2023/24 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SLSP0110 Researching and Studying the Social Sciences

40 creditsClass Size: 90

Module manager: Dr Richard Tavernier
Email: r.t.tavernier@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2023/24

Pre-requisite qualifications

GCSE Maths and English Grade C or above or equivalent qualification

Module replaces

SLSP0031 Study Skills and Reflective LearningSLSP0091 Introduction to Law and CriminologySLSP0060 Introduction to Politics

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module is designed to enable students to benefit from intense study skills over a 2 week periods which then moves to less intensity from week 3 onwards. This is because many non-traditional students will have not written a formal essay before or for a long time, hence, lack essay writing and academic skills. The module is intended to encourage students to understand the purpose of study skills and apply study skills to the social sciences.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Recognise, understand and develop the skills necessary to undertake self-directed undergraduate study with appropriate guidance
- Demonstrate an ability to carry-out a literature search for social scientific information
- Demonstrate time and task management through timely completion of assessment
- Demonstrate basic academic and essay writing skills including referencing conventions
- Apply study skills including critical thinking, reading and writing to the social sciences
- Develop and present a range of arguments about criminological and political issues
- Employ a range of responses to problem solving related to issues within criminal justice and politics, and communicate the results accurately
- Describe the main theoretical approaches to understanding law, crime and politics
- Define and comprehend differing explanations of 'crime and criminal justice';
- Understand and describe issues relevant to political behaviour on a national and international level.

Learning outcomes
This module will introduce students to the study skills required for study at undergraduate level. The module provides students with the opportunity to gain and practice skills in time management, the collection and evaluation of information, effective reading, note taking and essay writing. The module is intended to enable students to develop these skills in order to eventually meet level 1 requirements. A core aim of the module is how it is designed to encourage students to apply study skills to the social sciences through an integrated practical and theoretical approach across the module. Students will be able to grasp the relevancy of study skills through practically applying them to the areas of law, crime and politics. Students will gain an understanding of searching for information in these areas, developing structured and reasoned lines of argument and judgements about what crime and politics are, how they are constructed and what, as a society, we have decided to do about crime and the political system. Students will look at historical and contemporary basic theories and concepts within the criminal justice and political system both nationally and internationally; and be able to demonstrate academic writing and presentation skills.

Syllabus

Strand 1: Research and Study Skills for the Social Sciences

The Study Skills strand of the module is designed to equip students with the skills required to succeed academically at university. It is delivered as the following units:

Introduction
Critical Thinking
Library, Literature Search
Introduction to Social Sciences
Referencing + Plagiarism
Essay Writing

Strand 2: Applying Research and Study Skills to the Social Sciences

Sociology of crime: what is crime and who are the criminals?
Figuring out crime: crime data and measuring crime
Young people and crime
The Criminal Justice System: Policing
The Criminal Justice System: The Courts
Researching Crime
The Criminal Justice System: Prisons and Punishment
Framing Politics
Political Parties, Neo Liberalism and resistance
The Extreme Right in Europe and Britain
An introduction to the European Union and the European Parliament
Human Rights and the European Human Rights Act
Globalisation

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lectures	25	1.00	25.00
Seminar	25	2.00	50.00
Private study hours			325.00
Total Contact hours			75.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			400.00

Private study

200 hours preparation for lectures and seminars
125 hours preparation for assessments

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Essays, presentations, attendance, participation in tutorials.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Assignment	Study Skills workbook	20.00
Essay	1 x 1,500 word essay (Criminology)	30.00
Essay	1 x 1,500 word essay (Politics)	30.00
Essay	1 x 1,500 words (Study Skills synoptic)	20.00
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: 20/12/2023 14:21:52

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