SP477 Half Unit
Crime, Justice & Social Policy
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Johann Koehler
Availability
This course is compulsory on the MSc in Criminal Justice Policy. This course is available on the MSc in Human Rights and Politics, MSc in Inequalities and Social Science, MSc in International Social and Public Policy, MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Development), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Education), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (LSE and Fudan), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Migration), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Research) and MSc in Public Policy and Administration. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
All Social Policy Courses are ‘Controlled Access’.
Other than for students in the first category below, when applying for a course all students are required to provide a written statement explaining why they wish to take that course.
Statements are considered by the Course Convenor and, where merited by the statement, places are offered in the following priority order:
1. Students for whom the course is a ‘core course’ on their Programme Regulations (these students should already be allocated to the course in LSE for you – i.e. no written statement is required).
2. Students for whom the course appears as an ‘optional core course’ on their Programme Regulations (where students have to choose between a small number of core options).
3. Students for whom the course appears as an optional course on their Programme Regulations.
4. Other Social Policy students.
5. LSE students from Departments other than Social Policy.
Please note: The number of students that can be accommodated on most courses is limited. If a course is over-subscribed, places will be allocated at the Convenor’s discretion, based on student statements. Therefore, you are advised to have an alternative course in mind in case you are unable to secure your first-choice course selection.
If offered a place on a Social Policy course, please accept the place as early as possible. NB: Offers will ‘time-out’ after 48 hours and the place will be offered to another student. If you wish to reject an offer, please do so as early as possible so that the place can be offered to one of your fellow students.
Close of Course Selection is on the 10 October 2025 (dependant on availability of course places).
Please Note: No places will be offered on Social Policy courses UNTIL 1pm on 29th September 2025.
For queries contact: socialpolicy.msc@lse.ac.uk
Course content
The course provides a detailed and critical foundation in the study of crime and criminal justice, through a focus on some of its constitutive ideas, institutions, practices, and participants. Lectures in the first half of term provide an overview of a criminological understanding of crime and deviance. Lectures in the second half of term provide an overview of a criminological understanding of justice policy. Throughout the course, particular emphasis is devoted to the historical, conceptual, and theoretical traditions that make up — and subvert — criminology’s canon.
Please Note: MSc Criminal Justice Policy Students MUST pass SP477 AS WELL AS the Dissertation (SP498) to graduate. This applies to students commencing the Programmes from Academic year 2025/26 onwards.
Teaching
15 hours of seminars and 15 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.
All teaching will be in accordance with the LSE Academic Code which specifies a minimum of two hours taught contact time per week when the course is running in the Autumn Term (AT) and/or Winter Term (WT). Social Policy courses are predominantly taught through a combination of in-person lectures and In person classes/seminars. Further information will be provided by the Course Convenor in the first lecture of the course.
Formative assessment
Short answer questions
Students will be expected to answer a set of broad questions every week, which will be similar to the summative exam questions and related to the lecture and seminar material covered in that week.
Indicative reading
- Christie, N. (1977). Conflicts as property. British Journal of Criminology, 1-15.
- Liebling, A., Maruna, S., & McAra, L. (Eds.). (2023). The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 7th ed. Oxford University Press.
- Newburn, T. (2017). Criminology, 3rd ed. Routledge.
- Newburn, T. (Ed.). (2009). Key Readings in Criminology. Willan Publishing.
- Phillips, C., Earle, R., Parmar, A., & Smith, D. (2020). Dear British criminology: Where has all the race and racism gone?. Theoretical Criminology, 24(3), 427-446.
- Zedner, L. (2004). Criminal justice. Oxford University Press.
Assessment
Exam (100%), duration: 210 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Assessment is a final Online Assessment comprising questions of varying length that test mastery of the concepts and issues covered throughout the course, duration 3.5 hours.
Key facts
Department: Social Policy
Course Study Period: Autumn Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Keywords: crime, justice, criminology, police, prisons
Total students 2024/25: 30
Average class size 2024/25: 15
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills