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The expectation for each student on this module is that they show up to class having done all of the reading. Students will be expected to do their best to understand the readings, and to come to class ready to discuss the readings and with questions about them. We will work together to understand what we have read in terms of modern social, political, and criminological perspectives. Lectures for each session will be minimal and will not be delivered via powerpoint. The discussion will be expected to be lead by the students. 

The Criminological Theory and Practice module is the cornerstone of the theoretical framework for the entire MSc Criminology. It is a module that introduces students to foundational and modern theories in criminology and illustrates how those theories have been applied in the real world. It exposes students to critical theoretical criminological perspectives, shows them how these perspectives build on previous theories, introduces them to the concept of praxis, and how these theories have been modified when they are used in the real world. 

This module will educate students on the evolution of criminological theories, inform them how these theories have been applied, and discuss the outcomes of those applications. Further, it will enable students to better focus on the connections between theoretical concepts, research strategies, and knowledge claims. To do this, students will examine forms of structural inequality, power and hierarchies as they exist socially, concepts of legal and cultural justice, and the impact of political decision-making. Students will also examine how representations of crime in media and cultural discourses impacts how the prevalence of crime, and how criminality is thought of, are perceived and interpreted. This will give students the theoretical knowledge they need to engage with their MSc research, and allow them to understand the ideological underpinnings of organizations they may go on to work with.