The undergraduate project affords learners the opportunity for sustained and independent study in the final year of their course. It intends to develop knowledge of, and critical insight into, a topic of the student’s choice within the broad area of Criminology. Students are enabled to undertake first-hand enquiry and encouraged to develop an analytical and reflective approach to the subject identified for study. The module aims to encourage the articulation of a critically informed perspective on the subject being studied. It also intends to enable the production of a coherent document or artefact of rigorous academic standards.
Learners will participate in twelve taught sessions across the module which will act as ‘refresher’ sessions on various aspects of project design including: searching for and writing up the literature review; completing the appropriate ethics form; desk based approaches, interviewing and questionnaire approaches: various analytical techniques for analysing data and writing up findings or producing the ‘resource’. Learners will be allocated a supervisor from the Criminology team. Regular use of supervision sessions with the nominated supervisor, will allow for structured guidance about how to approach the final year project and provide opportunity for formative assessment opportunities. The supervisor can advise on the chosen topic area, searching and writing the reviewed literature, approaches for enquiry, ethical approval, structure of the work and the application of relevant theoretical frameworks to the chosen topic. The main bulk of the learning experience will be based around the student undertaking independent study. Formative assessment will take the form of supervision discussions and feedback, in either written or verbal form, on the work being developed, including written drafts and/or an interim report and pilot study (if appropriate). Summative assessment will involve the production of a coherent written literature review, and either a robust set of findings and discussion or a project resource. that meets rigorous academic standards, evidencing all the knowledge and skills acquired in order to do so.

With support from their APT, learners will continue their employability training by searching decoding and responding to a hypothetical job advertisement for a profession in criminology they are particularly interested in pursuing.