BA (Hons) Criminology and International Relations

Global Crime and International Relations (Part 1) is a module that explores the intersections between international relations and international crime in order to highlight and explain their distinct yet interconnected nature and makeup. A significant focus of the module is on understanding the impact of globalisation on criminal networks and state security agencies, and the crossfire that civilians are oftentimes caught in. Through this exploration, students will be able to engage with relevant theoretical frameworks that illuminate the complexities of these issues and draw on a selection of real-life case studies and examples to apply their theoretical insights. Such connections will help students appreciate how state and criminal networks both exploit, influence and impact global politics, security, and governance in the 21st century.

Global Crime and International Security (Part 2) will introduce the students into the linkages between crime and security in twenty-first century. It will introduce students to the ways in which security is pursued, and crime is responded to on a global level through case examples of contemporary security issues and risks, institutional responses and global governance. The module thus provides students with a solid grounding in both theoretical and empirical understandings of global crime’s intersection with international security matters.

The state in international affairs is an essential component to the study of International Relations. This module will guide you through its development in Europe from the 17th Century to the present day. We will explore how the state operated during this period, and question why it has been so resilient an entity for human organisation. We will also examine the impact of the end of the Cold War along with how subsequent thinking has led to significant changes in how the state and its power are understood by the international community.

This module enables you to understand the world in which we live today. It provides a solid grounding in the study of international affairs through the varying theories that have been developed throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries. Through discussing these theories, we also examine how they have informed the international system and the institutions and practices that operate within it.

This module will introduce you to a core of key theoretical perspectives within criminology. You will be encouraged to reflect upon the ways in which different theoretical strands have attempted to explain crime and criminal behaviour. This will foster an understanding of the reasons for these differences and similarities between different theoretical approaches.

This module will introduce you to the roles, agencies and institutions key to the operation of the Criminal Justice System. You will outline the decision-making mechanisms and how the Criminal Justice System operates in practice. Alongside this, you will also consider the range of possible outcomes arising from involvement with the Criminal Justice System and the impacts of this for individuals, groups and communities.

In an era of globalisation, it is possible to locate issues such as crime and justice on the international level. This is seen not just by the emergence of so-called transnational crimes, but by the cross-country responses to crime often coordinated by international organizations. Crime, Justice, and the International is a module that captures these trends by exploring emerging issues in the realm of global crime and justice, responses to it and civil society resistance and reactions. The module is underpinned by the contemporary, theoretical and empirical research in the fields of Criminology, International Relations and Criminal Justice and it will give the students a unique opportunity to engage with the location of crime and social justice related issues on the international scene.

Research is the core business of all academic discovery. Understanding the plurality of methodology and methods and using them effectively to investigate global societies develops our academic and policy literacy. A good grasp of research methodologies and methods unlocks the tools required for you to contribute to scholarship in IR and Criminology. It also reinforces critical thinking skills, which are a prerequisite for a range of research and policy focused careers within inter-governmental, non-governmental and academic organisations.

To achieve this, the module develops your familiarity and competencies to critique and make appropriate use of a range of key quantitative and qualitative methods for social data investigation and problem-solving, within real world contexts. Building this crucial knowledge base prepares you for the work and assessments in this module, equips you for the research you undertake across your degree programme. As developing researchers, we expect you to give due regard to both the philosophical basis of social science research and just as importantly to recognise the complex ethical issues that can often underpin research in the socio-political world.

This module provides you with the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of a particular topic related to Criminology and International Relations and enables you to develop the necessary research skills for the work place and prepares you for your Level 6 research project module.

Students can choose to teach either in Politics or Criminology at  A-Level. In the Politics A-Level they will be able to support the Global Politics content. Numbers on this module are strictly capped at 5 per institution. Alongside selecting this module in OMS, students wishing to follow this course will also have to make a direct application for consideration to the host institution. That application will take the form of a letter/personal statement outlining their suitability for this role and their commitment to teaching as a profession. This will take place in May/June. Initial shortlisting will be undertaken by the LJMU IRP team taking account of the following criteria: Record of attendance through Level-4 to be at least 75% across semester 2. Academic performance at Level-4: successful applicants will have achieved a minimum overall level mean mark of at least 60%. A clearly articulated appreciation of the nature of teaching and a commitment to this vocation. Where possible, evidence of teaching experience either as a classroom assistant, or equivalent, or teaching observation. All DBS checks will be completed with the host institution.

The aim is to provide students with an extended period of work experience at an approved partner that will complement their programme of study at LJMU. This will give students the opportunity to develop professional skills relevant to their programme of study as well as the attitude and behaviours necessary for employment in a diverse and changing environment. This extended placement forms a key part of a sandwich degree. All placements need to be assessed and approved prior to commencement in line with the LJMU Placement Learning Code of Practice.  The Code of Practice requires students to conduct themselves in a professional and responsible manner during the placement - failure to do so may lead to the placement being terminated prematurely.  Placements are normally for one calendar year on a full-time basis. Split placements of a shorter duration may be permissible. There is an expectation that a minimum of 1200 hours will be spent in the workplace.

This module will help you to understand the complexities of contemporary theoretical perspectives in criminology, moving beyond standard ‘textbook’ accounts of crime, deviance and/or social control. Using this knowledge you will be able to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of contemporary accounts of crime and deviance in relation to their more established counterparts.

This module enables you to focus on a particular region of the world based on what is of particular interest in the year of delivery, and contingent on the research expertise of the instructor.

This module enables you to explore the roles and relations of international organisations through a thematic approach. This will allow you to engage with key organisations focussing on broader themes of international politics, such as aid and development, health, security and the environment. This approach will allow you to engage with core debates and explore the roles of a multitude of organisations.

This module will introduce you to the structures and practical functioning of British politics and government. You will take a contemporary focus of British politics, examining the elements of continuity, change and crisis. This will allow you to explore political processes in the UK, both formal institutions of the state and alternative political processes. In doing so, you will analyse the relevance of the Westminster model of governance and set British politics within a comparative context

This module deepens students' understanding of Scandinavian history, society, and politics. They engage in key debates, study various political systems, and explore Nordic culture through media and literature. The syllabus covers topics like the Welfare Model, colonialism, modernization, and contemporary political issues, offering a well-rounded perspective on the region's past and present.

Weekly lectures will provide background and contextual setting against which students will consider a range of primary source material in seminars. The seminars will provide a structured framework where sources will be dissected by students and used to stimulate discussion and debate.

This module aims to bring together the critical study of terrorism and critical approaches to the study of race and empire. This module will critically examine contemporary counter-terrorism practices and their historical origins in colonial contexts. As such, this module will provide students with the necessary theoretical tools to understand how contemporary discourses on ‘terrorism’ open up wider questions of power, coloniality and empire. Students will further be provided with the tools to apply decolonial approaches to contemporary issues in world politics. In particular, this module will be important for students who are keen on pursuing a career within research, policy-making, NGO work, and organisations concerned with security, development and peace-building, counter-terrorism, and counter-insurgency, as well as race, gender, and decoloniality.

This module will help you to critically evaluate the theoretical perspectives of a number of key thinkers in criminology. A review of existing literature will enable you to appreciate the intellectual histories of their work. In doing so, you will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these theorists’ work for explaining crime and our responses to it.

It is increasingly recognised that globalisation, socio-economic and ecological interdependence, is revealed in the constant transition of people between places, societies and cultures, and globally generalised ecological impacts. Crime, its control, and social and environmental harms, transcend local and state borders – they have global dimensions. Global processes create newly marginalised and excluded groups, social constructions are destroyed, new ones emerge, organised and serious crime transcends traditional boundaries, places and identities. Globalisation also provides opportunities to contest these new elements of victimisation. This module will address these global dimensions of crime and harm, decolonise their criminological examination, explore emerging 'Southern' criminologies, Social Movements, resistance and the contested nature of crime and justice.

This module intends to critically engage you with important questions around harm, responsibility, accountability and regulation. It seeks to explore how and why particular acts (or failures to act) by particular actors become viewed as ‘crimes’ worthy of criminal justice sanction, whilst others do not.

The module aims to apply the core concepts of harm, responsibility, accountability and regulation to the study of powerful people, groups and institutions. In doing so, it hopes to enhance your knowledge and understanding of social harm theory, the harms caused by state and state-corporate acts and omissions, the competing claims made around organisational and individual agency, and the problems and possibilities of different regulatory approaches.

The dissertation is an independent research project. Working under the direct supervision of a research-active member of staff, you will produce an extended piece of original independent research which will draw upon the latest developments in your field and demonstrate your in-depth knowledge. It will further enhance key transferable skills developed from Level 5 such as project management, effective research skills, effective communication, critical analysis and high-level evaluation of data, as well as professional time-management.

In the first semester students will take workshops focused on research skills, including interview techniques. In the second semester, they will participate in the MOD hacking programme, respond to the question set, interview government personnel, and present and write-up their findings. Their advisor will support them in delivering this part of the module.

There is a cap on having no more than two groups enrolled, with a maximum of 5 students per group. 

It is important to note that LJMU will be responsible for providing the advisor for the academic delivery/research skills sessions, for academic supervision of the project and for assessment of the module.

This module is designed with the understanding that our extant historical knowledge (which is implicitly Eurocentric) needs to be globalised. It means the non-western world should be better weighted and given due attention rather than seen as a passive receiver of western impacts. It emphasises a lot on the historically situated forces in the making of non-western world of ideas and, more importantly, their connections and complex relationships.

This module will help you to understand the different forms of organised political violence. During the module you will engage in traditional and critical theories of international security to understand the role of states and nonstate actors in organised political violence.

Within this module you will explore the contested concepts and practices of security in the twenty-first century. You will engage with existing debates in the fields of international relations, security studies and critical security studies. Alongside this, you will also be introduced to the socio-spatial implications of contemporary security governance. Exploring the impact of external security developments on urban places and environments such as cities, built environments and crowded spaces.

This module will introduce you to the comparative study of nationalism and secession. You will explore the historical and contemporary relevance of nationalism and secession. Whilst understanding the contestation involved in studying such topics. Throughout the module, you will be required to apply theoretical knowledge to empirical examples, whilst comparing and analysing various case studies from around the world.

This module is designed to familiarise students with debates surrounding the international politics of development. We live in an international system deeply divided in terms of national income and access to basic human welfare. This module aims to explore the politics behind why certain regions are rich and others poor. It does so by narrowing its focus onto a specific region of the world and examines the historical and contemporary factors shaping its economic development (or underdevelopment). In this module, students will examine key theories of development from the fields of international politics, political economy and development studies and the points of contention between them. It will then apply these empirically to explore different themes and case studies related to the development trajectory of a specific region of the world.

This module will explore how 'green' or environmental' crime is conceptualised and addressed within Criminology, and related disciplines. You will examine how 'green' or 'environmental' crimes are perpetrated and the harms it generates for victims and society. In doing so, you will be able to assess the relative success and failure of regulatory and criminal justice frameworks in addressing 'green' or 'environmental' crime and associated harms.

This module will encourage you to critically consider the exercise of police power and its relationship to ideas of social and political order and disorder. You will explore the origins of police, considering the development, expansion and transformation of policing in domestic, colonial and international settings. In doing so, you will foster a critical understanding of the policing of a range of marginalized, minority and dissenting/dissident populations.

This module was developed to provide a summative overview of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of Human Rights. Participation in this module will enable you to examine the ideas, theories, and politics of global human rights, as well as evaluating the discrepancy between the theory and practice of human rights.

This module examines the challenges associated with defining and studying terrorism and insurgency. As a criminology student, you will assess how terrorism is constructed in social, political, legal, and media discourses. You will analyse how governments and nation-states respond and react to contemporary forms of terrorism in a globalised world, mapping the connections between organised crime and terrorist actors. Alongside this, you will also document the effects of counterterrorism and security policy on communities and counter-hegemonic politics.