Crime & Punishment 19th Century Ireland

Overview

This module will focus on various crimes and different forms of punishment in nineteenth-century Ireland. It will consider offences against property and the person, including political offences, arson, murder, infanticide, domestic and child abuse, prostitution and sex offences. The punishment of criminals changed significantly during the nineteenth century and included execution, transportation, and imprisonment. Other suspects were deemed to be insane and were transferred to the so-called lunatic asylum. Much attention was devoted to the ways in which criminals could be punished and reformed before being safely released back into society. In this module, students will explore how female and male suspects, criminals and convicts were treated during this period. Emphasis will also be placed on the interpretation of primary source material relating to crime and punishment in nineteenth-century Ireland.

Learning Objectives

On completion of this module, the successful student should be able to: Outline motives for and consequences of various criminal offences; Identify, describe and assess ways that criminals and convicts were punished in nineteenth-century Ireland; Locate, question and interpret nineteenth-century sources relating to crime and punishment; Identify how the Irish experience of crime and punishment compared to other countries; Present work in written form for different audiences and develop additional transferable skills such as team-working and quantitative research skills.

Skills

Analytical skills; Research skills; Written and oral communication skills; Debating skills; Quantitative methods skills; Computer skills; Group work skills; Peer assessment skills.

Assessment

None,