6 mins read
Carson Arthur is a Criminology lecturer at our London Bloomsbury campus. We spoke to him to learn more about his journey into teaching, how he felt to be awarded his doctorate and what inspires him about teaching.
By Abbie Wilson. Published 04 November 2026.
Talk us through your career journey.
When I was younger, one of my first jobs was a projectionist for an independent cinema. I projected 35mm and 70mm film, as well as digital films. My interest in cinema continues to this day and visual culture shapes the way I research and teach.
I’ve had a couple of research and policy roles with civil liberties charities but wanted to carry out more critical analysis. As I was more interested in the political and philosophical dimension to structural racism, I pursued a PhD in Criminology and studied how police accountability produces facts and justifications for the deaths of Black people in police custody.
Teaching was always an expectation following my PhD, so the decision was predetermined so to speak. Though, I have wanted to continue teaching to see the students in my class progress and excel. During my PhD I taught at The University of Law as a Visiting Lecturer. After two years, I applied and was offered the full-time position of Lecturer and here I am.
Who has influenced you on your journey?
Being introduced to the work of Denise Ferreira da Silva, the Black feminist and philosopher, was crucial to my intellectual thinking. She really helped me think about how to critique the racial logics of the law, including those immanent to the social sciences. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, a while ago I wrote a small explainer. Also, I am incredibly grateful to my former teacher and PhD supervisor, Stewart Motha, for encouraging and supporting me on my doctoral studies.
What achievements are you most proud of?
Being awarded my PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, is definitely up there. Relatedly, I would also say another achievement is that I conducted research for the charity INQUEST leading to the statistical analysis that Black people are seven times more likely to die than White people following the use of restraint by police. It is statistic, among others, that is often cited to underscore structural racism in police forces and support racial justice campaigns.
What keeps you passionate about your role in The University of Law?
When I was a student, I was fortunate to be introduced to different scholars but broadly the curriculum for Criminology remains very Eurocentric. When I’m designing a module or teaching a class, I’m trying to offer a learning environment that I rarely experienced as a student. So, I'm passionate about sharing with students the various perspectives they can explore that are not mainstream, such as Critical Race Theory, Black British cultural studies and anticolonialism.
What experience has made you feel the most rewarded and inspired by teaching?
A student of mine gave a class presentation on race, media and crime. The case study was the film Blue Story (2019, dir. Rapman) and the moral panic that ensued about its cinema release. The presentation was excellent and professional. They met the expectations of the module, but they were bringing so much of themselves in the presentation. The module had merely unlocked this potential they already had and it was pleasure seeing them command the classroom and put forward a compelling argument.
A learning environment is a special space that must be protected and defended for it generates ideas, debates and possibilities. It is a privilege to teach and learn, and comes with a profound responsibility that I respect and don’t take for granted.
What’s one aspect of teaching that truly excites you?
It is the conversations I am going to have with students in the classroom, or the one-to-one meetings if I am supervising their dissertation. I’m just really excited about having discussions, whether they are at a surface or deep level. I’m interested in how we make sense of our world, how we repress the most painful and pleasurable of experiences, and how we construct worlds that punish or care for others. Exploring how we reason, desire and practice certain rules and customs gets us to appreciate what are the problems, solutions and complexities in the world.
What can students look forward to when they walk into your classroom?
Students can expect a space to learn critical thinking and unlearn normative ideas, express and share ideas, to work collectively on issues in criminal justice, and imagine what direction they may wish to pursue professionally.
My teaching style is facilitation. So, whether I am presenting a lecture or organising a workshop, I am always attempting to bring in students into the conversation. I make no secret that I can expound sometimes but I really value listening. When lecturing I try to listen to what I am saying and observe the vibe in the room. I’ll often ask the students questions before I proceed and they’ll be adding to the lecture. I’m trying to create a learning environment where everyone is contributing, no matter how big or small. The same goes for the workshop. I hope at the end of it all, students leave knowing how to listen to others, how to speak to an audience, how to listen to themselves and express how they feel in a clear and persuasive manner.
What advice would you like to give to students?
Learning is a process so try to appreciate that it will take numerous attempts and constant practice to improve and achieve your goal.
Take the first step towards your future career with us. Find out more about our undergraduate Criminology degrees or our Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
