Becky had been in the workforce for years when she decided to study a bachelor’s, and ultimately an MSc in Criminology. After completing an Access course and one year of study at the undergraduate level at the Open University, she seized the COVID pandemic to apply for university and start an academic career as a mature student.
Diving into the discipline of criminology
I had a career before going to university, primarily in hospitality. That gave me a lot of transferable skills when it came to things like project work and time management. I remember talking to one of my aunts and she asked me whether I’d thought about going back to higher education. She said, ‘You need to do something you're very, very interested in.’ And I thought, well, I hate injustice. So, my interest in criminology stemmed from there, even though I didn't know where it would take me to start off with.
I wanted to learn and absorb, and found myself being fascinated by theory and enjoying the journey. Eventually, I got interested in ‘stochastic terrorism’, which I have subsequently written about in both my undergrad and master’s thesis and want to pursue more in a PhD. It looks at how politicians use language to demonise targeted individuals, and how this gets amplified on social media and results in susceptible individuals potentially acting on this rhetoric by committing acts of violence.
It is, unfortunately, a very relevant topic currently, due to the rise of right-wing populist politicians in various countries. It’s not really been researched thoroughly yet, so it’s rewarding to build on it and each level I go up in my studies, it gets more in-depth. My other areas of interest include American politics and the alt-right. I feel the topics I’m studying are so important and deserve the time to be discussed.
What is studying at Bath like?
Bath has a reputation for research excellence, and I knew that it was a supportive environment. The lecturers are all active researchers, and I wanted to be immersed in this research-orientated community, where people support you in what you’re passionate about, and I really found that at Bath; everyone has been amazing.
Coming in as a mature student was also a bit scary, but they were brilliant and supported me fully with my niche topic, so I couldn't have come to a better place.
As the course was still quite new when I started, my cohort was very small and not everyone had an undergraduate background in criminology. The course starts with how to do criminological research, and the theoretical foundations of criminology, which is a good basis for anyone who hasn't done criminology before, and a great refresher for people like me. At master’s level, you approach things more critically, building on, not repeating previous work.
We had a chance to do independent research projects and slowly build up to our dissertation. One of the highlights for me was the criminological ethnography unit, which included a field trip to Bristol Magistrates Court. I’d never done ethnography before, but it was an amazing chance to approach issues from this angle. This course can take you out of your comfort zone in a lot of ways, but I think that's a really good thing because it makes you expand your mind and questions your assumptions. Of course, you also cover core issues in crime and criminal justice – all the hot topics, as it were, like critical race theory.
Bath has lecturers in all sorts of criminological fields, like gendered violence, climate sustainability and prison design, reflecting what an interdisciplinary subject it is. Criminology is not just about serial killers, which is what a lot of people seem to think. It’s so much more complex, and you can apply it to so many different disciplines. For example, under Professor Yvonne Jewkes, we collaborated with architecture students on one of their projects to design a halfway house – a space for former convicts to reintegrate with the community, which was really fascinating. Everyone is passionate about their subject, and our seminars were always packed with discussions.
Plans for the future: staying in research
I’m currently applying to do a PhD at Bath. I’ll be switching to the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies to look at right-wing populist political rhetoric through the lens of stochastic terrorism. For my master’s dissertation, I analysed Donald Trump’s speeches to determine whether he could be classed as a stochastic terrorist (spoiler alert, the answer is yes), and the PhD will be a great chance to do a more in-depth study of political speeches.
The problem with stochastic terrorism is that it doesn't fit in any box – it's not just criminology, and it's not just politics or international studies; it is an interdisciplinary concept. But it’s very relevant, and I think my research has the potential to have an impact on academia, social issues and even potential legislation and online environments on a larger scale. The master’s here at Bath has really given me the confidence and the tools to do what I want to do.
My advice for new students:
Be prepared to knuckle down – it is one unit at a time, so it's a lot of reading and then a lot of writing for the assignment. It is hard work but so rewarding. And you have so much backup and encouragement from the faculty members. The teaching staff go out of their way to help you, whether academic or personal. You have to come to university really wanting to do it and wanting to learn, and it’s such a great environment to do just that.