Criminology Across Borders

Overview

This module will touch upon some supranational criminological issues in contemporary societies. It aims to consider how crime and justice unfolds outside the remit of the sovereign state. In particular, it will cover the following topics:

-Crime and Justice Beyond the state: Globalization, and state sovereignty, challenges for crime and justice.
-Transnational threats: from the emergence of international crime, to contemporary issues such as terrorism, migration and organised transnational crime as current international threats.
-War and its framing: crime, justice or new forms of war; and responses to conflicts.
--International Policing: the raise of Interpol, Europol and Frontex; their role and functions; data mining and technology; drones as policing tools; the continuum between war and the re-structuring of the security sector.
-International Criminal Courts and the crimes of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity; War Crimes; Rape as a Weapon of War.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of relevant theories, concepts and debates on globalization and supranational criminology.
Critically engage with the idea of international threats and their implications, broadly conceived, for our societies and institutions; the emergence of policing and sentencing bodies to regulate behaviour in the global arena.
Analyse, evaluate and engage in systematic and critical argument concerning contemporary global criminal justice issues.
Show development in their capacity for independent critical thinking, research and oral and written skills.

Skills

Practical/Study Skills and Employability Skills:

- Present information and communicate ideas in a coherent manner and academic format
- Oral skills through participation in lectures and tutorials, class presentations and group
discussions, ability to argue personal viewpoint and discuss with others
- An ability to write in a clear, structured and critical manner incorporating information from academic texts and international organization reports
-Retrieve, select and read critically relevant information from international governmental and non governmental organizations
- A capacity for critical reflection and independent thinking, generating new insights and seeing topical problems and issues from different perspectives.

Assessment

Tutorial attendance and participation; essay.