COURSE CURRICULUM

The BASS Social Anthropology and Criminology program offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding human societies and the nature, causes, and consequences of crime. In the first year, students build a strong foundation in social anthropology with modules such as key ideas in social anthropology and introductory ethnographic reading, while developing research skills through engaging with social research. Optional modules allow exploration of criminology, including crime and society, criminological research methods, psychology of crime, and foundations of criminal justice, as well as basic economics. The second year focuses on applying analytical and quantitative skills to criminology, covering topics such as policing, crime and deviance, modelling criminological data, understanding punishment, and criminology in action. Students can further enhance their learning through optional modules in philosophy, applied ethics, and formal logic, providing broader perspectives on moral, social, and cultural issues. In the final year, students consolidate their learning through a dissertation, while exploring advanced topics such as comparative criminology, journeys out of offending, victims, organized crime, mass violence, youth crime, white-collar and corporate crime, and drugs and society. The program equips students with critical thinking, research, and comparative analysis skills, preparing them for careers in criminal justice, social research, policy-making, and related fields.