Punishment and Penality
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| SOCI1018 | Sociology and Social Policy | 1 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- SOCI1018
- School
- Sociology and Social Policy
- Level
- 1
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module will introduce students to a range of debates about the nature of punishment and its roles in society. We will explore the philosophical, political and historical reasons why societies use punishment and examine accounts of the changing nature of punishment since the Enlightenment. We will also examine the nature of contemporary systems of punishment based on imprisonment, the challenges they face and the alternative forms of punishment that have emerged in the second half of the 20th century. The module will also examine key social questions relating to why and how societies punish lawbreakers differentially based on major social divisions.
Topics covered include:
- Retributivist, reductivist and expressivist philosophical justifications for punishment.
- Classical and revisionist theories of the changing nature of punishment since the Enlightenment.
- Criminological accounts of the differential application of punishment in society based on class, race and gender.
- Abolitionist approaches and alternatives to punishment.
Target Students
Available to all level 1 students in the School of Sociology and Social Policy and level 1 and level 2 subsidiary students from outside the school and exchange students.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 40% Presentation: Assessment: Group presentation, 20 minutes, (40%).
- 60% Coursework: Assessment: Coursework 2,500 words, (60%).
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
The aim of the module is to introduce students to punishment as a social phenomenon: how punishment is defined and deemed justified; how the changing nature of punishment over time has been theorized; how social scientists have accounted for the differential application of punishments in society, and how the reduction or abolition of certain punishments might be achieved.Learning Outcomes
Intellectual Skills
Students who successfully complete the module will be able to:
- Articulate a variety of debates about the purposes of punishment in society.
- Explain key theoretical approaches used to explain punishment, and alternatives to punishment.
- Compare and contrast the changing nature and scope of punishment and its differential application.
Professional/Practical Skills
Students who successfully complete the module will be able to:
- Write clearly and concisely.
- Work with others to prepare and lead a presentation.
- Identify and summarise the most important concepts in a text.
- Identify problems and begin the process of resolving them.
- Communicate their ideas to an appropriate standard both orally and in writing.
Transferable/Key Skills
Students who successfully complete the module will be able to demonstrate the following transferable/key skills:
- Written communication; self-management in relation to their own learning; problem-solving; critical thinking; basic literacy in the use of information technology for the purposes of scholarship; presentation skills; group-working.