(BA) Bachelor of Arts
Criminology and American Studies (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad)
Current
University of Essex
University of Essex
Essex Pathways
Colchester Campus
Honours Degree
Full-time
Area Studies
BA MT28
08/05/2024
Details
Professional accreditation
None
Admission criteria
UK and EU applicants:
All applications for degree courses with a foundation year (Year Zero) will be considered individually, whether you:
- think you might not have the grades to enter the first year of a degree course;
- have non-traditional qualifications or experience (e.g. you haven’t studied A-levels or a BTEC);
- are returning to university after some time away from education; or
- are looking for more support during the transition into university study.
Standard offer: Our standard offer is 72 UCAS tariff points from at least two full A-levels, or equivalent.
Examples of the above tariff may include:
- A-levels: DDD
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: MMP
- T-levels: Pass with E in core
If you are unsure whether you meet the entry criteria, please get in touch for advice.
Mature applicants and non-traditional academic backgrounds:
We welcome applications from mature students (over 21) and students with non-traditional academic backgrounds (might not have gone on from school to take level 3 qualifications). We will consider your educational and employment history, along with your personal statement and reference, to gain a rounded view of your suitability for the course.
International applicants:
Essex Pathways Department is unable to accept applications from international students. Foundation pathways for international students are available at the University of Essex International College and are delivered and awarded by Kaplan, in partnership with the University of Essex. Successful completion will enable you to progress to the relevant degree course at the University of Essex.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) code
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.
Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here
If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.
English language shelf-life
Most English language qualifications have a validity period of 5 years. The validity period of Pearson Test of English, TOEFL and CBSE or CISCE English is 2 years.
If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
Pre-sessional English courses
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.
Pending English language qualifications
You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.
If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.
Additional Notes
If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College
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
Dr Kevin Corstorphine
Lecturer
University of Hull
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
To provide students with a programme of study with which to acquire a multidisciplinary understanding of the place of crime and criminology in general and in United States society in particular.
To provide students with opportunities to acquire a detailed knowledge of the culture, society and politics of the United States in a multidisciplinary framework.
To provide students with an understanding of the core concepts of sociological and criminological theories and techniques.
To provide students with opportunities to acquire and apply research skills.
To develop students' analytical, critical and problem-solving skills.
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: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of some of the most influential ideas that have informed sociological theories and visions of American society, related to the debates around race, inequality and gender in the United States.
A2: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of core concepts of the history of the United States, concerning its origins, development and influence
A3: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of key perspectives of the United States in politics, society, art, literature and film.
A4: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of some of the major methods used in sociological and criminological research
A5: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the problems of, and responses to, crime and criminality within cultural, economic, moral, social and political contexts.
A6: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of diverse criminological approaches and key 'schools of thought'.
A7: Students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the significance of cultural representations of crime and disorder to framing the central place of crime in the popular imagination.
Learning methods
A1-A7 are acquired through core/compulsory module lectures and classes in Years 1, 2 and 3 and through a course of study followed at a University in the United States in Year 3.
Assessment methods
Assessment is by unseen examinations and/or continuous coursework consisting of essays or term papers and occasionally by individual and group presentations.
A3-A5 are also assessed through the Dissertation, where applicable.
B: Intellectual and cognitive skills
B1: Students will be able to use their discipline-based training to think critically and analytically in relation to a number of different academic disciplines
B2: Students will be able to think, operate and write across disciplinary boundaries and be able to relate and connect ideas, theories, concepts and other material between disciplines.
B3: Students will be able to apply a range of primary and secondary sources which include written, oral and visual sources in a number of different contexts.
B4: Students will be able to reason critically, identify, analyse and solve problems, using appropriate methodologies and theories.
B5: Students will be able to demonstrate and exercise independence of mind and thought.
Learning methods
B1-B4 are acquired through classes and seminars where there is emphasis on group discussion.
Students are expected to do independent research to consolidate classwork.
B1 and B3 are also acquired through lectures and through feedback on course work.
Assessment methods
All these skills are assessed in continuous coursework in all years, in examinations and through the final year Dissertation, where applicable.
C: Practical skills
C1: Students will be able to communicate ideas clearly and coherently in a range of disciplines and in a manner appropriate to a variety of target audiences at home and in the United States.
C2: Students will be able to present written materials using appropriate language, referencing, and other illustrative material as appropriate.
C3: Students will be able to work independently, write and think under pressure, meet deadlines, manage their own time and workload and demonstrate initiative.
C4: Students will be able to apply the necessary organisational and cultural skills for living and working abroad.
C5: Students, where applicable, will be able to collect research materials from diverse sources and fashion these into written theses on selected issues, problems and questions.
Learning methods
C1 - C3 are acquired through classes, coursework and preparation for examinations.
C2, C3 and C5 are acquired through classes, lectures, essays, term papers and further through the optional final year dissertation.
C4 and C5 are acquired through the guided but relatively independent process of organising and successfully completing a period of living and studying in the United States.
Assessment methods
C1 - C3 and C5 are assessed through unseen examinations, coursework essays and term papers in all years, including the period of study abroad and through the final year dissertation, where applicable.
C4 is assessed through the work of the study abroad period.
D: Key skills
D1: Students will be able to present knowledge or an argument in a clear, coherent and relevant manner, work proficiently and effectively in a range of academic contexts and work independently in a different cultural and learning environment
D2: Students will be able to use a range of appropriate IT to research and present material.
D3: Students will be able to apply statistical methods to any problem or issue for which data is analysed.
D4: Students will be able to identify a research problem and apply relevant research methodologies and techniques
to resolve it.
D5: Students will be able to reflect on their own learning, to seek and make use of feedback on their performance, to recognise when further knowledge is required and to undertake the necessary research
Learning methods
D1 and D5 skills are acquired through participatory classwork in all years of study.
D1 is acquired through study abroad.
Assessment methods
All key skills are assessed either through coursework or the final year dissertation, where applicable, including the study abroad work.
D1 skills are also assessed through examinations.