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The Open University

Critical criminology and the social sciences

The Open University via OpenLearn

Overview

This free course, Critical criminology and the social sciences, will provide you with an insight into some of the main disciplines within the social sciences, focusing in particular on critical criminology. It will begin by outlining some of the defining characteristics of the social science disciplines of psychology, law, sociology and critical criminology. Using the global financial crisis of 2007-8 as a case study, the course will then provide you with an insight into how academics working in some of these different disciplinary backgrounds make sense of a similar topic in different ways. The course will conclude by considering the place of critical criminology within the social sciences.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Introducing the social sciences
  • 1 Introducing the social sciences
  • 1.1 Psychology
  • 1.2 Law
  • 1.3 Sociology
  • 1.4 Criminology
  • 1.5 Other disciplines in the social sciences
  • 2 Introducing critical criminology
  • 2 Introducing critical criminology
  • 2.1 What does it mean to be critical?
  • 2.2 The scope of critical criminology
  • 2.3 Key features of critical criminology
  • 2.4 Sonae: an archetypal case study for critical criminologists
  • 3 Exploring the 2008 global financial crisis from different disciplinary perspectives
  • 3 Exploring the 2008 global financial crisis from different disciplinary perspectives
  • 3.1 A psychological perspective on the global financial crisis
  • 3.2 A legal perspective on the global financial crisis
  • 3.3 A sociological perspective on the global financial crisis
  • 3.4 A critical criminological perspective on the global financial crisis
  • 4 Test your knowledge
  • 4 Test your knowledge
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • Further reading
  • Acknowledgements

Reviews

4.7 rating, based on 3 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at OpenLearn based on 7 ratings

Start your review of Critical criminology and the social sciences

  • This is a good course on critical criminology and social sciences. It's gives a detailed analysis and report on the four modules of criminology: law , psychology, sociology and criminology.
    Kudos to the Open University for this great opportunity .
  • Profile image for Dev Modi
    Dev Modi
    It's nice course for beggainer level and on my opinion they have to improve in course like add some extra notes extra videos of diffrent people and give some case for testing for learning.
  • Shivani Ojha
    Such a insightful course i learnt alot from this , you guys can take help of this institution to make yourself more efficient

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