Criminology
This course is an investigation into crime, criminality and the criminal justice system. The course assumes no prior knowledge of the subject and will appeal to anyone who is interested in understanding and explaining criminal behaviour.
Students who have a keen interest in the psychology and sociology of crime will be well suited to this course, which has strong practical and theoretical elements.
The course is modular with controlled assessments in year 1 and 2 at the end of the Winter term and external exams in the Summer term. The exams are both 90 minutes long.
The first mandatory unit will enable the learner to demonstrate understanding of different types of crime, influences on perceptions of crime and why some crimes are unreported.
The second mandatory unit will allow learners to gain an understanding of why people commit crime, drawing on what they have learned in Unit 1.
The third mandatory unit will provide an understanding of the criminal justice system from the moment a crime has been identified to the verdict. Learners will develop the understanding and skills needed to examine information in order to review the justice of verdicts in criminal cases.
In the final mandatory unit, learners will apply their understanding of the awareness of criminality, criminological theories and the process of bringing an accused to court in order to evaluate the effectiveness of social control to deliver criminal justice policy.
Each unit within the qualification has an applied purpose which acts as a focus for the learning in the unit. The applied purpose demands learning related to authentic case studies. It also requires learners to consider how the use and application of their learning impacts on themselves, other individuals, employers, society and the environment.
The main purpose of the WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology is to use the qualification to support access to higher education degree courses, such as:
- BSc Criminology
- BA Criminology
- BA Criminology and Criminal Justice
- BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychology
- LLB (Hons) Law with Criminology
- BA (Hons) Criminology
- BA (Hons) Criminology and Sociology
- BSc (Hons) Psychology and Sociology
- BSc Criminology with Law
Alternatively, the qualification allows learners to gain the required understanding and skills to be able to consider employment within some aspects of the criminal justice system, e.g. the National Probation Service, the Courts and Tribunals Service or the National Offender Management Service.
Enrichment activities include visits to student conferences, relevant charities, university open days and external speakers.
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