Presentation Slides: 10% weighting; students must submit no more than 10 slides (including notes of no more than 100 words per slide) outlining the key features of their proposed research essay topic. This will provide an opportunity to receive feedback on the direction being taken and the nature of the argument(s) being developed. Due Wednesday 26 April 2023 at 4pm.

Crime Theory Short Essay: 30% weighting; a short essay of 1500 words (including footnotes and bibliography). Select one of the following criminological theories – Classical, Positivism, Chicago School, Left Realism, and Feminism. Explain the key tenets and limitations of this theory and describe its contribution to explaining crime. Due Monday 27 March 2023 at 4pm.

Research Essay:  60% weighting; students are to develop their own essay topic and have it approved by 19 April 2023. The presentation will provide an opportunity to test the direction being taken and to receive feedback. The topic must resonate with the unit of study. The purpose of the essay is to allow students to explore, and acquire a knowledge of, an area/issue of relevance to criminology; to encourage students to think critically about that issue/area; to develop skills of criminological research, argumentation and analysis. Students will need to read widely in order to answer the question (a minimum of 20 references is a rough guide but remember its quality not quantity that matters in the end). Focus on providing a specific response to the question that draws on theoretical material and is backed up by examples. Ensure that your response is analytical and does not just summarise or describe the literature – it can’t simply be a literature review.  Attempt to compare and contrast the literature where appropriate (its strengths and its weaknesses) in order that you arrive at a reasoned response to the question. The essay is due on Friday 26 May 2023 at 4pm.

Use of assistance: Student must retain pre-submitted drafts of their assessment on file. The use of assistance in preparing and editing assessment tasks in this unit of study is strictly prohibited. Assistance includes human and automated writing tools (not including spell checking).

Special Consideration: The outcome of a grant of special consideration application may include an alternative task, at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator.

Word limit penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof. The total word count for essay and other written assessments will exclude all footnotes and any bibliography (if required).

Assessment requirement to pass a unit of study: A student must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks set out in this Unit of Study in order to obtain a Pass mark and grade (or above); otherwise an Absent Fail grade will be recorded as the student’s result for this Unit of Study.