| Unit name | Crime, Harm and Money |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL20064 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kirwan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
What is the difference between ‘clean money’ and ‘dirty money’? Why is it that criminal justice systems and techniques intervene to prohibit, prosecute and regulate certain financial practices but not others? Leaving to one side the ways in which criminal justice systems focus upon the gaining of profit from certain services and products (for example, the supply of psychoactive substances); how is it that these systems regulate profit itself. Who is allowed to profit and how, and what does this tell us about the economic system in which we live?
This unit examines when it is that the making of money can be considered a crime, and when it is condoned or celebrated. It explores how and whether the differential criminalisation of financial practices relates to the harms created by those practices, and how this relates to whether these same practices are promoted by economic structures of ‘capitalism’ and ‘neoliberalism’.
The unit takes a specific focus upon two areas of financial practice, with space for students to research and investigate other financial crimes. The first is the way that the criminal justice system, and techniques derived from that system, are used within the administration of welfare benefits. The second is the field of tax avoidance and evasion, exploring the legal and illegal means through which individuals and corporations can make money through minimising their exposure to taxation.
The unit concludes by considering whether such economic system itself can and should be approached in ‘criminal’ terms; as a system that is intrinsically harm-producing, critically considering the role of criminal justice systems in upholding this harm-producing structure. It considers how and whether alternative financial imaginaries, including cryptocurrencies, the ‘de-growth’ movement, and the Universal Basic Income, offer alternative visions of economic life
By the end of the unit, students will be able to:
Students will engage with taught content (including, for example, lectures and other teaching and research materials) and will be tasked to complete activities (such as online research into particular areas of crime) in preparation for sessions to present and discuss ideas and clarify learning.
Case Study (1,000 words) (30%)
This assessment covers ILOs 2 and 3.
Essay (2,000 words) (70%)
This assessment covers ILOs 1, 2 and 4
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL20064).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
