Conflict, Crime & Justice in the Global Era

On completion of this module, you will be better prepared to:

• Critically assess the developments in conflict, crime and justice brought about by globalisation
• Interpret and apply relevant findings and theories from different disciplines (e.g. criminology, law, sociology) and their practical relevance
• Employ and critically assess relevant definitions, key concepts and theoretical frameworks and use them accurately in their analysis
• Find, study and interpret academic sources and materials independently and use them to assess case studies.

Topics covered will include:

• International law and the categorisation of conflict
• Disinformation and misinformation: social control and the online environment
• Computerised systems, conflict, and the digital era
• Artificial intelligence
• World war in the twentieth century: the impact of generational trauma and lessons in strategies for peace
• Legal policy and cyber dependent crimes: hacking and disruption of functionality of a computerised system
• Legal policy and cyber enabled economic crimes
• Harassment and crimes against the person in the online environment
• Restricting personal freedom and offending behaviour: The justification and function of sentencing in criminal law
• The impact of changing medical and technological advancements on legal philosophy and legal rights and freedoms
• Autonomy of the person and the limitation and criminalisation of individual choice and identity
• Learning basic legal skills.   
   

This module is organised into three main parts:

1. Conflict, law, and digital technologies
2. Cybercrime and transnationalism
3. Justice, rights, and freedom of the individual

Each part of the module includes special skills sessions to complement your knowledge and assist you in the preparation of your assignments. At the end of the course, you should be able to understand key global developments in conflict, crime, and justice - especially those enabled by science and technology.

Active learning is essential for this module. Collective and interdisciplinary critical discussions are encouraged during each session through stimulating issues, case studies and scenarios. A number of practical sessions during the year will see you actively engaged in the learning process.

You will participate in several, specifically designed activities:

• Law reform exercise: divided into groups of advisors to the Government and Parliament on a particularly problematic issue of criminalisation. 
• Mock trial: you could act as prosecutors, defence lawyers, judge, jurors, witnesses in a mock trial on a criminal case. 
• Research and writing-skills session: conducting research in small groups on specific legal or socio-political themes assigned by your module leader and then writing a draft structure for a possible essay. You would then self-assess the results of your exercise and receive feedback from your module leader.  

Your learning will be augmented digitally in the following ways:

• The module lead’s slides delivered beforehand via the VLE. 
• The slides alternate the theoretical explanation/discussion of certain issues with the showing of videos and pictures, to give you practical and concrete examples of the relevance of the issues. 
• Occasionally digital polling is used.
• You can expand your knowledge through optional materials, which will also be helpful when writing your assessments.  The reading materials are listed on Reading List (Leganto), accessible via the VLE. You will be introduced in class to library and IT sources/services to support your research.
• This module uses an appropriate VLE, through which summative assessments are submitted. 

Summative marks and feedback are returned to you, via the module VLE, within two weeks of submission.  Individual feedback will include extensive comments from both the first and the second marker. They will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each submission, and on possible ways to improve. General feedback will be also provided to the whole cohort via announcement on the VLE to outline the overall results and general issues. Feedback from the first assessment will inform the second assessment. 
 
Additional formative feedback includes in-class feedback from your module leader on class exercises, and peer feedback on presentations and group projects. 
 
Summative assessment and feedback will be returned with a disclaimer that marks may be modified by later markers or external examiners. 

Coursework: Problem-based exercise - 1,000-1,500 words (30%)

Coursework: Essay - 1,500-2,000 words (70%)

• Requirements: You are expected to attend all classes and undertake approximately 85 hours of independent study in total during the module. Independent study includes reading and preparation for classes, researching and writing coursework assignments and preparing for other assessments.
• This module is designed as an undergraduate Level 6 module. For an explanation of levels, view the Imperial Horizons Level Descriptors page.‌‌