AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

• To facilitate students knowledge of some of the key issues in the study of criminal and forensic psychology.
• To encourage students to explore and critically evaluate the influence of psychobiological and psychosocial factors in criminal related behavior.
• To critically understand criminal psychology methodologies and the appropriateness of their use in the analysis of specific psycho-legal issues.
• To encourage the understanding of ethical issues pertaining to criminal psychological research.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• have knowledge of and understand the importance of the inter-relationship between psychological, physiological and socio-cultural factors which can influence criminal behavior as demonstrated within the contexts of their applied report;
• demonstrate comprehension and critical assessment of the various psychological theories used to explain crime related behaviors;
• show a critical understanding of the psychological methods used in psycho-legal investigations;
• show an understanding of the ethical issues related to the study of criminal psychology.

CONTENT:

• History, background and perspectives of forensic and criminal psychological theory.
• Biological, psychosocial and personality trait determinants of crime and criminal behavior and critiques of these.
• Pre - trial issues: Methods and problems in interrogation and obtaining statements, the effects of pre-trial media exposure and methods to reduce these effects.
• Trial issues: Jury decision making processes, eye witness testimony; the use and abuse of information presentation; the potential influence of attraction, culture and gender influences on jury verdicts.
• Victims and the prevention of crime.

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS:
 
The course will have a one hour lecture each week. This will enable students to understand the main issues and topics related to criminal and forensic psychology. Each lecture will be followed by seminar activities where the students are divided into smaller sub groups. Each week they will be provided with a number of seminar tasks related to the lecture topic. Groups will be encouraged to critically evaluate topics and provide a synopsis of their main group discussion points to the other groups at the end of the seminar. The seminar leader will facilitate these discussions by providing pre-arranged questions and circulating from group to group to direct and encourage. These small seminar group discussions will allow students to demonstrate their critical awareness of key issues and to develop and build upon their interpersonal communication skills. Such discussions will also provide relevant information in preparation for the case study.

The preparation for the seminar discussion groups will allow students the opportunity to develop and employ self directed learning strategies independently of the teaching staff and time tabled classes. Thus they will engage in independent literature searches and reviews.

Students will study for a total of 150 hours on this course made up in the following way:
Time tabled sessions workshops, lectures - 20 hours
Time tabled group work - 10 hours
Preparation for assessment - 40 hours
Self-directed study - 75 hours
Private review of assessment after receiving feedback - 5 hours

ASSESSMENT:
 
There is one piece of assessment for this course:
A case study of 3000 words. Students will be required to choose a specific trial case in liaison with their seminar leader (e.g.: Louise Woodward, Birmingham Six, O. J. Simpson) and critically evaluate key psychological factors that may have had a significant impact on the outcome of that specific case. Students are required to support their arguments with reference to specific theories and research related to forensic/criminal psychology. A consideration of research methodological issues within this area is also required. This case study will allow students to seek, handle and interpret information and subsequently think critically and produce solutions.