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2020/2021

Bachelor's Degree Final Project

Code: 100463 ECTS Credits: 12
Degree Type Year Semester
2500257 Criminology OB 4 A
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Anna Melendez Pereto
Email:
Anna.Melendez@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Teachers

Josep Cid Moliné

Prerequisites

In order to register the Final Year Dissertation (FYD) students must:

1) Have passed all the first year subjects. 

2) Have passed at least 2/3 of the credits (160 ECTS) of the Criminology degree.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The FYD consists on an individual final written and oral presentation of a dissertation based on criminological contents. It needs to accomplish with all the formal requirements for this purpose. The extension needs to be 9.000 words including references. The Annexes, index, summary, agreements and the cover are excluded of the maximum of 9.000. It is possible to use annexes, however the comitee do not have to read them in order to evaluate the project. 

The lecturer responsibles of the subject is Prof. Anna Meléndez ( anna.melendez@uab.cat). Prof. Josep Cid, as the coordinator of the criminology degree, gives support and assistance if required).

 

Competences

  • Ability to analyse and summarise.
  • Accessing and interpreting sources of crime data.
  • Analysing the conflict and criminology by using the criminological theories and their psychological and sociological foundations.
  • Applying the quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques in the criminological field.
  • Assessing the results of a prevention or intervention program when crime is concerned.
  • Clearly explaining and arguing a carried out analysis about a conflict or crime problem and its responses in front of specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Designing a criminological research and identifying the appropriate methodological strategy to the proposed goals.
  • Drawing up an academic text.
  • Formulating research hypothesis in the criminological field.
  • Using non-discriminatory and respectful language when referring to the several parties involved in conflict and criminality.
  • Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  • Working autonomously.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Ability to analyse and summarise.
  2. Applying the criminological science to the analysis of delinquency.
  3. Arguing with scientific accuracy about a criminal act.
  4. Choosing the appropriate methodology according to the drafted research objectives.
  5. Doing research through qualitative or quantitative models in the criminological field.
  6. Drawing up an academic text.
  7. Effectively determining the obtained results in a program of criminological intervention.
  8. Efficiently designing a research with hypothesis.
  9. Locating and interpreting scientific information about criminological content.
  10. Using a vocabulary free of discriminatory connotations and lack of respect when explaining professional arguments in front of the parties involved in a criminal act.
  11. Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  12. Working autonomously.

Content

FYD TYPES 

a) Research ProjectConsists on designing and doing a research project based on a criminological topic. It needs to include a literature review; the hypothesis and a specific methodology in order to accomplish with the aims of the research. Finally students may need to present and discuss the results, as well as to conclude with some final conclusions linked to the literature and future research lines.

b) Systematic Review. Consists on a literature review on a specific criminological topic. The aim of the review is to be relevant for future research or criminological intervention on a specific topic. It needs to include national and international literature. The method used needs to follow the standards of a systematic review – criteria, relevance, topic-. Conclusions need to be arised and comented.

c) Prevention-intervention programme. Consists on a design of a programme and its evalutation based on a chosen topic. Students have to look for literature and identify the specific needs for the chosen topic in order to improve its prevention or intervention. 

Methodology

FYD METHODOLOGY

1. Final Year Dissertation assignment system

A list of general topics and lecturers will be provided to the students at the beginning of the first semester. Students will be able to choose among the topics and lecturers available, according to their academic records. Once students have a lecturer and a general topic assigned, during the first tutorial students and lecturers may discuss about the specific topic of the dissertation.

1. List of FYD supervisors available on moodle and info-session September 2020

2. Questions and doubts September 2020

3. FYD Supervisor choice  October 2020 ( using an specific app managed by the school of law staff). 

http://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/treball-de-fi-de-grau-/-master-1345716724164.html

 2. FYD follow-up

The Final Year Dissertation needs to be supervised by a pre-assigned lecturer, the supervisor. The Supervisor needs to do a follow-up consisting on 4 tutorials. The first-contact tutorial; two follow-up sessions and a final- feedback based tutorial. Supervisor and student can use a following-up registration form in order to plan and organise chronologically the project development. 

Supervisor could suggest Students- directly or through the FYD coordinator- to ask for extra advice to solve legal, metohological or theoretical aspects of their FYD.

In order to be evaluated, students have to submit 4 documents, showing the evolution of the project. Supervisors need to give some feedback in order to let the students improve their work.

1) First submission: January 31st 2021

2) Following-up submission: March 15th 2021

3) Final version- Draft: May 3th 2021

4) Final submission: May 18th 2021

Oral presentation ( compulsory): June 1,2,3,4th 2021

 

3. Follow-up document (Compulsory)

A follow-up document will be available on campus and students may need to update it after every tutorial session. It has to be delivered at the same time the FYD will be in a different file.

4. Dissertation Structure

4.1. Formal rules

1. Lenght.  The maximum length is 9.000 words. Annexes are apart – do not count-. The exact number of words need to appear at the dissertation. Students using more words than allowed can be punished.

2. Style. Times New Roman n. 12, and for footnotes or other quotes out of the main text n.10.

3. Cover. The cover needs to include: name of the author; tittle; information about the FYD subject (name, degree, year), name of the supervisor and date.

4. Abstract.  150 – 250 words and keywords (English and Spanish or Catalan).

5. Alineation. Justified text and 1.5 layout.

6. Margins Upper: 3 cm; lower: 3 cm; inner: 3,5 cm; outer, 3,5 cm.

7. Languages: Catalan, Spanish and English.

4.2 Dissertation sturcture ( scientific article )

1. Introduction ( 3 types of FYD)

- Topic presentation and general objectives.

- Dissertation Structure presentation.

2. Literature review / theoretical framework ( 3 types of FYD)

- State of arts

- Theoretical framework adopted

- Specific objectives and Hypothesis (Research project)

3. Methodology ( research and theory type of FYD)

- Method

- Design

4. Results ( research and theory type of FYD)

 * Methodology and results do not aply for the program version of FYD. Instead, students chosing the program version may need to include an specific part called: Program proposal ( intervention or prevention) and justify and develop the program; as well as they may have to include the desing of its evaluation 

5. Conclusions

- Synthesis of the results linked to the theoretical framework adopted and the method used. .

- Results Discussion and theoretical and practical implications.

- Limitations of the research. Future research suggestions.

6. references

 5. Reference style

APA is the reference style used for this purpose. There is a document written in Catalan that can be helpful: http://e-criminologia.uab.cat/images/varios/NORMESAPA2016.pdf. However, the English version of APA can be found in APA’S website.

6. Plagiarism. 

According to the UAB and the School of Law rules plagiarism is forbidden and punished. The detection of a plagiarism in a FYD may imply a Failed (0) and the possibility to take disciplinary actions. There is no resit available in this case and the faculty and/or the university may decide whether the student can register the subject again.

7. Timeline (planning for 2020-21)

  Timeline 2020-21 is susceptible to be changed:

Final draft submission to the supervisor– First draft of the dissertation

September 2020

Publication of the topic and supervisor’s list at moodle 

   

October 2020

Topic and Supervisor’s election

October 2020

First meeting with the supervisor

   

31st January 2021

 

15th March 2021

First draft submission to the supervisor and via moodle. Topic concretion, dissertation structure and literature review completed

Follow-up draft submission to the supervisor and via moodle. Literature review and theoretical frameworkadopted. Methodology and design completed.

 

3th May 2021                                   

Draft version to the supervisor 

18th May 2021

FINAL VERSION SUBMISSION- (to supervisor, via moodle and SLIPI -DRET CARETAKER'S OFFICE). Paper and on-line version.

25th may  2020

Supervisors evaluation form 

29th may 2020

Commission evaluation form

1,2,3,4th  June 2020

ORAL presentation (in front of a commission) 

7th  June 2020

Final marks

21th June 2020

Resit ( see criteria below)

 8. Resit

In case of obtaining a mark between 4 and 5 the commission may offer the possibility to modify some aspects of the dissertation in order to let the student pass the subject. The student may have time to introduce the changes and submit again the FYD the present academic year ( Limit: 21th June 2021). The maximum mark students can get on the resit is a 5. It is possible to fail the resit. In that case, student may need to register again de FYD the following academic year. However, in case of obtaining less than a 4 students will not be able toresit and may need to register and doagainthe FYDthe following academic year.

 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Supervised      
FYD Writing 90 3.6 3, 7, 6, 1, 12, 10
Tutorials 9.5 0.38 2, 3, 7, 8, 4, 5, 9, 6, 1, 11, 12, 10
Type: Autonomous      
Empirical research 100 4 8, 4, 9, 1, 12
Literature review and theoretical framework writing-up. Methodology 100 4 3, 7, 5, 12

Assessment

EVALUATION SYSTEM 

The FYD has four written submissions (initial, follow-up and final) and an oral presentation.

1.  First draft submission - January: Topic Concretion, dissertation structure and first approach to the literature review.

2.  Following-up draft Submission - March. Literature review and Theoretical framework adopted. Methodology and design.

3.  Final draft submission – May. Final draft of the dissertation.

4.  Final Submsission- May. Final Dissertation version.

Supervisors may need to fill and evaluation form, containing a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the FYD. All the submissions are compulsory. In case students do not accomplish with them, supervisor may be able to evaluate them negatively, with the possibility of marking them with a failure. 

The commission may count with three members – lecturers or professors-, in charge of evaluating the oral presentation. Students may have 15 minutes to present their FYD and afterwards may need to answer to the questions and comments raised by the commission.

The commission will freely decide the final mark taking into account all the reports: the supervisor evaluation form, the member of the commission evaluation form and the oral presentation.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Oral presentation 100% 0.5 0.02 2, 3, 7, 8, 4, 5, 9, 6, 1, 11, 12, 10

Bibliography

References may be specfic for ecah FYD.