(BA) Bachelor of Arts
Journalism and Criminology
Current
University of Essex
University of Essex
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Honours Degree
Full-time
Communication, Media, Film and Cultural Studies
Criminology
BA P550
10/05/2023
Details
Professional accreditation
None
Admission criteria
A-levels: ABB, including one essay based subject
BTEC: DDD, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided.
IB: 32 points or three Higher Level certificates with 655, including a Higher Level essay based subject grade 5.
We are also happy to consider a combination of separate IB Diploma Programme Courses (formerly certificates) at both Higher and Standard Level. Exact offer levels will vary depending on the range of subjects being taken at higher and standard level, and the course applied for.
We can also consider combinations with BTECs or other qualifications in the Career-related programme – the acceptability of BTECs and other qualifications depends on the subject studied, advice on acceptability can be provided. Please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.
Access to HE Diploma: 15 level 3 credits at Distinction and 30 level 3 credits at Merit, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) code
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component.
Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels listed above. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications
If you are an international student requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Course qualifiers
A course qualifier is a bracketed addition to your course title to denote a specialisation or pathway that you have achieved via the completion of specific modules during your course. The
specific module requirements for each qualifier title are noted below. Eligibility for any selected qualifier will be determined by the department and confirmed by the final year Board of
Examiners. If the required modules are not successfully completed, your course title will remain as described above without any bracketed addition. Selection of a course qualifier is
optional and student can register preferences or opt-out via Online Module Enrolment (eNROL).
None
Rules of assessment
Rules of assessment are the rules, principles and frameworks which the University uses to calculate your course progression and final results.
Additional notes
None
External examiners
External Examiners provide an independent overview of our courses, offering their expertise and help towards our continual improvement of course content, teaching, learning, and assessment.
External Examiners are normally academics from other higher education institutions, but may be from the industry, business or the profession as appropriate for the course.
They comment on how well courses align with national standards, and on how well the teaching, learning and assessment methods allow students to develop and demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills needed to achieve their awards.
External Examiners who are responsible for awards are key members of Boards of Examiners. These boards make decisions about student progression within their course and about whether students can receive their final award.
Programme aims
JOURNALISM:
- To create graduates who are thoroughly grounded in the theory and practice of journalism, able to make sound editorial judgements and behave in a professional manner.
- To help students develop their writing and broadcasting skills to a high level.
- To encourage students to develop their critical faculties, in particular to adopt an inquiring, sceptical and whole-hearted approach to their work.
- To encourage students to work effectively on their own and in teams to produce the best journalism.
CRIMINOLOGY:
- To provide students with some understanding of the distinctive character of criminological thinking (B).
- To provide students with some knowledge of the main theoretical traditions of criminology (B).
- To provide students with some understanding of research methods in criminology (B).
- To develop students capacity for critical enquiry, argument and analysis (B).
- To develop students capacity for independent learning.
- To provide students with the knowledge and skills to enable them to proceed to further study and research.
Learning outcomes and learning, teaching and assessment methods
On successful completion of the programme a graduate should demonstrate knowledge and skills as follows:
A: Knowledge and understanding
A1: Theoretical and practical approaches to journalism
A2: The history and evolution of journalism, the current state of the industry and its future prospects
A3: The role of publishing and broadcasting in a modern society
A4: The UK legal system, and the law, regulatory framework and codes of practice relating to journalism
A5: The characteristics and needs of a range of print, broadcast and web-based journalism, production processes and professional practice in relation to newspapers, magazines, online content and broadcast journalism
A6: Some knowledge of the social, political and mediatised processes of victimisation and criminalisation (B)
A7: Some understanding of the relationship of social divisions and diversity in relation to crime, deviance, victimisation and responses to crime. (B)
A8: Some understanding of the principles of research design and the main approaches to data collection in crime and social problems (B)
A9: Some understanding of the relationship between theory, concepts and substantive issues in criminology and some knowledge of key criminological concepts and theories and some understanding of the changing values, policies, practices and institutions involved in different forms of punishment, community safety, security and criminal justice and an understanding of the value of comparative analysis (B)
A10: To develop intercultural skills (Study/Year Abroad variant only)
A11: To provide the opportunity to apply academic learning outcomes in a work-related context (Placement year variant)
A12: To develop essential work-based skills throughout the placement. (Placement variant only)
Learning methods
Lectures, workshops, group discussion and reflection, work experience, practical exercises, formative feedback.
CRIMINOLOGY: The Department uses lectures to present material - ideas, data and arguments- in a clear and structured manner using examples, mapping the field and the contours of debates. Lectures are also used to stimulate students’ interest in the area under discussion. In each Module the issues and arguments covered in lectures are explored further through weekly classes or workshops for which students have to prepare. The curriculum is designed to involve clear progression between the foundational work in the first year and the subsequent compulsory Modules. There is a strong emphasis on developing students’ theoretical understanding of criminological work through the compulsory criminology modules, especially the progressive structuring of the material in SC104/SC204/SC304/SC382.
Classes, and preparation for classes, provide the opportunity for students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the content of the modules. In addition student learning takes place through the work they do preparing essays and assignments. In the first year on SC104 students are required to produce assignments based on selected empirical studies in criminology. SC104 also specifically introduces students to examples of ongoing research in the Department. In the third-year modules SC304 and SC382, there is a particular focus on comparative analysis and on criminal justice practitioners in action through international case studies and guest sessions.
Assessment methods
A1-A5 Range of in-class tests, portfolio of work, reflective journals, group work, project work, essays and other coursework
A1: examination
Outcomes A6 to A9 are assessed through coursework and unseen written examinations. Coursework includes assessed oral presentations, essays, assignments and criminological journals.
B: Intellectual and cognitive skills
B1: Able to absorb and organise large amounts of informati
on in a short time, applying critical techniques to assess evidence on the basis of relevance, reliability and newsworthiness
B2: Turn raw data and information into clear, accurate and engaging journalism with impact
B3: Make good decisions and present clear, well-reasoned and coherent arguments, in writing or orally, often against a deadline
B4: Exercise judgement in designing, planning and delivering journalistic output
B5: Evaluate, interpret and demonstrate critical judgement in the understanding of developments in the news, of issues and concepts, and be able dispassionately to assess one's own work and the work of others
B6: Produce independent and imaginative treatments conforming to a clear framework of values
B7: An ability to understand, summarise and critically assess criminological work (B)
B8: An ability to compare competing theories and explanations and develop a reasoned argument (B)
B9: An ability to assemble, evaluate and interpret evidence (B)
B10: An understanding of the epistemological and ethical dimensions of research (B)
Learning methods
Lectures, workshops, group discussion and reflection, work experience, practical exercises, formative feedback.
CRIMINOLOGY:
Students enhance the above intellectual skills primarily through the work they do for their modules, although lectures and classes provide a means of teachers demonstrating these skills. Preparation for classes and class presentations involve the reading, interpretation and evaluation of criminological texts and the collection and evaluation of empirical data and policy documents. Class tutors provide feedback on class presentations and contributions to classes through comment and discussion. Similarly the preparation of essays and other assignments also develop the listed intellectual skills. Students are provided with feedback on all assessed work and this is crucial to their intellectual development.
Assessment methods
Assessment is by coursework, practical assignments, portfolios, group projects, peer assessment, critical commentaries, and written examinations and, in some cases, oral presentations.
Outcomes B7 to B10 are assessed by coursework and exam. B8 and B9 are assessed through essays, assignments, journals, oral presentations and unseen written examinations for the criminology modules. Not all assignments require the evaluation and interpretation of empirical evidence (B10) though many do. On all modules students are required to marshal material in order to expound an argument.
C: Practical skills
C1: An ability to find, research and write news stories and features for various print, online and broadcast media
C2: An ability to conduct interviews, record information accurately and analyse it to a professional standard
C3: An ability to work in production for various media, using industry-standard software and hardware
C4: An ability to work independently, cooperatively and in editorial teams to produce finished work to agreed deadlines for various media
C5: An ability to operate in professional manner, observing ethical and legal constraints
C6: An ability to retrieve relevant sociological evidence using bibliographic and web searches and to summarise, report and evaluate arguments, texts and findings.
C7: An ability to summarise, report and evaluate arguments, texts and findings in the field of criminology. (B)
C8: An ability to frame a research proposal and to identify and apply the appropriate research methods and to apply introductory statistical techniques to sociological data
C9: An ability to undertake scholarly work. (B)
C10: An ability to conduct and present a small scale piece of research
Learning methods
Lectures, workshops, group discussion and reflection, work experience, practical exercises, formative feedback.
CRIMINOLOGY: Throughout the three years of the degree practical skills are developed through preparation for classes, preparing essays and other assessed assignments, giving presentations and doing written examinations. Students receive detailed feedback on all their coursework and presentations. Study skills advice and training is available from the Student Support Officer in the Resource Room, which is dedicated to this purpose.
Assessment methods
Assessment is by coursework, practical assignments, portfolios, group projects, peer assessment, critical commentaries, written examinations and, in some cases, oral presentations.
Skill C8 is specifically assessed in the first year SC104 assignments, but also forms part of the assessment of almost every piece of assessed coursework. Skills C8 and C10 are assessed in the majority of pieces of assessed coursework and written examinations.
D: Key skills
D1: Ability to express oneself in a clear, focused, relevant and effective way, both orally and in writing
D2: Ability to use appropriate software and hardware to produce and present high quality editorial content
D3: An ability to read, interpret and draw inferences from official statistics; an ability to carry out simple statistical calculations
D4: Finding, understanding, organising and processing information. Applying knowledge and understanding to make judgements. Ability to question conventional wisdom and find innovative methods of research. Working to deadlines. Management of projects and timetables.
D5: Ability to plan, manage time, and advance and argue for proposals in editorial meetings, ability to respond constructively to criticism, ability to engage in collaborative writing and programme-making activities; ability to work co-operatively in a variety of group contexts, including practical production, taking on a number of different roles.
D6: Ability to take responsibility for own work and actions in individual and collective contexts, and to reflect on performance and make constructive use of written and oral feedback.
Learning methods
Lectures, workshops, group discussion and reflection, work experience, practical exercises, formative feedback.
Assessment methods
Assessment is by coursework, practical assignments, portfolios, group projects, peer assessment, critical commentaries, and written examinations and, in some cases, oral presentations.
Communication skills are assessed throughout the degree through continuous assessed coursework (including oral presentation) and examinations.
IT skills are a component in the evaluation of most assessed work which require bibliographic and web searches.
Numeracy skills are assessed in the assignments for SC104, which include interpretation of crime statistics, and in SC101, which includes the computer application of statistical procedures.
Problem solving skills are assessed in almost all assignments.
Since the curriculum is structured in a progressive manner, student skills in improving learning and performance are also assessed through the related structured progression of formal assessed work.