The module studies the role played by race in all aspects of the criminal justice systems in the United States and United Kingdom. It takes as its point of departure Professor Paul Gilroy's 1993 concept of the ‘Black Atlantic' as a cultural-political ‘space of hybridity' involving Africa, America, Britain and the Caribbean, and we use that concept to examine the extent to which crime and the criminal justice system have been politicised.
The module concerns itself with the shifting politics of race within the criminal justice system. Among other topics, it explores historical representations of race and crime; press and media depictions of black male offenders; racial profiling and the ‘othering' of female offenders; and the commodification of prison that has led to the United States having the highest incarceration rates in the world.
Other focal areas include racial disparities within the criminal justice system, the politics of punishment and sentencing, and empirical, theoretical, practical and policy issues. The module addresses issues of representation, the production of knowledge, the historical contexualisation of minority experiences in theoretical perspectives, and the ethical duties of criminologists working within minority experiences.
The module includes a field trip to Bristol to explore the history of immigration and emigration as it relates to crime.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
This module will be taught through weekly three hour lectures and group workshops. Workshops will be interactive in nature and will provide students with the opportunity to develop their ideas about core concepts and theoretical ideas covered in lectures. Students will be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent research in order to participate effectively in lectures and workshops. Relevant learning materials will be provided on Canvas, including digitised reading materials, lecture and workshop slides, video and documentary sources and examples of comparative case studies.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lecture (22 x 1 hour) Workshop (22 x 2 hour) | 22 44 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Reading, preparation for seminars and assessment | 234 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The module will be assessed using a combination of formative and summative assessments. Students will receive feedback on formative exercises so that they are able to use this constructively to contribute to the summative assessments of the module.
Participants will produce a reflective diary based on personal reflections of their engagement and understanding of ideas and concepts covered in the curriculum. The reflective diary will be used as a summative assessment to help students map their personal understanding, responses and thoughts on themes covered in lectures and workshops.
A1 A three minute Documentary Video and a one page overview including references (1000) words) (summative 40%).
A2 Comparative Case Study (3,000 words) based on a theme covered in the curriculum (summative 60%).
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| demonstrate an understanding of approaches from a variety of disciplines to issues of crime and race in the United States and the United Kingdom. | Production of a video diary (formative) Case Study Proposal (summative) Comparative Case Study |
| demonstrate the ability to employ diverse analytical resources to frame and address research questions. | Formative/Summative Comparative case study |
| demonstrate analytical writing skills that convey their understanding of the topic. | Formative/Summative Video diary Comparative Case Study |
| think critically about issues in political, social, economic and cultural life that bear directly on issues of race and crime. | Formative/Summative Video diary Comparative Case Study |
| think critically about issues in political, social, economic and cultural life that relate directly to issues of race and crime. | Formative/Summative Case Study Proposal Comparative case study |
| develop a deeper understanding of the criminal justice systems in both the United States and United Kingdom and appreciate how experiences of those systems may be heavily influence by race. | Formative/Summative Comparative case study |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module
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