MSc — 2024 entry Criminology (Cybercrime and Cybersecurity)

Crime is not a fixed object and definitions of crime and criminal behaviour change across time and space. So do the ways in which societies respond to it. This module will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives that have been developed within criminology to conceptualise 'crime', 'criminals' and 'criminality', starting with 18th century classical theories all the way to contemporary reflections on the impact of neoliberalism on penalty. Armed with this knowledge, students will develop a critical awareness of how criminological theories contribute to shaping and generating ideas and responses to crime and deviance. Students will also explore how specific theoretical perspectives can help us to address criminal justice problems such as punishment, incarceration and social control. In so doing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between theory and practice and how the two can inform and influence one another.    

Security is probably the greatest challenge for computer and information system in the near future. Many users have lost data due to viruses, both on home and business computers. Most of us have seen a range of emails messages attempting different kinds of fraud. Vulnerabilities are everywhere. Some are obvious or well-known; others are obscure and harder to spot. Security is not limited to secrecy and confidentiality, but also involves problems like integrity, availability, and effectiveness of information. Moreover, security issues can potentially affect all of us, from innocent home users to companies and even governments. Security is not just a technical problem but needs to be embedded throughout an organisation to be effective. As such good security solutions build on a complete understanding of the values at stake, and the supporting business processes and requirements. This includes people as well as information systems and physical resources. Consequently, raising security awareness and embedding security within roles and policies is as important, if not more, as secure software. In short, secure solutions can only be implemented with both good technical skills and a good understanding of cultures and people skills. This module aims at raising the awareness for the wide range of security issues present in today’s connected world and the managerial and organisational challenges a business must face when building a secure solution.

Quantitative data analysis is one of the key methodological approaches available to social researchers, enabling them to identify and explain important patterns in the social structure of society.   In this module, students will learn how quantitative research approaches can be used to describe and explore the social world. Students will learn how to ask questions with quantitative data, will be introduced to the fundamental statistical principles required for making robust and generalisable claims, and will consider theoretical, methodological, and practical issues which have an impact on quantitative research design. Students will also learn how to collect and analyse quantitative data, covering issues of sampling and descriptive statistics, as well as being introduced to general regression approaches.   Emphasis throughout the module will be on intuitive understanding and practical considerations, rather than rigorous derivation, and on hands-on practical experience with R, the world’s leading statistical software package.

Qualitative research approaches remain one of the fundamental ways for researchers to access the insights, understandings, and experiences of social groups, as well as to explore their social interactions. This highly practical module provides students with a systematic methodological basis for conducting various forms of qualitative analysis and the opportunity to gain practical experience. The main techniques covered are observation and interviewing, although the module also explores documentary and visual approaches. Observational fieldnotes, interview transcripts, and visual images are collected, analyzed and reported throughout the course of the module. In addition to learning core qualitative research skills the students gain experience of developing a small scale research project and present their findings in a professional way. These skills will equip students to undertake their dissertation research and research projects in their future career.

This module focuses on the nature and extent of crime and offending.  It examines the different approaches to measuring crime and offending (police recorded crime, victim surveys, ‘known’ offending and self report studies).  It considers the main factors associated with crime and offending and highlights the importance of understanding the nature and patterns of crime in planning strategies and interventions. Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in offending and crime prevention. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to understand ways of working with offenders and in response to offending in accordance with employability, as well as ways of utilizing resources to support offenders from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.

This module explores how law and social control relate to the institutional and interactional orders of developed Western societies having Common Law jurisdictions. In so doing it examines how individuals and groups seek to influence the behaviours of others and are also subject to regulatory forces that shape their own conduct. It considers the ways that these processes can give rise to crime and social deviance and pre-figure the efforts of agents of social control. Students are encouraged to critically engage with the concept of social control and to reflect on how it illuminates contemporary sociality and our present normative apparatus.   Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in social control. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to engage in assessing reactions to crime and social control technologies, utilizing resources to support offenders and victims from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.  

Key to modern business operation is Risk Management, and a modern entrant on any Risk Register maintained by the executive of an organisation is the risk posed from falling victim to cybercrime and civil litigation resulting from, for example, data breaches. In order to understand how best to shape and evolve an organisation’s response to the cyber security threat, the module will cover what the more detailed operations in cyber security involve. The module will introduce the key disciplines that we are likely to encounter in the real-world.  It will provide an industry perspective on the common practices, latest innovations, technologies and the problems and concerns associated with information security. The module will show that cyber security is not just technical subject, but is a truly multidisciplinary function. The module looks broadly at the implications of regulations on the cyber crime landscape. It also brings together the issues of cyber from a high-level perspective. It will also equip students with an awareness of what is very current out there in terms of leading-edge applications of information security. The module uniquely accesses leading international speakers in their field, draws on the significant expertise of leading industrialists and through shaping the module into distinct learning blocks we are also able to ensure that our students will be directed to key industry reports, regulations and best practice guidance that shapes current industry thinking in information security for business and government.  

The study of cybercrime and cybersecurity not only represents one of the key emerging areas of research within contemporary criminology but is also a crucial problem of national policy and crime control. Recent (2016) data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggest that cybercrime may now be the most prevalent form of criminality in the UK and repeated breaches to key infrastructures across most jurisdictions have emphasized why it is has also become one of the main threats to international peace and security.  This module will introduce students to the key themes within the study of cybercrime and cybersecurity – including, offence types and their prevalence; typical victims and perpetrators; policing and control measures; varieties of cybersecurity responses and the ‘human’ problem in making these resilient. 

The dissertation is an extended piece of writing (10,000-15,000 words) which allows the student to work on a topic independently in depth, with appropriate guidance from a supervisor. It enables students to use the social research methodologies developed during the taught programme to explore a criminological or sociological topic of particular interest and to synthesise the skills and knowledge which they have acquired.  

Crime is not a fixed object and definitions of crime and criminal behaviour change across time and space. So do the ways in which societies respond to it. This module will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives that have been developed within criminology to conceptualise 'crime', 'criminals' and 'criminality', starting with 18th century classical theories all the way to contemporary reflections on the impact of neoliberalism on penalty. Armed with this knowledge, students will develop a critical awareness of how criminological theories contribute to shaping and generating ideas and responses to crime and deviance. Students will also explore how specific theoretical perspectives can help us to address criminal justice problems such as punishment, incarceration and social control. In so doing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between theory and practice and how the two can inform and influence one another.    

Security is probably the greatest challenge for computer and information system in the near future. Many users have lost data due to viruses, both on home and business computers. Most of us have seen a range of emails messages attempting different kinds of fraud. Vulnerabilities are everywhere. Some are obvious or well-known; others are obscure and harder to spot. Security is not limited to secrecy and confidentiality, but also involves problems like integrity, availability, and effectiveness of information. Moreover, security issues can potentially affect all of us, from innocent home users to companies and even governments. Security is not just a technical problem but needs to be embedded throughout an organisation to be effective. As such good security solutions build on a complete understanding of the values at stake, and the supporting business processes and requirements. This includes people as well as information systems and physical resources. Consequently, raising security awareness and embedding security within roles and policies is as important, if not more, as secure software. In short, secure solutions can only be implemented with both good technical skills and a good understanding of cultures and people skills. This module aims at raising the awareness for the wide range of security issues present in today’s connected world and the managerial and organisational challenges a business must face when building a secure solution.

This module focuses on the nature and extent of crime and offending.  It examines the different approaches to measuring crime and offending (police recorded crime, victim surveys, ‘known’ offending and self report studies).  It considers the main factors associated with crime and offending and highlights the importance of understanding the nature and patterns of crime in planning strategies and interventions. Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in offending and crime prevention. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to understand ways of working with offenders and in response to offending in accordance with employability, as well as ways of utilizing resources to support offenders from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.

This module explores how law and social control relate to the institutional and interactional orders of developed Western societies having Common Law jurisdictions. In so doing it examines how individuals and groups seek to influence the behaviours of others and are also subject to regulatory forces that shape their own conduct. It considers the ways that these processes can give rise to crime and social deviance and pre-figure the efforts of agents of social control. Students are encouraged to critically engage with the concept of social control and to reflect on how it illuminates contemporary sociality and our present normative apparatus.   Within the topic, we cover issues including the digital capacities of control, particularly associated with the role of technology in social control. These analyses are further situated in international contexts from global and cultural capabilities perspectives, especially in encouraging thinking outside of Anglo-centric contexts. Practice examples are offered throughout the module, to engage in assessing reactions to crime and social control technologies, utilizing resources to support offenders and victims from a resourcefulness and resilience perspective.  

Quantitative data analysis is one of the key methodological approaches available to social researchers, enabling them to identify and explain important patterns in the social structure of society.   In this module, students will learn how quantitative research approaches can be used to describe and explore the social world. Students will learn how to ask questions with quantitative data, will be introduced to the fundamental statistical principles required for making robust and generalisable claims, and will consider theoretical, methodological, and practical issues which have an impact on quantitative research design. Students will also learn how to collect and analyse quantitative data, covering issues of sampling and descriptive statistics, as well as being introduced to general regression approaches.   Emphasis throughout the module will be on intuitive understanding and practical considerations, rather than rigorous derivation, and on hands-on practical experience with R, the world’s leading statistical software package.

Qualitative research approaches remain one of the fundamental ways for researchers to access the insights, understandings, and experiences of social groups, as well as to explore their social interactions. This highly practical module provides students with a systematic methodological basis for conducting various forms of qualitative analysis and the opportunity to gain practical experience. The main techniques covered are observation and interviewing, although the module also explores documentary and visual approaches. Observational fieldnotes, interview transcripts, and visual images are collected, analyzed and reported throughout the course of the module. In addition to learning core qualitative research skills the students gain experience of developing a small scale research project and present their findings in a professional way. These skills will equip students to undertake their dissertation research and research projects in their future career.

Key to modern business operation is Risk Management, and a modern entrant on any Risk Register maintained by the executive of an organisation is the risk posed from falling victim to cybercrime and civil litigation resulting from, for example, data breaches. In order to understand how best to shape and evolve an organisation’s response to the cyber security threat, the module will cover what the more detailed operations in cyber security involve. The module will introduce the key disciplines that we are likely to encounter in the real-world.  It will provide an industry perspective on the common practices, latest innovations, technologies and the problems and concerns associated with information security. The module will show that cyber security is not just technical subject, but is a truly multidisciplinary function. The module looks broadly at the implications of regulations on the cyber crime landscape. It also brings together the issues of cyber from a high-level perspective. It will also equip students with an awareness of what is very current out there in terms of leading-edge applications of information security. The module uniquely accesses leading international speakers in their field, draws on the significant expertise of leading industrialists and through shaping the module into distinct learning blocks we are also able to ensure that our students will be directed to key industry reports, regulations and best practice guidance that shapes current industry thinking in information security for business and government.  

The study of cybercrime and cybersecurity not only represents one of the key emerging areas of research within contemporary criminology but is also a crucial problem of national policy and crime control. Recent (2016) data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggest that cybercrime may now be the most prevalent form of criminality in the UK and repeated breaches to key infrastructures across most jurisdictions have emphasized why it is has also become one of the main threats to international peace and security.  This module will introduce students to the key themes within the study of cybercrime and cybersecurity – including, offence types and their prevalence; typical victims and perpetrators; policing and control measures; varieties of cybersecurity responses and the ‘human’ problem in making these resilient. 

The dissertation is an extended piece of writing (10,000-15,000 words) which allows the student to work on a topic independently in depth, with appropriate guidance from a supervisor. It enables students to use the social research methodologies developed during the taught programme to explore a criminological or sociological topic of particular interest and to synthesise the skills and knowledge which they have acquired.