This module is divided into the following four blocks of study:
In Block 1, you’ll begin with an overview of the social research process, exploring what social research is, how it is conducted, and why it is important. You’ll consider important issues, including the factors that drive decisions about what social research receives funding and what doesn’t, how personal and political values might influence social research projects, and who benefits from social research and who doesn’t.
In Block 2, you’ll examine the early stages of the social research process, which involves a researcher’s choice of topic, research questions, aims and objectives. You’ll think carefully about how these choices connect with other important decisions during the planning phase of social research, including decisions around research design. You’ll move on to study a number of different research methods and approaches for generating or collecting data, including ethnography, focus groups, interviews, visual and online methods, questionnaires, and participatory action research.
In Block 3, your attention will shift from data collection to data analysis. You’ll consider various techniques that social researchers use to analyse their data, whether that’s data in quantitative (numeric) form or qualitative (non-numeric) form, such as text, images and sounds. You’ll also think critically about what different types of data can and can’t reveal about the social world.
In Block 4, you’ll explore what social researchers do in the latter stages of social research. You’ll learn about the different ways in which researchers write up and present their research, such as through the production of books, journal articles, blogs, podcasts, radio interviews and much more. You’ll be introduced to the topic of research ethics, considering what makes a research project ethical or unethical. Finally, you’ll explore the many different ways that social researchers attempt to use their research to make a difference in the world around them.
Along the way, you’ll also learn about gender, race and social class, as these are core themes that help to structure content throughout the module
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll be provided with two core textbooks that take you through the social research process from beginning to end. You'll also have access to a module website, which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
DD215 is a compulsory module in our:
DD215 is an option module in our:
Social research: crime, justice and society starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2032.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
|---|
| 03 Oct 2026 | 30 Jun 2027 | 10 Sep 2026 | £4,088 |
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your personal income is £25,000 or less, or you’re on certain benefits, you could qualify for a grant and OU top-up funding to cover 100% of your course fees. Apply online at the same time as you register on your module.
For more information on how to apply, visit our Part-Time Fee Grants for students in Scotland page.
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Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2027. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
