Southern Criminology: Decolonising the study of crime and justice
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| SOCI3039 | Sociology and Social Policy | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- SOCI3039
- School
- Sociology and Social Policy
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
Criminologists are beginning to recognise how knowledge about crime and criminal justice tends to have been produced in and for the countries of the Global North, and Western Europe and North America in particular.
This module looks at new southern and decolonial perspectives in criminology that question the dominance of this knowledge and its application in the Global South (broadly speaking the continents of Africa, Asia, Central and South America and Oceania).
It examines southern and decolonial theories, what they have to say, how they relate to each other, and how they can help us to understand crime problems, and criminal justice institutions, policies and practices not just in the Global South but in the North as well.
A central theme that runs through the module is the idea that criminology can be seen as a form of 'imperial reason' closely associated with colonialism, and that colonialism itself continues to have a profound impact on how we experience and know about the contemporary world.
Target Students
Available to Level 3 and Level 4 UG students and PGT students including subsidiary students from outside the school. Also available to exchange students.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 40% Group Presentation: 20 minutes.
- 60% Coursework: 2,500 words.
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to introduce students to ideas, theories and perspectives in criminology that come from the Global South and seek to understand crime and justice in the Global South in ways that take account of experiences of colonisation and its effects on both the colonised and coloniser.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
- Evaluate southern and decolonial perspectives in criminology as alternatives and/or additions to criminology produced in and for the Global North.
- Analyse the differences in approach to the study of crime justice between southern and decolonial criminologies and the criminologies of the Global North.
Intellectual Skills
- Apply knowledge of southern and decolonial criminologies to make sense of crime and justice, mainly in the Global South.
Professional Practical Skills, Transferable (Key) Skills
- Work effectively as a member of a team.
- Communicate effectively both orally using visual aids where appropriate and in writing.