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2019/20 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LLLC2293 Violent and Sexually Offending Young People

20 creditsClass Size: 40

Module manager: Nathan Loynes
Email: N.Loynes@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module explores the contentious topic of young people and children that commit violent and sexual offences. The module assumes that students have a basic or limited understanding of legal and procedural juvenile justice and welfare processes. Therefore, the module will establish key definitional features of ‘deviance’ and ‘crime’, alongside social constructions of ‘childhood’ and ‘adolescence’. A key feature of the module will be society’s ongoing problem of simultaneously seeing juvenile serious offenders as both victims in need of support, and risky perpetrators in need of punishment. Students will come to realise the tensions that professionals experience in trying to assess and deal with such young people. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon deviance as a widespread phenomenon, identifying patterns in human behaviour.Students should note class attendance times of this module. Students will be allocated to either an early afternoon class of an early evening class. Students should check that they can attend in the event they are allocated into the evening class.This module takes a flipped/blended approach to student learning. Guided tasks are provided on a weekly basis online. Students must engage with these weekly tasks prior to attending class. It is expected that students are motivated to participate fully in class discussions and group work when applicable.

Objectives

This module aims to explore the social problem of children and young people that commit serious crimes. The module will take a sociological, and sometimes legal stance around the problem of trying to define criminal and deviant behaviour. Students will come to appreciate the historical and ongoing tension between formal attempts to try and meet the welfare needs of children and young people that commit serious offences, with other societal needs to administer ‘retributive’ justice. Students will be introduced to explanations about the antecedents and environmental factors associated with juvenile offending, and how juvenile offending is of a different character to adult offending patterns. Students will analyse how the concepts of risk and risk management provide the youth justice system, and society more generally. Students will be introduced to the process of how professionals make sense of and assess children and young people, the help they might need and the risks they pose to others. Students will be introduced to theoretical explanations specific to violent offending and sexual offending.

Learning outcomes
1 Summarise some of the major theoretical explanations for young people committing violent and sexual offences.
2 Compare and contrast processes and outcomes of some well known cases in this area of study;
3 Evaluate differences in children’s legal rights and responsibilities

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:
1. relate theoretical understanding to practical and professional contexts;
2. reflect critically on professional responses to violent and sexual offending in young people;
3. evaluate the impact of media reports on work with violent and sexual offending in young people;
4. demonstrate understanding of the field through written discussion and argument.


Syllabus

The content will cover such areas as:
The social construction of youth crime and deviance in society
The social problem of trying to address the welfare/justice needs of children who break the law
The criminal justice process of dealing with children who break the law
The attempt of welfare services to support children who break the law
Society’s perceptions of children that break the law
Statistical and research information on serious young offenders
Young people being perceived to be ‘risky’ and simultaneously ‘at risk’
The role of assessment in processing and managing young people at risk
Theoretical models that explain juvenile sexual offending
Theoretical models that explain juvenile violent offending

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture101.0010.00
Seminar15.005.00
Tutorial21.002.00
Independent online learning hours83.00
Private study hours100.00
Total Contact hours17.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Most of the weekly class based activities have a component focused on the assignments which allow students to apply their subject specific learning to formative tasks.
There is opportunity in class for formative peer feedback; as students are expected to collaborate in groups.
There is opportunity in class for students to ask specific questions of the tutor.
Students are able to book one-to-one and small group tutorials with the tutor.

The five hour -seminar session allows students to explore the application of theory to the assignments in a single, sustained session.

Tutors are available to provide tutorials via telephone and Skype.
Online interactive activities such as quizzes are able to provide students with instantaneous feedback on their attainment.Tutors are able to provide asynchronous feedback on students‘ comprehension using online discussion forums.
Tutors are able to provide feedback on draft work as appropriate.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Written Workreport based upon a family case study (2500 words)50.00
Online AssessmentOn-line test (2,500 word equivalent)50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 08/05/2018

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