Dissertation Honours Project
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The completion of an Honours Dissertation Thesis or Honours Project is the culmination of a student's undergraduate studies. The work offers individuals a sustained opportunity to conduct research into business and management and/or social and cultural issues, some of which could be international in focus, and execute a defined project of research, development or investigation. This module builds on the Level 3 'Research Methods: Theory and Practice' module and requires the completion, to the required standard, of a 10-12,000 word (excluding appendices) individual Dissertation, Thesis or Honours Project. The module requires students to demonstrate familiarity with a range of data, research sources and appropriate methodologies. Students may also wish to incorporate a research-based placement into their programme of study.
Optional modules - Choose five from the options below, subject to availability
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Please see modules below.
Hitler's War: The Third Reich, German Society and the Second World War
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In this module, students investigate why the warfare waged by the Third Reich, and the foreign policy it was meant to further, were so ruthless why both were initially so successful, and how they drove the regime's policies of genocide and economic exploitation. Finally, students examine how, ultimately, the character and failings of the Reich's war effort contributed to Germany's defeat. The forces students examine include National Socialist ideology the role of Hitler himself the chaotic, polycratic nature of the Nazi state longer-term developments in warfare generally the longer-term agendas of German foreign and military policy social, political, economic and military factors and the general radicalization which wartime conditions brought about. The questions are applied both to the Reich's military, political and economic leadership, and to the lower levels of the armed forces and society, as well as to Hitler himself.
Globalisation and Crime
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This module is shaped around the central themes of crime, risk and insecurity and examines the changing nature of 'global crime', its relationship to political, social, cultural and economic developments, and the challenges these present for controlling crime.
The teaching programme examines the connections between crime and globalisation and builds on the conventional understandings of crime in society studied so far. By analysing the challenges and opportunities presented by processes of globalisation, consideration is given to the engagement of individuals, organisations and nation states/governments in activities that might threaten not only personal safety and public security but also human (individual) and civic (collective) rights.
Race, Nature and our Multispecies Future - MHL326621
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The concepts of Race and Nature have long structured ideas about what it means to be human and what differentiates humans amongst ourselves. This module will explore Race and Nature as social constructions and social facts, exploring their history and implications in the so-called Anthropocentric Era. A special focus of the module will be modern science and its limitations with a particular emphasis on the intellectual legacies of modern colonialism. We will explore how race and nature are implicated in the inter-connected crises of refugees and others living 'bare lives', and climate change. This will involve engaging with issues and challenges facing anti-racist, environmental justice, Indigenous and other movements seeking to reverse the direction of human impact on the planet. Students will engage with pertinent social theory but also generate some limited empirical data for analysis as part of the module. The module speaks directly to PRME values, exploring what it means to be a global citizen and promote sustainability and promoting responsible leadership through a critical approach to corporations.
Public Sociology
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The module will position sociology as:
A way of understanding society A way of bringing about social justice and social change A potential force for good Public Sociology is an international discipline that speaks to and for various 'publics' outside the confines of the academy and classroom and students will be introduced to the connections between sociology and social change in a local, national and global context. The module will explore the relationship between theory and practice, between intellectual work and political action. Students will be introduced to the way in which sociological knowledge and analysis is directly connected to the experiences of various 'publics' such as campaigns, community groups and other civil society organisations. Students will be encouraged to critically reflect upon:
Forensic Criminology
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The module builds on and complements core themes introduced in criminology and policing at levels 1,2 and 3 and takes a critical and research-informed approach to examining how crime is investigated. It critically examines the social, historical, legislative and policy framework for criminal investigation in the UK, the drivers for change and the aetiological development of forensic criminology. It explores the theories, principles and practices that underpin criminal investigation from 'crime scene to court' and provides the medium for students to apply these to a range of case studies.
Environmental Economics
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This module will explore the application of economic analysis to environmental issues, particularly in the context of public policy and the united nations sustainable development goals. It will examine policy options at both the micro and macro level. The module will also critique varying approaches of different schools of thought found within environmental economics in the context of contemporary environmental concerns.
Summary of how PRME-related issues/topics are covered in this module:
Sustainable development The role of consumerism Globalisation, corporate social responsibility and exploitation Ethics and the natural environment Global economic inequality Resource management
Democratic Challenges: Ideas and Issues
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Is democracy an illusion? Does democracy work? Who holds the power? This research-led module aims to explore these questions and is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of democratic theory. Students will critically consider some of the most engaging contemporary approaches to democratic theory and assess the possibility of reinvigorating democracy in response to the challenges of a world characterized by the increasing globalization and internationalisation of politics, economics and culture. Beginning with an introduction to political thought, the module moves on to assessing the key concepts over which different theories of democracy conflict. Democratic theories included are representative democracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy and cosmopolitan democracy. The module explores the various challenges that face modern conceptions of democracy such as populism, globalization and political and social inequality. Throughout the module we will also gain important insights from various political perspectives including feminist theory and environmental theory.
Making and Managing Public Policy
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As a Politics Module Making & Managing Public Policy reflects and seeks to advance the aims and learning outcomes of the BASS Programme, especially in building student's knowledge and understanding of the social relationships, values, processes and institutions that constitute society and social relations. The learning outcomes reflect the programme aims to develop students' intellectual capacity to think sensitively and critically about different values, cultures and perspectives, and to engage positively with real world problems at a local, national and global level.
Ireland: From Famine to Independence
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This module explores the key social, political and cultural developments in nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish history. Beginning with an introduction to events including the Act of Union and Catholic Emancipation, the course will engage with local and national change that led to the creation of the Free State. Students will be encouraged to examine concepts of national identity formation, economic policies, gender roles, and constitutional and militant political policies as a means of understanding the complex evolution of Ireland from constitutional partner within the United Kingdom, to partition, partial independence, and the creation of the Free State.
'The American Century: 20th Century American Popular Culture'
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The last century has been described as 'The American Century'. Across a range of spheres, the United States has had a formative influence upon Western popular culture, shaping cinema, popular music, television, literature, fashion and food, and has given rise to new consumer markets at home and across the world, especially in relation to the young. This module will examine American popular culture and its influence both at home and abroad, and will focus in particular upon elements that offer insights into America's social, political and racial formation. Starting with the iconic figure of the nineteenth-century cowboy, the module will progress thematically and chronologically to the present, and examine the persistence of the cult of rugged individualism that has facilitated the rise of demagogues such as Donald Trump.
Miscarriages of Justice
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In appeal court hearings and in newspapers, on Netflix and in popular dramas, miscarriages of justice increasingly grip public attention. This module considers the main causes and consequences of miscarriages of justice, broadly defined. Students taking this module will normally have studied Evidence and Justice at level 3 on the BA Social Science programme and Criminal Law and Evidence in the LLB programme. This level 4 module builds on this learning to develop students' understanding of the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of miscarriages of justice in the UK, Scotland and internationally.
Victimology, Trauma and Social Harm
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This module will consider the social scientific and criminological approaches to victimisation, trauma and the social harm. Increasing social scientific study has sought to understand the true incidence of victimisation for various crime typologies, the impact of crime on victims, why some victims report their victimisation while others do not, and how as a society we respond to victimisation. It has done this through the development of theories of victimisation, seeking to explain and understand why some individuals are more likely to be victimized than others and examined the merits and demerits of both statutory and non-statutory responses to victimisation including: advocacy policy, practice and legal changes alternatives to criminal justice and support and compensation for victims among others. Victims are also gaining a more prominent status among society, in public discourse more generally, and in the media and political commentary in particular. Additionally, the impact crime has on individuals and society has been conceptualised in varying ways, for example as trauma (including collective and cultural trauma) and social harm.
Criminological Perspectives on Violence
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This module addresses the complexities of defining, recognising and challenging violence as a criminological concept and considers the context, meanings and purpose behind acts of violence. Violence will be discussed within the context of modernity, power and control, physical and non-physical acts and the ways in which it is perpetrated and utilised. Students will learn about concepts such as symbolic violence, collective violence, state sanctioned violence, and political violence. This will allow students to debate and critically assess whether there is any just and appropriate use of violence. The module will also consider the role of criminologists in challenging dominant perspectives that have been critiqued as being blind to gender, race and ethnicity, sexuality and other protected characteristics.
Contemporary Issues In World Economy
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This module analyses some of the most important contemporary issues confronting the world economy, including the environment, the process of economic development, poverty and inequality, migration, the economic impact of technological change, the changing nature of International trade and gender issues. The focus will be on the nature of these problems, potential solutions and an exploration of the dimensions of these issues in the future.
The contemporary nature of the module means that the emphasis accorded to each will vary as required to give students a grounding in the issues which will face them after graduation.
