Criminology with Forensic Investigation BSc (Hons)

Researching crime and criminal justice is complex. This module, therefore, examines the challenges inherent in researching crime and criminal justice. You will assess the usefulness of surveys, questionnaires, interviews schedules, data and content analysis. This module will examine these research methods in a practical way and assess, by using national and international examples, the impact of research in criminal justice practice. Research methods devoid of its practical application are limited but this module reaches beyond this by employing practical exercises in class and will build an in-depth understanding of how we research crime and criminal justice matters.

This employability-focused module will promote a greater understanding of your own skills and the needs of criminal justice and related agencies to enhance your employment prospects. During this module, students will undertake work experience that is relevant to the criminal justice field. Students will be supported in developing effective professional practices through training in generic and specific employability skills and in developing independent reflective learning practices.

Students will be required to source their own work experience/volunteer/employment placements but will receive support from the module leader, the criminology team, a dedicated criminology careers advisor, UWL placements and volunteering teams as well as external expert advisors. This support network will work alongside the students throughout this module to ensure the relevant skills, knowledge and training associated with securing employment in the criminal justice field are developed.

This module considers the criminal trial, and the role of the fair trial in the adversarial system. In doing so, students will gain a knowledge of the types of evidence which may be used in a trial and their respective value. For example, students will consider the role of witnesses as a crucial form of evidence and evaluate the importance places on eye witness testimony (despite the fact it has been responsible for many miscarriages of justice). The module combines legal, criminological and even psychological understandings of the trial process in order to give students a unique perspective of this cornerstone of the criminal justice system.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the definition and characteristics of serial killers. You will have the opportunity to look at origins, statistics, characteristics, phases of serial killing, types (depending on conditionings, mobility, planning and nature of their ritual actions), capacity to elude apprehension, and differences between serial, mass and spree murderers.

This module critically discusses traditional and emerging forms of organised crime in their socio-legal and political context. Indicative areas to be covered include:

• drug trafficking
• human trafficking
• money laundering
• environmental crime.

The module analyses various cross-border manifestations of illicit networks, trafficking routes, main markets, and trade in illegal commodities.

This module builds upon the material that was covered in the level 4 module Introduction to Forensic Science Investigation and the Level 5 module Criminal Investigation. The module provides a comprehensive overview of modern approaches to the assessment, examination and evaluation of crime scenes and the channels by which the evidence is used and presented in the Criminal Justice System.

Students will experience ‘hands on’ practical sessions as well as up to date illustrative lectures and the use of associated literature and media presentations. The module will use various case studies of major crimes to illustrate the complexities involved in investigating crime scenes. Students will be assessed through a variety of methods including role play and critical analysis of their crime scene investigation tasks and how they present their evidence in a simulated Court of Law.

During this module,  you will look closely at this topical and key aspect of the criminal justice system and criminological research. You will explore the growth of the victims’ rights movement, how this has translated into policy and practice, as well as suggestions for reform to improve victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system. You will also examine theoretical approaches to victimology, the role of statistics and the media around victimisation, as well as factors affecting vulnerability to victimisation. Finally, you will have to consider victimisation across a range of more specific topic areas.

The module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of penal philosophies, sentencing policies and practices. It also present students with the opportunity to develop their ability to critically consider recent and ongoing sentencing reforms. Students are helped to developed their skills in order to apply knowledge of sentencing law to real world examples and combine understandings of theory, law and practice.

The module aims to introduce students to advance psychological approaches to crime and criminal behaviour. This module helps students to take an in-depth view of the way psychology has been used in the forensic context to explain and control crime. We will explore some of the ways in which forensic psychology contributes to the day to day operations of Criminal Justice System and our interactions with both offenders and victims of crime. By the end of the module, students should be able to recognise the relationships between criminal behaviour and other social problems, identify and assess the ways in which forensic psychology may contribute to the operation of Criminal Justice system, have an understanding of the causes of crime, and make use of research evidence, and  psychosocial theories in developing arguments and making judgements about criminological issues.

In this module, you will develop critical awareness of the police context and current issues associated with various aspects of law enforcement. The module will address issues related to those who police (police officers and police organizations) and those who enter in contact with the police (citizens and communities).

The module aims at equipping the participants with advanced conceptual, theoretical and methodological skills regarding the phenomenon of terrorism focusing on critical academic perspectives and main challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and counter-terrorism strategies. The module will assess the theories and concepts from criminology, sociology, political science, security and international law examining relevant case studies of terrorist activities worldwide. The aim is to provide the students with an introduction to understanding what factors contribute to terrorism and radicalisation, and how the governments counter this threat. At the same time, the dilemmas involved in the global policing of terrorism and preventing radicalisation will be also explored and critically analysed.  

This module aims to introduce you to the twenty-first-century offence of cybercrime and the theoretical suppositions underpinning it. It explores the definition, regulation, typologies, methods, categories and patterns of victimisation. It also critically examines law enforcement, regulation and legal issues in digital forensic acquisition.

The module explores the relationships between social and cultural ways of understanding identity formation through ideas of ‘high’, ‘low’ and ‘popular’ culture, which are arguably central to our understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’ in our everyday lives. Consequently, we will interrogate how language and symbolism give meaning to everyday social arrangements, forcing us to challenge the traditional criteria for self-identity, belonging and group membership in a rapidly shrinking global world. This means that criteria such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, occupation, political affiliation, which would be used to understand your structural placement in society in the past, are now unstable and always in flux. This has resulted in looser and more fluid social arrangements where particular, formerly discrete notions of race and ethnicity, as somewhat fixed and rooted in time and place, are no longer viable ways of ‘knowing’.  This is because our social, political and cultural identities transcend narrow local, national and international forms of identification as many locate themselves as global citizens.  

Moreover, with the radical shift in social stability in the UK as a consequence of BREXIT, the influx of Eastern Europeans and the issues surrounding refugees and economic migrants, we are faced with very public debates on Britishness and who does and does not belong. This contemporary climate and the increase in far-right extremism in many ways mirrors what happened with the influx of West Indians - The Windrush Generation - in Post War Britain. Therefore, the module will examine how our understanding of race and ethnicity are dependent upon a system of shared meanings and practices, that cannot be reduced to a simple dichotomy between a ‘white’ and ‘non-white’ presence, to determine who does and does not belong in contemporary Britain. Consequently, there will be discussions of the different theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of popular culture, and its association with cultural artefacts such as language, signs and symbols.  

Researching crime and criminal justice is complex. This module, therefore, examines the challenges inherent in researching crime and criminal justice. You will assess the usefulness of surveys, questionnaires, interviews schedules, data and content analysis. This module will examine these research methods in a practical way and assess, by using national and international examples, the impact of research in criminal justice practice. Research methods devoid of its practical application are limited but this module reaches beyond this by employing practical exercises in class and will build an in-depth understanding of how we research crime and criminal justice matters.

This employability-focused module will promote a greater understanding of your own skills and the needs of criminal justice and related agencies to enhance your employment prospects. During this module, students will undertake work experience that is relevant to the criminal justice field. Students will be supported in developing effective professional practices through training in generic and specific employability skills and in developing independent reflective learning practices.

Students will be required to source their own work experience/volunteer/employment placements but will receive support from the module leader, the criminology team, a dedicated criminology careers advisor, UWL placements and volunteering teams as well as external expert advisors. This support network will work alongside the students throughout this module to ensure the relevant skills, knowledge and training associated with securing employment in the criminal justice field are developed.

This module considers the criminal trial, and the role of the fair trial in the adversarial system. In doing so, students will gain a knowledge of the types of evidence which may be used in a trial and their respective value. For example, students will consider the role of witnesses as a crucial form of evidence and evaluate the importance places on eye witness testimony (despite the fact it has been responsible for many miscarriages of justice). The module combines legal, criminological and even psychological understandings of the trial process in order to give students a unique perspective of this cornerstone of the criminal justice system.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the definition and characteristics of serial killers. You will have the opportunity to look at origins, statistics, characteristics, phases of serial killing, types (depending on conditionings, mobility, planning and nature of their ritual actions), capacity to elude apprehension, and differences between serial, mass and spree murderers.

This module critically discusses traditional and emerging forms of organised crime in their socio-legal and political context. Indicative areas to be covered include:

• drug trafficking
• human trafficking
• money laundering
• environmental crime.

The module analyses various cross-border manifestations of illicit networks, trafficking routes, main markets, and trade in illegal commodities.

This module builds upon the material that was covered in the level 4 module Introduction to Forensic Science Investigation and the Level 5 module Criminal Investigation. The module provides a comprehensive overview of modern approaches to the assessment, examination and evaluation of crime scenes and the channels by which the evidence is used and presented in the Criminal Justice System.

Students will experience ‘hands on’ practical sessions as well as up to date illustrative lectures and the use of associated literature and media presentations. The module will use various case studies of major crimes to illustrate the complexities involved in investigating crime scenes. Students will be assessed through a variety of methods including role play and critical analysis of their crime scene investigation tasks and how they present their evidence in a simulated Court of Law.

During this module,  you will look closely at this topical and key aspect of the criminal justice system and criminological research. You will explore the growth of the victims’ rights movement, how this has translated into policy and practice, as well as suggestions for reform to improve victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system. You will also examine theoretical approaches to victimology, the role of statistics and the media around victimisation, as well as factors affecting vulnerability to victimisation. Finally, you will have to consider victimisation across a range of more specific topic areas.

The module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of penal philosophies, sentencing policies and practices. It also present students with the opportunity to develop their ability to critically consider recent and ongoing sentencing reforms. Students are helped to developed their skills in order to apply knowledge of sentencing law to real world examples and combine understandings of theory, law and practice.

The module aims to introduce students to advance psychological approaches to crime and criminal behaviour. This module helps students to take an in-depth view of the way psychology has been used in the forensic context to explain and control crime. We will explore some of the ways in which forensic psychology contributes to the day to day operations of Criminal Justice System and our interactions with both offenders and victims of crime. By the end of the module, students should be able to recognise the relationships between criminal behaviour and other social problems, identify and assess the ways in which forensic psychology may contribute to the operation of Criminal Justice system, have an understanding of the causes of crime, and make use of research evidence, and  psychosocial theories in developing arguments and making judgements about criminological issues.

In this module, you will develop critical awareness of the police context and current issues associated with various aspects of law enforcement. The module will address issues related to those who police (police officers and police organizations) and those who enter in contact with the police (citizens and communities).

The module aims at equipping the participants with advanced conceptual, theoretical and methodological skills regarding the phenomenon of terrorism focusing on critical academic perspectives and main challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and counter-terrorism strategies. The module will assess the theories and concepts from criminology, sociology, political science, security and international law examining relevant case studies of terrorist activities worldwide. The aim is to provide the students with an introduction to understanding what factors contribute to terrorism and radicalisation, and how the governments counter this threat. At the same time, the dilemmas involved in the global policing of terrorism and preventing radicalisation will be also explored and critically analysed.  

This module aims to introduce you to the twenty-first-century offence of cybercrime and the theoretical suppositions underpinning it. It explores the definition, regulation, typologies, methods, categories and patterns of victimisation. It also critically examines law enforcement, regulation and legal issues in digital forensic acquisition.

The module explores the relationships between social and cultural ways of understanding identity formation through ideas of ‘high’, ‘low’ and ‘popular’ culture, which are arguably central to our understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’ in our everyday lives. Consequently, we will interrogate how language and symbolism give meaning to everyday social arrangements, forcing us to challenge the traditional criteria for self-identity, belonging and group membership in a rapidly shrinking global world. This means that criteria such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, occupation, political affiliation, which would be used to understand your structural placement in society in the past, are now unstable and always in flux. This has resulted in looser and more fluid social arrangements where particular, formerly discrete notions of race and ethnicity, as somewhat fixed and rooted in time and place, are no longer viable ways of ‘knowing’.  This is because our social, political and cultural identities transcend narrow local, national and international forms of identification as many locate themselves as global citizens.  

Moreover, with the radical shift in social stability in the UK as a consequence of BREXIT, the influx of Eastern Europeans and the issues surrounding refugees and economic migrants, we are faced with very public debates on Britishness and who does and does not belong. This contemporary climate and the increase in far-right extremism in many ways mirrors what happened with the influx of West Indians - The Windrush Generation - in Post War Britain. Therefore, the module will examine how our understanding of race and ethnicity are dependent upon a system of shared meanings and practices, that cannot be reduced to a simple dichotomy between a ‘white’ and ‘non-white’ presence, to determine who does and does not belong in contemporary Britain. Consequently, there will be discussions of the different theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of popular culture, and its association with cultural artefacts such as language, signs and symbols.  

Researching crime and criminal justice is complex. This module, therefore, examines the challenges inherent in researching crime and criminal justice. You will assess the usefulness of surveys, questionnaires, interviews schedules, data and content analysis. This module will examine these research methods in a practical way and assess, by using national and international examples, the impact of research in criminal justice practice. Research methods devoid of its practical application are limited but this module reaches beyond this by employing practical exercises in class and will build an in-depth understanding of how we research crime and criminal justice matters.

This employability-focused module will promote a greater understanding of your own skills and the needs of criminal justice and related agencies to enhance your employment prospects. During this module, students will undertake work experience that is relevant to the criminal justice field. Students will be supported in developing effective professional practices through training in generic and specific employability skills and in developing independent reflective learning practices.

Students will be required to source their own work experience/volunteer/employment placements but will receive support from the module leader, the criminology team, a dedicated criminology careers advisor, UWL placements and volunteering teams as well as external expert advisors. This support network will work alongside the students throughout this module to ensure the relevant skills, knowledge and training associated with securing employment in the criminal justice field are developed.

This module considers the criminal trial, and the role of the fair trial in the adversarial system. In doing so, students will gain a knowledge of the types of evidence which may be used in a trial and their respective value. For example, students will consider the role of witnesses as a crucial form of evidence and evaluate the importance places on eye witness testimony (despite the fact it has been responsible for many miscarriages of justice). The module combines legal, criminological and even psychological understandings of the trial process in order to give students a unique perspective of this cornerstone of the criminal justice system.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the definition and characteristics of serial killers. You will have the opportunity to look at origins, statistics, characteristics, phases of serial killing, types (depending on conditionings, mobility, planning and nature of their ritual actions), capacity to elude apprehension, and differences between serial, mass and spree murderers.

This module critically discusses traditional and emerging forms of organised crime in their socio-legal and political context. Indicative areas to be covered include:

• drug trafficking
• human trafficking
• money laundering
• environmental crime.

The module analyses various cross-border manifestations of illicit networks, trafficking routes, main markets, and trade in illegal commodities.

This module builds upon the material that was covered in the level 4 module Introduction to Forensic Science Investigation and the Level 5 module Criminal Investigation. The module provides a comprehensive overview of modern approaches to the assessment, examination and evaluation of crime scenes and the channels by which the evidence is used and presented in the Criminal Justice System.

Students will experience ‘hands on’ practical sessions as well as up to date illustrative lectures and the use of associated literature and media presentations. The module will use various case studies of major crimes to illustrate the complexities involved in investigating crime scenes. Students will be assessed through a variety of methods including role play and critical analysis of their crime scene investigation tasks and how they present their evidence in a simulated Court of Law.

During this module,  you will look closely at this topical and key aspect of the criminal justice system and criminological research. You will explore the growth of the victims’ rights movement, how this has translated into policy and practice, as well as suggestions for reform to improve victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system. You will also examine theoretical approaches to victimology, the role of statistics and the media around victimisation, as well as factors affecting vulnerability to victimisation. Finally, you will have to consider victimisation across a range of more specific topic areas.

The module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of penal philosophies, sentencing policies and practices. It also present students with the opportunity to develop their ability to critically consider recent and ongoing sentencing reforms. Students are helped to developed their skills in order to apply knowledge of sentencing law to real world examples and combine understandings of theory, law and practice.

The module aims to introduce students to advance psychological approaches to crime and criminal behaviour. This module helps students to take an in-depth view of the way psychology has been used in the forensic context to explain and control crime. We will explore some of the ways in which forensic psychology contributes to the day to day operations of Criminal Justice System and our interactions with both offenders and victims of crime. By the end of the module, students should be able to recognise the relationships between criminal behaviour and other social problems, identify and assess the ways in which forensic psychology may contribute to the operation of Criminal Justice system, have an understanding of the causes of crime, and make use of research evidence, and  psychosocial theories in developing arguments and making judgements about criminological issues.

In this module, you will develop critical awareness of the police context and current issues associated with various aspects of law enforcement. The module will address issues related to those who police (police officers and police organizations) and those who enter in contact with the police (citizens and communities).

The module aims at equipping the participants with advanced conceptual, theoretical and methodological skills regarding the phenomenon of terrorism focusing on critical academic perspectives and main challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and counter-terrorism strategies. The module will assess the theories and concepts from criminology, sociology, political science, security and international law examining relevant case studies of terrorist activities worldwide. The aim is to provide the students with an introduction to understanding what factors contribute to terrorism and radicalisation, and how the governments counter this threat. At the same time, the dilemmas involved in the global policing of terrorism and preventing radicalisation will be also explored and critically analysed.  

This module aims to introduce you to the twenty-first-century offence of cybercrime and the theoretical suppositions underpinning it. It explores the definition, regulation, typologies, methods, categories and patterns of victimisation. It also critically examines law enforcement, regulation and legal issues in digital forensic acquisition.

The module explores the relationships between social and cultural ways of understanding identity formation through ideas of ‘high’, ‘low’ and ‘popular’ culture, which are arguably central to our understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’ in our everyday lives. Consequently, we will interrogate how language and symbolism give meaning to everyday social arrangements, forcing us to challenge the traditional criteria for self-identity, belonging and group membership in a rapidly shrinking global world. This means that criteria such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, occupation, political affiliation, which would be used to understand your structural placement in society in the past, are now unstable and always in flux. This has resulted in looser and more fluid social arrangements where particular, formerly discrete notions of race and ethnicity, as somewhat fixed and rooted in time and place, are no longer viable ways of ‘knowing’.  This is because our social, political and cultural identities transcend narrow local, national and international forms of identification as many locate themselves as global citizens.  

Moreover, with the radical shift in social stability in the UK as a consequence of BREXIT, the influx of Eastern Europeans and the issues surrounding refugees and economic migrants, we are faced with very public debates on Britishness and who does and does not belong. This contemporary climate and the increase in far-right extremism in many ways mirrors what happened with the influx of West Indians - The Windrush Generation - in Post War Britain. Therefore, the module will examine how our understanding of race and ethnicity are dependent upon a system of shared meanings and practices, that cannot be reduced to a simple dichotomy between a ‘white’ and ‘non-white’ presence, to determine who does and does not belong in contemporary Britain. Consequently, there will be discussions of the different theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of popular culture, and its association with cultural artefacts such as language, signs and symbols.  

Researching crime and criminal justice is complex. This module, therefore, examines the challenges inherent in researching crime and criminal justice. You will assess the usefulness of surveys, questionnaires, interviews schedules, data and content analysis. This module will examine these research methods in a practical way and assess, by using national and international examples, the impact of research in criminal justice practice. Research methods devoid of its practical application are limited but this module reaches beyond this by employing practical exercises in class and will build an in-depth understanding of how we research crime and criminal justice matters.

This employability-focused module will promote a greater understanding of your own skills and the needs of criminal justice and related agencies to enhance your employment prospects. During this module, students will undertake work experience that is relevant to the criminal justice field. Students will be supported in developing effective professional practices through training in generic and specific employability skills and in developing independent reflective learning practices.

Students will be required to source their own work experience/volunteer/employment placements but will receive support from the module leader, the criminology team, a dedicated criminology careers advisor, UWL placements and volunteering teams as well as external expert advisors. This support network will work alongside the students throughout this module to ensure the relevant skills, knowledge and training associated with securing employment in the criminal justice field are developed.

This module considers the criminal trial, and the role of the fair trial in the adversarial system. In doing so, students will gain a knowledge of the types of evidence which may be used in a trial and their respective value. For example, students will consider the role of witnesses as a crucial form of evidence and evaluate the importance places on eye witness testimony (despite the fact it has been responsible for many miscarriages of justice). The module combines legal, criminological and even psychological understandings of the trial process in order to give students a unique perspective of this cornerstone of the criminal justice system.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the definition and characteristics of serial killers. You will have the opportunity to look at origins, statistics, characteristics, phases of serial killing, types (depending on conditionings, mobility, planning and nature of their ritual actions), capacity to elude apprehension, and differences between serial, mass and spree murderers.

This module critically discusses traditional and emerging forms of organised crime in their socio-legal and political context. Indicative areas to be covered include:

• drug trafficking
• human trafficking
• money laundering
• environmental crime.

The module analyses various cross-border manifestations of illicit networks, trafficking routes, main markets, and trade in illegal commodities.

This module builds upon the material that was covered in the level 4 module Introduction to Forensic Science Investigation and the Level 5 module Criminal Investigation. The module provides a comprehensive overview of modern approaches to the assessment, examination and evaluation of crime scenes and the channels by which the evidence is used and presented in the Criminal Justice System.

Students will experience ‘hands on’ practical sessions as well as up to date illustrative lectures and the use of associated literature and media presentations. The module will use various case studies of major crimes to illustrate the complexities involved in investigating crime scenes. Students will be assessed through a variety of methods including role play and critical analysis of their crime scene investigation tasks and how they present their evidence in a simulated Court of Law.

During this module,  you will look closely at this topical and key aspect of the criminal justice system and criminological research. You will explore the growth of the victims’ rights movement, how this has translated into policy and practice, as well as suggestions for reform to improve victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system. You will also examine theoretical approaches to victimology, the role of statistics and the media around victimisation, as well as factors affecting vulnerability to victimisation. Finally, you will have to consider victimisation across a range of more specific topic areas.

The module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of penal philosophies, sentencing policies and practices. It also present students with the opportunity to develop their ability to critically consider recent and ongoing sentencing reforms. Students are helped to developed their skills in order to apply knowledge of sentencing law to real world examples and combine understandings of theory, law and practice.

The module aims to introduce students to advance psychological approaches to crime and criminal behaviour. This module helps students to take an in-depth view of the way psychology has been used in the forensic context to explain and control crime. We will explore some of the ways in which forensic psychology contributes to the day to day operations of Criminal Justice System and our interactions with both offenders and victims of crime. By the end of the module, students should be able to recognise the relationships between criminal behaviour and other social problems, identify and assess the ways in which forensic psychology may contribute to the operation of Criminal Justice system, have an understanding of the causes of crime, and make use of research evidence, and  psychosocial theories in developing arguments and making judgements about criminological issues.

In this module, you will develop critical awareness of the police context and current issues associated with various aspects of law enforcement. The module will address issues related to those who police (police officers and police organizations) and those who enter in contact with the police (citizens and communities).

The module aims at equipping the participants with advanced conceptual, theoretical and methodological skills regarding the phenomenon of terrorism focusing on critical academic perspectives and main challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and counter-terrorism strategies. The module will assess the theories and concepts from criminology, sociology, political science, security and international law examining relevant case studies of terrorist activities worldwide. The aim is to provide the students with an introduction to understanding what factors contribute to terrorism and radicalisation, and how the governments counter this threat. At the same time, the dilemmas involved in the global policing of terrorism and preventing radicalisation will be also explored and critically analysed.  

This module aims to introduce you to the twenty-first-century offence of cybercrime and the theoretical suppositions underpinning it. It explores the definition, regulation, typologies, methods, categories and patterns of victimisation. It also critically examines law enforcement, regulation and legal issues in digital forensic acquisition.

The module explores the relationships between social and cultural ways of understanding identity formation through ideas of ‘high’, ‘low’ and ‘popular’ culture, which are arguably central to our understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’ in our everyday lives. Consequently, we will interrogate how language and symbolism give meaning to everyday social arrangements, forcing us to challenge the traditional criteria for self-identity, belonging and group membership in a rapidly shrinking global world. This means that criteria such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, occupation, political affiliation, which would be used to understand your structural placement in society in the past, are now unstable and always in flux. This has resulted in looser and more fluid social arrangements where particular, formerly discrete notions of race and ethnicity, as somewhat fixed and rooted in time and place, are no longer viable ways of ‘knowing’.  This is because our social, political and cultural identities transcend narrow local, national and international forms of identification as many locate themselves as global citizens.  

Moreover, with the radical shift in social stability in the UK as a consequence of BREXIT, the influx of Eastern Europeans and the issues surrounding refugees and economic migrants, we are faced with very public debates on Britishness and who does and does not belong. This contemporary climate and the increase in far-right extremism in many ways mirrors what happened with the influx of West Indians - The Windrush Generation - in Post War Britain. Therefore, the module will examine how our understanding of race and ethnicity are dependent upon a system of shared meanings and practices, that cannot be reduced to a simple dichotomy between a ‘white’ and ‘non-white’ presence, to determine who does and does not belong in contemporary Britain. Consequently, there will be discussions of the different theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of popular culture, and its association with cultural artefacts such as language, signs and symbols.