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What is Crime? (CertHE)

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Course dates: Tuesday 06 October 2026 - Monday 07 June 2027

Class timetable: 25 sessions (View class timetable for Tuesday 06 October 2026 to Monday 07 June 2027)

Timetable data for Tuesday 06 October 2026 to Monday 07 June 2027

Day of class Date of class Time Venue
Tuesday 06-Oct-2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 13-Oct-2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 20-Oct-2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 27-Oct-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 03-Nov-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 17-Nov-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 24-Nov-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 01-Dec-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 08-Dec-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Tuesday 15-Dec-2026 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 13-Jan-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 20-Jan-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 27-Jan-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 03-Feb-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 10-Feb-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 24-Feb-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 03-Mar-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 10-Mar-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 17-Mar-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Wednesday 24-Mar-2027 6:00pm - 9:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Monday 26-Apr-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Monday 10-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Monday 17-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Monday 24-May-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Monday 07-Jun-2027 5:00pm - 8:00pm Birkbeck Campus, Central London

Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London

Fees: £1810.00

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Course Overview

Regardless of our own status as victims, offenders, practitioners or observers, issues of crime and theories about crime pervade our lives on a day-to-day level. Television, newspapers, the internet, conversations with friends, families and colleagues all play their part in constructing discourse about crime.

In this What is Crime short course we introduce you to different ways of knowing about crime, from statistics to media to lived experiences of victims and offenders. We will ask about why some crimes, like street-level offences, receive so much public attention while others, like white collar or state crime, are rarely discussed. By carefully examining key criminological topics, questioning popular assumptions about these topics and developing a set of critical analytical skills, you will develop an awareness of the issues involved, without assuming any of the answers.

We will study the following topics:

  • Crime over time - changing definitions
  • Crime, harm and violence
  • Deviance and criminalisation
  • Measuring crime
  • Crime and media - misrepresentation
  • Labelling and moral panics
  • Listening to victims 
  • Engaging offenders
  • Crimes of the powerful
  • International harms and state crime

Assessment is via a 500-word skills workbook (25%) and 2000-word reflective journal (75%).

As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:

Credits: 30 credits at level 4

Fees

Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.

Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

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Entry Requirements

Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.

This short course has no prerequisites.

As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.

International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.

How to Register

You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.

If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.