Green criminology is a relatively recent area of specialization within criminology. It refers to the study of crimes and harms affecting the planet and the associated impacts on human and nonhuman life. It spans the micro to the macro, from individual-level environmental crimes to business/corporate violations to state transgressions. As a harm-based discourse, it includes not just violations of the law, but also individual and institutional, socially-accepted activities, behaviours, and practices (such as the human domination of animals in agribusiness, slaughterhouses, and sports).
One of the purposes of the module is to expose students to a wide range of crimes and issues that criminologists ordinarily fail to examine. Topics include crimes against animals, forests, and water, the ways in which these crimes can be addressed, and the efforts of socially responsible actors to remedy these problems. This module centres on the importance of those issues, why they are worthwhile studying from a criminological perspective, and how they are studied.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Theories and Context
Parameters of Green Criminology
Issues in Green Criminology
Reponses to green crime
Teaching and learning is in the form of a weekly two hour interactive workshop that will provide students with the opportunity to critically engage with key issues and debates in the area of green criminology. The teaching and learning strategy within the workshop will comprise:
The learning strategy requires a high level of student participation and students taking this module will be required to take responsibility for advancing their own learning through preparatory reading prior to workshops and completing any pre-set tasks that are made available through Canvas.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 x 2 | 44 |
| Guided independent study | 256 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Students' engagement with the academic material will be assessed by a (1) 3000 word essay that will enable the students to demonstrate their knowledge and critical understanding of theoretical concepts covered in the module This will be supported by a formative in-class exercise to develop an essay plan. (2) Students will demonstrate their ability to assess and evaluate crime and harm control policies through a 3000 word case study report. This will be supported by a formative in-class excise to develop a case study plan.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Identify green issues and apply criminological perspectives | Essay and case study report |
| Demonstrate a critical understanding of harm, crime and victimisation as applied to the interrelationship between humans, environment and non-human animals. | Essay |
| Critically analyse theoretical explanations and empirical findings relating to the perpetuation of harm and crimes against humans, environment and non-human animals. | Essay |
| Critically assess and evaluate harm and crime control policies employed for the purposes of reducing crimes against humans, environment and non-human animals. | Case study report |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework 1 | Essay | 50% |
| Coursework 2 | Case Study Report | 50% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Beirne, Piers, and Nigel South, eds. 2013. Issues in Green Criminology: Confronting harms against environments, humanity and other animals. Abingdon UK: Hoboken Taylor and Francis
Beirne, P. (2002). Criminology and Animal Studies: A Sociological View. Society and Animals. (10) 4 , 381-386.
Brisman, A. and South, N. (2013) A green-cultural criminology: An exploratory outline. Crime, Media, Culture. Vol.9(2), pp.115-135
Carson, R. (2002) [orig.1962]. Silent Spring. Mariner Books
Davies, P. A. (2014) Green crime and victimization: Tensions between social and environmental justice. Theoretical Criminology 18(3), pp.300-316
Lynch, M.J. and Stretesky, P.B. (2003) ‘The Meaning of Green: Contrasting Criminological Perspectives', Theoretical Criminology, Vol. 7, No.2, London: Sage
Nurse, A. (2013) Privatising the green police: the role of NGOs in wildlife law enforcement. Crime, Law and Social Change,59 (3), pp.305-318
Peggs, K (2012) ‘Animals, Crime and Abuse' in K. Peggs. Animals and Sociology. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
White, R. (ed) (2012). Climate Change from a Criminological Perspective. New York: Springer.
Young, J (2011) The Criminological Imagination. Cambridge: Polity