BSc (Hons) Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behaviour

International Students Can Apply
Work Placement Opportunity

Overview

UCAS Code:	C816
Course Length:	3 Years Full-Time, 5 Years Part-Time
Start Dates:	September 2018
Department:	Faculty of Health and Social Care
Location:	Edge Hill University

Develop an integrated understanding of offending behaviour, from exploring the contributory factors to crime and offending to examining the needs of different offender groups;
Engage in learning which provides firm foundations for employment in the prison and probation sector;
Be supported in identifying a suitable placement during your third year of study.

This degree integrates the disciplines of psychology with the applied sociology of deviance. It enables progression towards a comprehensive understanding of offending, its impact on individuals and communities and current forensic practice. This is achieved by focusing on the application of psychosocial theory within health and social care and the criminal justice system. Scrutinising the holistic healthcare needs of people with a history of offending you will study concepts such as risk and dangerousness, while also examining offending behaviour across the lifespan, from children who offend through to older adults. This will allow you to analyse and understand complex offending behaviour, such as that encountered when working with mentally disordered offenders and those who present a significant risk of serious reoffending.

Faculty of Health and Social Care

Course in Depth

What will I study?

In Year 1 you will be introduced to the health and social care and justice sector contexts, where psychosocial and legal perspectives will be explored to provide a broad overview of the legal frameworks and impact of offending and its impact on individuals and communities. The healthcare needs of offenders will be explored with an emphasis on the key issues around mental health and the care, treatment and management of mentally disordered offenders in hospitals and prisons. Wider issues related to the impact of offending behaviour will be introduced, with consideration given to the role of substance misuse and alcohol.

During Year 2 you will build on the key issues previously studied and develop your knowledge related to more specific groups of offenders, such as women who offend and young offenders. Healthcare, treatment and rehabilitation approaches will be explored to consider how psychosocial and political influences can determine the focus of treatment, alongside approaches to reducing recidivism.

Year 3 provides an opportunity for a practical work-based placement within your identified area of interest and you will complete an independent dissertation module. This year of study prepares you to build upon your existing knowledge and critical analysis skills to consider the international, legal, ethical and political perspectives of offending.

How will I study?

The programme is delivered through lectures, seminars and workshops to more independent technology enhanced learning and personal development planning.

The practical work-based learning placement in Year 3 of the programme provides a unique and stimulating opportunity for experiential learning. Some flexibility may be necessary due to the variable working hours of many placement agencies.

How will I be assessed?

A range of assessment methods will be used throughout the programme including written theoretical assignments, presentations, examinations, case studies and reflective assignments.

Who will be teaching me?

The programme team comprises a range of clinically qualified, research active professionals with extensive experience of working in applied forensic settings. These include high security psychiatric hospitals, the prison service and community services, with both adult and young offenders.

A Great Study Environment

The Faculty of Health and Social Care is one of the leading providers of education and training for health and social care professionals in the North West of England.

Offering some of the best facilities for health and social care students in the country, the innovative £14m Faculty of Health and Social Care building provides outstanding teaching and learning resources, including leading edge clinical skills facilities, ten teaching rooms, an 860-seat lecture theatre and a number of social learning spaces.

The faculty is home to a thriving research culture which includes a series of staff and student conference programmes, guest lectures and seminars, as well as active research groups.

Modules

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Level 4 (Year 1 of Full-Time Programme)

FDH1100 Essential Study Skills for Undergraduates (20 credits)

Essential Study Skills for Undergraduates enables you to identify your own individual learning styles. The module provides the opportunity for you to develop your IT skills, essay writing, note-taking and presentation skills in order to enhance your learning experience. Facilitation of information retrieval and introduction to the University’s virtual learning environment is also encompassed within this module.

FDH1101 Communication Skills (20 credits)

Communication Skills provides the opportunity for the development of communication skills and self-awareness. The aim is to develop key transferable skills for your future career, enhancing your ability to interact with people from all walks of life. You will develop listening skills and the ability to empathise, be congruent, give unconditional positive regard and act as an advocate for others.

HUG1196 Introducing the Justice Sector Context (30 credits)

Introducing the Justice Sector Context offers an evolutionary exploration of the wider mechanics of justice, exploring both historical and contemporary debates within the various professions that make up the justice community. This module places the contemporary debates on crime and the treatment of offenders in a broader societal context. It will incorporate historical, sociological, economic and philosophical explorations that will enable you to place your area of practice, and the responses towards the client group you work with, within a broader context.

HUG1197 Mentally Disordered Offenders (30 credits)

Mentally Disordered Offenders provides an opportunity to comprehensively explore the relationship between mental ill health and offending behaviour. Subjects such as schizophrenia, psychosis, dangerous severe personality disorder and the relationship between treatment and containment will be explored. The use of case scenarios, research and best practice will underpin interactive lectures and seminars.

HUG1198 Alcohol, Drugs and Offending (20 credits)

Alcohol, Drugs and Offending centres on how the impact of alcohol and substance misuse on disorderly behaviour and more serious offending is increasingly recognised. The module explores the interconnectedness of addictive behaviour and the cycles of offending in detail.

Level 5 (Year 2 of Full-Time Programme)

HEA2077 Negotiated Learning Shell (20 credits)

Negotiated Learning Shell allows you to negotiate with academic staff, and the workplace if appropriate, to focus on an area of study of particular interest. This may be for the enhancement of practice or for the development of more in-depth knowledge and skills with particular significance to the workplace and/or yourself.

HUG2213 Understanding Research (30 credits)

Understanding Research introduces you to research to develop an understanding of the research process. The module will familiarise you with the nature and variety of research methods together with the need for an evidence base to guide the decision making process. You will evaluate qualitative and quantitative methods, examining both the positive and negative aspects of both approaches, in order to determine that each approach can be seen as equally valuable and often complementary.

HUG2309 Offending Across the Lifespan (20 credits)

Offending Across the Lifespan recognises that there are few issues less emotive than the subject of children who offend and in particular children and young people who seriously offend. Debate continues about whether or not the current judicial processes are appropriate and uncertainty remains about appropriate treatment and management strategies. At the opposite end of the scale, older people are increasingly being convicted of crimes that they committed when younger due to the developments in forensics and DNA profiling. Increasingly, people of pensionable age are finding themselves in prison as a result of historic offences. This spectrum is explored in detail.

HUG2310 Women, Girls and Offending (20 credits)

Women, Girls and Offending is a complex subject area and this is particularly the case with women who seriously offend. Societal expectations and perceptions of how women should behave can become something of a barrier when understanding women who offend. A comprehensive exploration of society’s view of women, motherhood, sexuality, violence and offending is the focus of this module.

HUG2311 Rehabilitation and Treatment of Offenders (30 credits)

Rehabilitation and Treatment of Offenders focuses on the debate surrounding the concepts of punishment and treatment in the UK and the wider world. The module enables you to acquire a detailed understanding of the key theoretical and practical arguments in the contemporary fields of criminal justice and health and social care.

Level 6 (Year 3 of Full-Time Programme)

HUG3254 Experiential Placement (30 credits)

Experiential Placement is a unique module that provides an opportunity for you to experience working life on a placement in a specialist area of practice of your choice. A key focus of the module is to closely align theoretical understanding with practical delivery of services to provide a platform to transfer the knowledge gained into a real working life experience. This placement can significantly enhance your future employability prospects.

HUG3255 The Political Context of Offending in the United Kingdom (20 credits)

The Political Context of Offending in the United Kingdom acknowledges that the contemporary leading political power will always be a key stakeholder in policy and practice development. Central Government may take into account advice from selected experts but will always have an ear to what the electorate has to say. Subsequently policy and practice can change in line with a change in Government. Currently the UK imprisons over 80,000 people which is the highest number in Europe. What this might say about contemporary views about offending in the UK in the 21st century will be comprehensively explored.

HUG3256 International Perspectives on Crime and Offending Behaviour (20 credits)

International Perspectives on Crime and Offending Behaviour recognises that there are a wide range of views in the world about what constitutes an appropriate response to offending behaviour. Such responses can range from electronic tagging through to capital punishment. Furthermore, the emergence of the World Wide Web has introduced the concept of new technologies into offending behaviour – e.g. online paedophile activity, computer hacking and the use of video cameras on mobile phones to record violent offences. The wide range of responses from the international community, in a world which is becoming increasingly small online, is explored and debated in considerable detail.

HUG3257 Mental Health Law and the Offender (20 credits)

Mental Health Law and the Offender provides a systematic understanding of knowledge within the field of mental health law and offending behaviour to enable you to develop a critical awareness of many of the complex areas relating to the mentally disordered offender. You will examine the relationship between law and morality, ensuring that the legal principles can be applied within an ethical and professional framework.

You will select one of the following modules:

HUG3100 Dissertation (30 credits)

Dissertation focuses on the identification of an area of vocational interest or concern to be identified by yourself and agreed with your supervisor. You will engage in a structured review of the literature related to the specific area of study, apply critical analysis to the literature and make recommendations that could improve service provision.

HUG3240 Primary Research Dissertation (30 credits)

Primary Research Dissertation focuses on the identification of an area of vocational interest or concern to be identified by yourself and agreed with your supervisor. You will engage in a structured review of existing literature and design and carry out a research project related to your specific area of study. You will apply critical analysis to the established literature as well as the findings from your proposed research and make recommendations that could improve service provision.

Optional modules provide an element of choice within the programme curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements.

Timetables

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information, however our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Entry Criteria

Entry Requirements

112 UCAS Tariff points, for which no specific subjects are required, plus at least five GCSEs at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent) including English Language.

An interview will form part of the selection process.

If you accept a formal offer from Edge Hill University you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure indicating that you meet the mandatory criteria of ‘Clearance to Work with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults’. The standard cost of applying for DBS Enhanced Disclosure for this course is currently £50. Further information will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.

Example Offers

Some typical examples of how you can achieve 112 UCAS Tariff points are detailed below.

A Levels – BBC;
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) – Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM);
Access to Higher Education Diploma – 45 credits at Level 3, for example 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

As long as you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as the Welsh Baccalaureate and Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven’t been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

For further information on how you can meet the entry requirements, including details of alternative qualifications, please visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/offers.

EU students can get country-specific information about the University’s entry requirements and equivalent national qualifications at www.edgehill.ac.uk/eu.

International students should visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/international for information on the entry criteria for overseas applicants.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Edge Hill University recognises learning gained elsewhere, whether through academic credit and qualifications acquired from other relevant courses of study or through recognition of an individual’s professional and employment experience (also referred to as ‘experiential learning’).

Previous learning that is recognised in this way may be used towards meeting the entry requirements for a programme and/or for exemption from part of a programme. It is your responsibility to make a claim for recognition of prior learning. For guidance, please consult the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning Policy and contact the faculty in which you are interested in studying.

Career Prospects

What are my career prospects?

The programme will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of crime and is suitable for people who have an interest in working in the prison and probation sectors, journalism, crime policy, security or related fields. Successful completion of the programme will provide a strong basis on which to apply for employment with crime-related service providers, progress to postgraduate study or pursue professional qualifications, for example in social work, probation, nursing or psychology.

Finance

Tuition Fees

If you are a prospective UK or EU student who will be joining this undergraduate degree in academic year 2018/19, tuition fees are still to be announced by the Government. You are advised to check this page regularly and once the position has been confirmed we will update this information.

Tuition fees for international students enrolling on the programme in academic year 2018/19 are £11,800 per annum.

The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

Financial Support

Financial support arrangements for eligible UK and EU students joining this programme in academic year 2018/19 are still to be announced by the Government. You are advised to check this page regularly and once the position has been confirmed we will update this information.

Financial support information for international students can be found at www.edgehill.ac.uk/international/fees.

Scholarships

Edge Hill University offers a range of scholarships with a competitive application process for prospective full-time undergraduate students. These scholarships aren’t linked to academic success and celebrate determination, talent and achievement beyond your coursework, for instance in creativity, enterprise, ICT, performance, sport or volunteering.

Additional scholarships, which you may qualify to receive, reward outstanding grades and are available to eligible full-time UK and EU students.

To find out more about scholarships, to assess your eligibility, and to meet some of our dedicated scholarship winners, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/scholarships.

Apply

How to Apply

If you wish to study full-time, apply online through UCAS at www.ucas.com. Visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/applyucas to find out more about the application process.

If you wish to study part-time, apply directly to Edge Hill University at www.edgehill.ac.uk/apply-part-time.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Visit Us

If you are considering applying to study at Edge Hill University, the best way to gain an insight into student life is to discover our stunning campus for yourself by attending an open day. You can view dates and book your place at www.edgehill.ac.uk/opendays.

Alternatively, if you are unable to attend an open day, you can find out more about all of our events for prospective students, including monthly campus tours, at www.edgehill.ac.uk/visitus.

Request a Prospectus

If you would like to explore our full range of degrees before you apply, you can order an undergraduate prospectus at www.edgehill.ac.uk/undergradprospectus.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions about this programme or what it’s like to study at Edge Hill University, please contact:

Course Enquiries
Tel: 01695 657000
Email: study@edgehill.ac.uk

International students should visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/international or email international@edgehill.ac.uk with any queries about overseas study.

Course Changes

Expand All This page outlines any material changes to course content, programme structure, assessment methods, entry criteria, and modes of study or delivery, implemented since 1st September 2015.

No material changes have been made to the information for this course since 1st September 2015. Any future amends will be tracked here.