This module is an ideal introduction to one of the key areas of social sciences as it offers you an informed understanding of how criminal law is applied and its connection to social order/disorder, as well as criminal justice. On a week-by-week basis, you are introduced to different case studies encouraging you to think critically about the relationship between state, power and crime and the factors influencing the definition, contestation and deconstruction of crime in modern societies. Your studies are integrated with a range of skills that'll also provide a solid basis for progression to an OU level 2 module in this subject.