LLB Law with Criminology

You will study the English legal system, legal method, public law and contract law.

This module aims to enable you to develop an understanding of the English legal system and how it works in order to provide a foundation for the further study of law. You will examine the nature and function of legal institutions and the role of the legal profession within the English legal system and explore the provision of legal services and methods of alternative dispute resolution. You will become familiar with, and be able to use, legal skills and knowledge in respect of issues and problems involving the English legal system.

This module aims to broaden and expand your understanding of the common law system, legal reasoning, case analysis, the judicial hierarchy, handling precedents and statutory interpretation. After studying this module, you will comprehend the basic principles and debates underpinning the position of the courts in the UK constitution, appreciate how to read a case, and be able to pick out its material facts and ratio, as well as distinguish this from obiter dicta and develop an understanding of the different rules and approaches that courts use to interpret statutes. The module will also provide you with a grounding in legal ethics so as to instil a basic understanding of a lawyer's duties toward their clients and the court.

This module aims to provide you with a sound knowledge and understanding of the law of contract, focusing on the main principles, cases and statutory provisions relevant to contract law. This will act as a firm foundation for subsequent law modules as well as for postgraduate and professional study after the programme. The module also aims to develop your competence in the analysis and solution of legal problems, develop your legal research skills and recognise the relationship between the law of contract and other areas of English and European law. This is a core module and is a requirement of the professional bodies.

This module aims to examine general principles relating to the UK Constitution and the organisation and powers of the State. You will gain an awareness of the law and practice relating to the control of the Administration of the UK State and will consider the law relating to Human Rights and aspects of Civil Liberties in the UK. This is a core module and is a requirement of the professional bodies.

This year covers disciplines of blood, cellular and infectious sciences, molecular and genetic sciences as well as research methods with aspects of professional development.

This module aims to enable you to acquire a sound knowledge and understanding of criminal law, including a detailed knowledge of the key principles, cases and statutory provisions relevant to criminal law. You will develop skills in the analysis and solution of legal problems and in researching case law and statute law in relation to criminal law, while recognising the relations between criminal law and other areas of law. This is a core module and is a requirement of the professional bodies.

The module aims to provide a general knowledge and understanding of tort law and lay a sound foundation upon which to develop knowledge, skills and competencies needed for the Vocational Stage of legal education and training, and subsequent careers in legal practice or higher qualifications in law. The study of case law will develop skills in extracting and communicating the meaning of written reports. Students will be challenged to achieve a higher level of understanding and application of the law in practice and attention will be given to the ethical issues that can arise. This is a core module and is a requirement of the professional bodies.

This module allows you to engage with recent theoretical developments and trends influencing criminological discussion, debate and research.

These developments and trends are assessed in relation to emerging social, political and cultural patterns.

Building upon your first-year modules, you will be able to apply theoretical knowledge to a range of contemporary issues and trends of prominent criminological interest and concern.

The module aims to expand thinking around victimisation and consider this topic from a broader perspective, assessing societal responses to victimisation and who we believe to be a victim.

The module will explore multiple crime types such as sexual and domestic violence, homicide, sex work, hate crime, financial crime; state crime and other types of crime, comparing and contrasting different theories and perspectives in relation to the concept of victimisation.

In addition, the module aims to develop your reflective learning skills by reflecting on your learning and formulating feedback for the work of others.

Optional modules for Year 2.

This module aims to provide a critical understanding of the law in the context of dealings in land. The module will build upon your knowledge of legal principles by bringing these together with rules of land law. Your ability to evaluate issues, including ethical issues, and to solve land law problems at a high level of understanding is enhanced, together with your personal and professional development and employability skills. This is a core module and is a requirement of the professional bodies.

This module aims to explore human rights in an international, historical and comparative perspective. You will be introduced to the rationale for this body of law and to major themes in international human rights jurisprudence. Special attention will be paid to the European Convention of Human Rights and its impact in the United Kingdom, in particular issues arising from the incorporation of the European regime through the Human Rights Act. In addition, the seminars and lectures will address specific human rights to provide you with in depth analysis of the application of human rights to factual scenarios. The course is designed to maximise your career potential, providing an insight into the extent to which universally protected values, articulated as legal claims impact domestic jurisdictions. The course also seeks to critically evaluate those values, their universal validity, and their implementation at regional level with the view of broadening your knowledge of law and to become sensitive to other values and normative regimes.

Year 3 optional year-long modules

This module will further develop your advanced understanding of macroeconomics.

In this module, you'll develop an advanced understanding of and ability to use econometrics.

This module will further developing your advanced understanding of microeconomics.

In this module, you'll learn theories relating to international trade and economic growth and how they are being applied in an increasingly interdependent world.

Through this module, you'll develop knowledge of firm strategic behaviour in markets such as market concentration, monopoly power, price discrimination and firm strategic interaction in markets.

Through this module, you'll develop knowledge of firm strategic behaviour in markets such as market concentration, monopoly power, price discrimination and firm strategic interaction in markets.

Through this module, you'll develop knowledge in microeconomic theories that can be used to explain and predict problems in economic development faced by developing countries and labour economics.

This module will allow you to smartly apply traditional micro and macro-economic theories to explain modern lucrative business operations in the entertainment and sports industries.

In this module, you'll gain an understanding of how businesses would be affected by government’s changing monetary policies.

The internship module gives you the opportunity to undertake a period of work experience for a minimum of 30 days. This will facilitate you to gain an insight into the world of work and appropriate conduct at work, and the process of becoming and staying employable through assertiveness, continuing development and reflection on both your development and the link between theory and practice. You will also develop an understanding of the organisation, sector and the environment in which it operates.

Optional modules for Year 3.

The module aims to explore competing responses to crime, deviance and harm, across different contexts, with a particular focus on class and race.

It aims to support you in developing a critical awareness of the impact of current policy, or lack of it, on criminal justice practices and develop an awareness of alternative approaches and ideological perspectives, particularly a human rights frame.

The focus is on understanding how key concepts and theories apply to criminal justice systems and practices and/or criminological work environments.

The module aims to teach you how to undertake comparative criminal justice analysis across jurisdictions, and how to justify the relevance and importance of the data used in a country (case) study approach.

The module takes a comparative approach to understand the similarities and differences in criminal justice systems, penal policy, sentencing approaches and ‘cultures of punishment’ across jurisdictions.

It builds critical appraisal skills on whether the approaches and philosophies in court sentencing and punishments in certain countries are more meaningful, socially just responses than in others, and from which policy transfer ideas can be learned.

This module enables you to evaluate the various interventions used to reform or rehabilitate offenders.

The module will critically assess key agencies involved in rehabilitation and punishment, analysing the experiences of those subject to community justice.

You will also learn to critically analyse the various barriers to successful re-entry, desistance and rehabilitation of lawbreakers, the role risk plays in assessing offenders, as well as addressing how to tackle intersectionality in the criminal justice system, promoting an ethics-based human rights perspective.

This module provides you with an overview of models of investigation from a theoretical and practical perspective.

You will critically examine existing and evolving legislation, policies, processes and developments in investigative practice.

It explores the role of investigations as a fact-finding exercise and goes beyond the confines of criminal investigation to consider investigation within the context of an examination of facts and the search for ‘truth’ within criminal, civil and administrative justice contexts.

This module discusses the dynamics of violence from a gender-informed perspective and how it is used by perpetrators, controlled, and used to control.

The module highlights the interconnections between violence, gender, sexuality and crime and illustrates the blurred boundaries between interpersonal, self-inflicted, community and structural violence.

In completing the module, you will learn about the social and spatial parameters of violent crime, theoretical and layperson perspectives on violence, the links between sex, sexuality and violence, and how violence is gendered.

This module aims to facilitate your critical engagement with crimes of the powerful, defined as illegal conducts perpetrated by offenders who hold an exorbitant degree of resources (both material and symbolic) as well as power when compared to those they victimise.

The module follows the tradition of study established by Edwin Sutherland. However, the focus moves from the generic interest in white-collar crime to the crimes of the powerful (or power crimes).

This module provides students with the unique experience of studying alongside people accommodated in prison. It uses the criminal justice system as a point of reference to examine contemporary issues and debates relating to crime control and theories of punishment and in which ideas of rehabilitation, system reform, and social justice are embedded. You will participate in the co-creation of a model of learning that develops your critical engagement with knowledge through dialogue and in-class exchange of perspectives and ideas.

Year 3: Term two optional modules

This module explores a green perspective on crime and criminal justice as well as the implications of crime and criminal behaviour involving the environment and animals. It explores perspectives on green criminology as a sub-discipline of criminology and examines crimes against the environment, crimes against animals, corporate environmental harm and ecological justice and species justice. The module critically evaluates the failure of traditional forms of criminal justice and policing in dealing with environmental harms and considers the impact that environmental harms have on society.

This module introduces you to the key theoretical perspectives surrounding mental health and offending, and ensure they are familiar with the key legislation, policy and practice in this area. This will enable you to critically question the relationship between mental health and offending, develop a practical understanding of the current legal framework and service provision in England for ‘mentally disordered offenders’, and support them to critically evaluate the key debates and controversies in the field.

This module aims to introduce you to the key debates in drug policy, mainly focusing on the interface with the criminal justice system.

It will facilitate their abilities to critically analyse and evaluate the laws, policies and institutions of drug control and their social, political and economic contexts.

The module aims to develop your understanding of the roles of the key agencies and stakeholders involved in drug policies and interventions and to foster critical interest in drug policy reform.

This module aims to introduce you to the key debates in drug policy, mainly focusing on the interface with the criminal justice system.

It will facilitate their abilities to critically analyse and evaluate the laws, policies and institutions of drug control and their social, political and economic contexts.

The module aims to develop your understanding of the roles of the key agencies and stakeholders involved in drug policies and interventions and to foster critical interest in drug policy reform.

This module examines the relevant theories, literature and public discourses surrounding the concept of children as victims and the child protection system.

The module critically reviews the concept of victimisation and contemporary issues relating to child protection in England and Wales.

In addition, you will learn about the range of challenges surrounding child protection, including situations leading to failures in multi-agency approaches and child safety and protection strategies.

Gangs and youth violence are a ‘hot’ topic in the media and a primary concern of government and police, and joint enterprise has emerged as a significant justice issue.

Drawing on a rich history of gang research and theory, this module explores debates over how these social problems should be understood and addressed.

It seeks to engage you in these debates, equipping them to critically analyse and evaluate representations of the issue and current policy and practice.

This module explores and critiques the globalisation of crime and the extent to which a ‘globalised’ response to transnational crime exists.

You will discuss, evaluate, engage and critically analyse various topics, including corruption (corporate and public), democracy, legitimacy, the drugs trade, arms trade, and smuggling and trafficking of humans and body parts.

The focus will be on the international policing and justice systems and various and rapidly changing responses to these crime types, allowing you to discuss, argue and evaluate their effectiveness.

This module uses the workplace as a site of learning and professional development.

It fosters the growth of essential employability skills and a critical understanding of workplace policies and practices.

A central theme of this module is reflective practice, and you are engaged in the process of action and reflection.

The module also supports the meaningful integration of theoretical knowledge and placement practice and a critical awareness of ethical and professional behaviours.

In summary, this module cultivates various skills and valuable knowledge useful for further studies and employment.

The team includes academics, professional practitioners, and technical staff. Graduate teaching assistants or trained postgraduate research students may also have input into your teaching under the supervision of the module leader.

You will learn your subject by attending lectures, seminars and practical workshops.

Seminars and workshops are a great opportunity to discuss what you have learnt with your peers and tutors. Most seminar groups have between 25-30 students.

Here you will learn to analyse legal principles and apply them to practical situations, assess competing arguments and choose between alternative approaches.

Group work and moots (mock trials) will hone your verbal arguing and presentation skills. Personal and career development as well as group work are reinforced through workshops.

For one-to-one support, you will meet with either your academic advisor or module leader. You will also have full access to our library of online resources.

Your work will be divided into credits. Each credit is equal to 10 hours of study time. You will complete 120 credits per year of study, which are broken down into modules of typically 30 credits each.

You will be studying at our leafy north London campus in Hendon.

Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.

We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on-campus sessions.

Year one - typical weekly breakdown

During your first year, your weekly timetable will typically consist of:

• 6 hours of lectures
• 4 hours of seminars
• 4 hours of workshops

On top of these formal teaching and learning sessions, you should also budget a few hours independent study time for each module per week.

Teaching vs independent learning

Outside of teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.

Your independent learning is supported by the library and study hub, laptop hire, and with online materials in MyUniHub.

While your actual hours will depend on the module you choose, the following is an indication of how your time will be spent:

Year one

Year two

Year three

Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop the skills relevant to your degree from research and practical skills to critical thinking. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus, even over the weekend.

The course will provide you with opportunities to test your knowledge and understanding informally through ‘formative’ assessment. This will be completed before your formal ‘summative’ assessment which will count towards your final marks. Each module normally contains at least one piece of formative assessment from which you will receive feedback from your tutor. Formative assessments are developmental and any grade you receive from formative assessment does not count towards your final marks.

There is formal ‘summative’ assessment as part of the module, usually towards the end of the module. The grades from the summative assessments count towards your module mark. Assessments are reviewed annually and may be updated based on student feedback, to suit content or based on feedback from an external examiner.

Percentage of course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment will depend on the modules that you complete throughout your course. The approximate percentage of the course which is assessed by coursework is outlined below:

To help you achieve the best results, we will provide regular feedback.