module

Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2101: Police and Policing

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• The evolution of the police in England and Wales, and the structures and governance mechanisms currently in place.
• The nature and function of the police.
• The difference between ‘police’ and ‘policing’.
• The main theories of policing, their strengths, weaknesses and differences.
• The main techniques used to research the police, their strengths and weaknesses and the role that academic analysis can, and should, play in policing.
• Different approaches and tactics used in UK policing and internationally.
• Police use of force, and less lethal weapons.
• Police use of discretion.
• Police (sub)culture(s)
• Accountability in modern day policing, and its interaction with police legitimacy.
• Changes to, and in, policing, including the notion of plural policing.
• Police misconduct and corruption
• The physiological impact of policing
• Policing and its impacts

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).