The range of Social Sciences subjects (Law, Sociology, Psychology, Criminology) all have similar learning intentions; for students to understand more about human beings and how we make sense of the world around us; how and when we have personal responsibility for our choices and behaviours; how to live our best lives as individuals and as members of society, and to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons why as citizens we live in the ways we do and have the expectations we do. At its core, all Social Science is about people – how we function as individuals, and how we interact with others – so students develop an enquiring mind as to how they, and the rest of us do this – and how to do it better.

Specification: WJEC (Applied Certificate)

Subject entry requirements: English Language Grade 4 and above

‘Exploring the impact and causes of crime’

Criminology is a newly launched subject, which has been added to the choice of subjects available to students within the Social Sciences Faculty in the Sixth Form.

Criminology is a wide-ranging subject, exploring the causes of crime and society’s responses to it. Studying the subject would be ideal for those students who see themselves as wanting to pursue a career in related professions, or those students who want to understand better the social challenges that society faces, and how they are being tackled. The Level 3 Criminology syllabus involves the study of the following topics:

Unit 1: Changing Awareness of Crime

This unit explores many different types of crime, how the public perceive levels of crime, the reporting of crime, and why many crimes are not reported. For example… what role does the Media play, in making the public more fearful of certain crimes?

This unit also explores methods of crime prevention, include the usefulness of campaigning and how crime can be addressed through education and increased public vigilance.

Unit 1 is assessed though a Controlled Assessment in the summer term, whereby students spend 8 hours in total answering questions on a scenario they are given. Students must pass this element of the course in Yr12, if they are to proceed into Year 13.

Unit 2: Criminological Theories

This unit explores the various theories as to why people commit crime, drawing on research from Sociology and Psychology. For example… are there clear links between crime and poverty – or between crime and genetics?

We explore the approaches made towards punishment, crime prevention and ways to prevent reoffending, and wider debates about whether crime is simply a ‘label’ imposed by those in power, or whether the responses by crime by our current and previous governments are appropriate.

This unit is assessed in a more traditional way, with an examination at the end of Year 13.

The Applied Certificate will suit students who can be motivated and organised to produce high quality work throughout the course, and who enjoy working independently to research the various topic areas for themselves.