Introductory description

This module examines how gender shapes experiences of crime, victimisation, and criminal justice. Drawing on feminist and socio-legal scholarship, it explores gendered patterns of violence, offending, and inequality, and considers how law constructs and responds to gendered harms. Through case studies and creative assessment, students on the module will analyse why women are criminalised, how girls are positioned in justice processes, and why the criminal justice system continues to fail women who experience violence and abuse.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

This is an indicative list of topics, and the specific topics covered may vary:

1. Trends, Issues in Gender & Criminal Justice
2. Feminist theory on Gender & Criminal Justice
3. Gendered Victims: Responding to Domestic Abuse
4. Gendered Victims: Responding to Rape and Serious Sexual Assault
5. Gendered Victims: Responding to Digital and Online Abuse
6. Gendered Offending: Responding to Domestic Homicide
7. Gendered Offending: Responding to Girls in Gangs
8. Gender and the Criminal Justice System: Institutional violence or/ Responding to Women in Custody
9. Reflection, Law, and Feminist Futures

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• 1. Critically examine how gender shapes patterns of offending, victimisation, and criminal justice responses.
• 2. Analyse key feminist and socio-legal theories that explain gendered experiences of crime and justice.
• 3. Apply theoretical insights to real-world examples and case studies.
• 4. Communicate research findings and critical arguments effectively through written, visual and oral forms of assessment.
• 5. Reflect on their academic development by engaging thoughtfully with readings, classroom discussions, and evolving understandings of gendered issues in crime and criminal justice.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Research element

Assessment includes a research-based academic poster .

Interdisciplinary

• The module draws on scholarship and methods from law, criminology, psychology, sociology, gender studies, and socio-legal research.
• Students engage with interdisciplinary readings and apply theoretical tools across multiple forms of evidence, including case law, policy, qualitative research and other texts.
• Teaching encourages students to integrate perspectives across disciplines to deepen understanding of gendered experiences of crime and justice.

Subject specific skills

• Ability to analyse how gender shapes patterns of offending, victimisation and criminal justice responses.
• Application of feminist, socio-legal and criminological theories to cases, policies and contemporary justice issues.
• Interpretation and critical evaluation of academic literature across law, criminology, and gender studies.
• Capacity to synthesise theoretical and empirical insights to produce coherent, well-supported arguments.
• Effective communication of complex ideas through visual, oral and written formats.

Transferable skills

Critical reflection, learning adaptability, development of personal worldview. Identifying, clarifying, questioning, interpreting, analysing, contextualizing, and synthesizing issues, data and arguments. Presentation of findings orally and in writing.