Module overview
This module combines the disciplines of social gerontology, social psychology, and sociology to address the intersection of crime and later life, including experiences of crime and criminal behaviour and social responses to these. It encourages students to challenge stereotypes about older people and their relationship to crime and the criminal justice system. It will use examples from UK and international literature, including a case study from sub-Saharan Africa.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Use written communication skills developed through the preparation of assessed coursework
- Explain the implications of population ageing on crime
- Describe the importance of older people in the study of criminology
- Use oral communication skills developed through participation in seminar and lecture activities
- Debate key topics about older people and crime
- Critically discuss academic literature in relation to crime in later life
- Identify and summarise key information on selected topics
- Evaluate evidence for and against assumptions in relation to older people and crime
- Use critical skills in the preparation of assessed coursework
Syllabus
This module will include lectures covering: population ageing, older criminals, older victims of crime, age discrimination and elder abuse, dementia, assisted suicide, and the ageing prison population.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The module is taught by means of face-to-face lectures and seminars. The lectures will cover substantive topics at the intersection of criminology, psychology, and sociology of ageing, while the seminars will engage students in activities designed to develop their learning from the lectures. Learning activities within lectures include trigger questions or problem-solving in groups. Students are expected to engage in independent study outside of lectures and seminars and are expected to read 1-2 items (journal articles or book chapters) from the reading list in advance of each session. Live lecture capture technology will be used to facilitate revision, but students are expected to attend lectures and seminars in person.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 4 |
| Lecture | 14 |
| Independent Study | 132 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Wahidin, A. and Cain, M.E. (2006). Ageing, crime and society. Cullompton: Willan.
Rothman, M.B., Dunlop, B.D. & Entzel, P. (2004). Elders, crime, and the criminal justice system: Myth, perceptions, and reality in the 21st Century. New York: Springer.
Dening, T. et al (2021). Oxford textbook of old age psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Carney, A. (2020). Elder abuse: Forensic, legal and medical aspects. London: Academic Press.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Seminar Participation
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual critical reflection | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Critical essay | 100% |