Carol Robinson
Senior Lecturer

Profile

Biography

Carol joined the University of York as a Lecturer in Criminology in September 2019, after having worked in high security, medium security and open prisons as a prison chaplain for more than 9 years. Her career has included several years in the voluntary sector, including as director of a charity working with young people experiencing homelessness and later as chief executive of an environmental campaigning charity. She was also manager of the Learning and Teaching Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology, based at the University of Glasgow.

Her book Dying in Prison, based on her ESRC-funded PhD, was published with Palgrave Macmillan in 2023, and explores what happens when a prisoner is dying of natural causes. It was nominated for the Criminology Book Award from the British Society of Criminology in 2024.

Carol is interested in pedagogy and improving teaching and learning experiences in Criminology, with a particular focus on how criminological theory is taught and in interest in ethical scholarship of teaching and learning.

She is a member of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and co-chair of their subgroup looking at Grand Challenges for SoTL #4, on identity.

Publications

Selected publications

Books, book chapters and articles

• Robinson, C., Lang-Burns, V. and Thomson, P. (forthcoming). Taking the prison to the classroom: prison service professionals as guest speakers in Higher Education. Prison Service Journal.
• Robinson, C. (2024). The teaching and learning of criminological theory in higher education: what is known about enhancing student learning? Learning and Teaching in Social Sciences, (17.2)
• Robinson, C (2024). Dying in prison. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Nominated for British Society of Criminology Criminology Book Award in 2024
• Robinson, C. (2023). The anticipation of an investigation: The effects of expecting investigations after a death from natural causes in prison custody. Criminology & criminal justice 23 (1) pp3-19
• Robinson, C. (2020). Prison officers: emotional labour and dying prisoners. In Phillips, J., Waters, J., Westaby, C. and Fowler, A. (Eds.). Emotional Labour in Criminal Justice and Criminology. London: Routledge.
• Robinson, C. (2020). Ethically important moments as data: reflections from ethnographic fieldwork in prisons. Research Ethics. 16 (1-2) p1-15
• Robinson, C. (2019). Prison 'rules' and the use of restraints on terminally ill prisoners. Prison Service Journal. 241, p27-31

Blogs

• Robinson, C. (2023). What I’ve leant (so far) from others about teaching criminological theory. BSC Learning and Teaching Network. [Online].
• Robinson, C. (2017). Not anonymous enough? Research data and issues of anonymity. 18 April 2017. Women Are Boring. [Online].
• Robinson, C. (2018) Tackling the ethical approval process. Forms over function: ethics, ethnography and the NHS. 15 January 2018, Women Are Boring. [Online].

Conference papers and workshops

• Professional development: the value of early teaching experience. With Abril Rodriguez Vasquez and Maeve Pearson. Workshop presented at University of York Researcher Festival, November 2023
• Pedagogical approaches to criminological theory. Department of Sociology seminar, September 2023
• Supporting the Graduate Teaching Assistant experience. With Abril Rodriguez Vasquez. Workshop presented at University of York Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, June 2023
• Decolonising Sociology and Criminology Collective: developing discussion prompts. With Victor Avila Torres. Lightning talk as part of Inclusive Learning@York event, Decolonising and Diversifying the Curriculum: Sharing Practice & Next Steps, June 2023.
• Guest Speakers in Digital Learning. Academic poster, presented online. University of York Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, July 2021.

Other

• Robinson, C (2023). Talking Teaching with Criminologists 13 October 2023. Podcast. British Society of Criminology. Available on Spotify.
• Robinson, C (2021). [Video]. Research Ethics & ethnographic fieldwork in prisons. SAGE Research Methods Video. London: SAGE

Teaching

Undergraduate

Current

• Explaining Crime and Deviance (Year 1)
• Influencers and Ideas in Criminology (Year 3) (module convenor)
• Working in the Criminal Justice System (Year 3) (module convenor)

Previous

• Sociology of Crime and Deviance (Year 1)
• Crime, Culture and Social Change (Year 2)
• Sociology@work (Year 2)
• Theoretical Criminology (Year 3) (module convenor)
  
  

Postgraduate

Current

• Advances in Criminological Theory (module convenor)
• Critical Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System
• Law and Social Control

Other teaching

Carol has delivered guest lectures and seminars at other institutions, including the University of Cambridge, Bournemouth University and York St John University.