introduce foundational elements of law and criminology and examine how the two disciplines connect. Study units may include, but will not be limited to, research techniques, legal and non-legal sources, critical thinking, legal reasoning, problem-solving, the court hierarchy, precedent and statutory interpretation. You may also explore justice, media representations of crime, the history of crime and punishment, and criminological theories. Alongside subject knowledge, you'll develop research, analysis, communication, application, reflective practice, autonomous learning and self-motivation.

This module will examine fundamental principles of criminal law and the relationship between statute and case law. The indicative syllabus includes an introduction to criminal law and the criminal justice system, the elements of crime, actus reus, omissions, causation, mens rea and culpability. You'll also explore offences against the person, property and dishonesty offences, inchoate offences, parties to crime, capacity and defences. Applying the law to varied practical situations will develop your research, critical analysis, evaluation and legal application skills.

This module will examine how the criminal justice sector has developed and how crime prevention, rehabilitation and partnership working operate across it. You'll engage with criminological theories, operational models and research to evaluate current approaches in policing, probation and other criminal justice settings. Topics will include community policing, innovative practice and collaboration with partner agencies, considering relationships with victims, people who offend and other stakeholders. By applying theory to varied situations, you'll explore how effective models can reduce offending and benefit communities and the wider social and economic environment.

This module will introduce the principles that govern legally binding agreements. You'll examine how contracts are formed, including offer, acceptance, consideration and intention, and explore the terms that define the parties' obligations. Further topics may include misrepresentation, mistake, duress, undue influence, discharge and remedies. Through legal problems and case analysis, you'll learn to identify relevant issues, interpret authority, construct reasoned arguments and apply contract-law principles to practical situations involving agreements, rights, duties and potential breaches.

In this module, you'll explore the law of torts and how civil liability arises outside contract. You'll examine negligence, including duties of care, breach, causation, remoteness and defences, alongside selected torts affecting people, property or reputation. The module will consider available remedies and the policy principles that shape liability. By analysing cases and practical scenarios, you'll learn to identify legal issues, apply relevant rules, evaluate competing arguments and explain how tort law responds when conduct causes harm or interferes with protected interests.

This module will introduce research approaches used in law and criminology, showing how research can contribute to practical change for people affected by crime and legal responses. You'll examine the relationship between the two disciplines and develop confidence in planning future research. Topics may include quantitative and qualitative thinking, ethnography, doctrinal and comparative methods, legal sources, research with offenders, ethics in sensitive settings, historiography, archives and open-source legal data. Along the way, you'll strengthen your research, synthesis, critical analysis, academic writing, communication and reflective skills.

This module will explore contemporary policing and crime prevention in England and Wales. Drawing on research, policy and practice, you'll examine the historical and legal foundations of policing before considering current debates and emerging challenges. Topics may include police effectiveness, gender and diversity, murder investigation, use of force, public order policing, stop and search, cybercrime, missing people, community policing and evidence-based approaches. By locating these issues within broader social contexts, you'll develop the skills to evaluate policing and crime prevention from multiple perspectives.

In this module, you'll examine the criminal justice system and the institutions, processes and principles through which criminal law is administered. You'll explore how offences are investigated, prosecuted and adjudicated, considering the roles of police, courts, legal professionals, prisons and other agencies. Topics may include discretion, fairness, punishment, policy and the experiences of those involved in the system. Through legal and socio-legal perspectives, you'll develop the ability to evaluate criminal justice practices, compare viewpoints and construct evidence-based arguments about accountability and reform.

This project module will enable you to undertake an independent investigation at the intersection of criminology and law. You'll identify a relevant research question, review evidence, select appropriate methods and communicate your findings in a coherent and critical way. Supporting content may include research design, ethics, legal analysis and project management. Through independent enquiry, you'll strengthen your ability to synthesise information, evaluate complex issues and apply criminological and legal perspectives to a topic of contemporary significance.