This module seeks to explore the definition and nature of state crime in criminological and political discourse. It aims to develop a critical understanding of the nature of the state and the scale and type of crimes committed by state agents and agencies; A range of state crimes will be explored in both the domestic and international spheres. Terrorism, for example, while commonly deployed to describe acts of violence directed against states is, also deployed by states themselves against target populations. Other topics include genocide, torture, ‘natural’ disasters, political corruption, criminal policing, death while in detention, war crimes, state-corporate deviance and state crimes against asylum seekers and refugees. The module will explore forms of state crime as techniques of ‘coercive governance’ and will use examples from both democratic and authoritarian regimes.
This resource has been created within the Open Educational Resources project "Evaluating the Practice of Opening up Resources for Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences" [C-SAP OER], undertaken by the Subject Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics based at University of Birmingham, for further information see here: http://www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk/subject_areas/elearning/oer/default.htm. The project is part of UK-wide Open Educational Resources programme [UKOER]. Within the programme, JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and the Higher Education Academy are collaborating on the with the aim of enabling higher education institutions, consortia and individuals to share learning materials freely online. The programme supports universities and colleges in exploring processes and policies, intellectual property rights, cultural issues, technical requirements and data management issues.
