Criminology University of Cambridge

Overview

The Criminology course from the University of Cambridge compulsory modules on criminological theories and research methods familiarise students with historical and contemporary criminological thinking and research. A variety of optional seminars are on offer each year covering a wide range of criminological topics. 

What is on offer varies by year, but in recent years has included topics such as criminal justice, policing, crime prevention, organized crime, the sociology of punishment, the sociology of prison life, psychiatry and crime, developmental criminology, neurocriminology, social contexts of crime, and cross-cultural comparative criminology.

Students should acquire:

• An understanding of core criminological and criminal justice theories

• A critical awareness of current problems and debates within the field

• Skills to critically evaluate theoretical and empirical literature relevant to criminological and criminal justice research

• The ability to synthesize and apply criminological knowledge in new contexts or to new issues

• The ability to use theoretical knowledge creatively and independently to guide their work

• Skills in communicating criminological knowledge to specialist and nonspecialist audiences

• A comprehensive understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods used in criminology

• The ability to use acquired knowledge to propose new hypotheses and identify and address research problems

• The ability to critically assess research designs

• The ability to apply research competencies to practical issues

• The ability to independently acquire and interpret additional knowledge relating to research

• An understanding of the quality of work required to satisfy peer review