Crime in Media
CO 5 Use appropriate evidence from multiple sources to illustrate how a chosen topic is relevant to a particular field.
CO 6 Convey ideas clearly, coherently, and effectively for a particular purpose, occasion, or audience representative as appropriate for the field.
At the completion of this module students will be able to:
Students will select a different topic for each paper. For each paper, the topic must be a criminal case that has been covered by the media. Besides using your textbooks as a source, you must also use five other additional outside sources for your paper, and two of these should be scholarly in nature. For example, you may use a combination of the internet, academic journal databases, books, encyclopedias, videos, newspapers, etc., but primarily relying on a source like Wikipedia or a textbook is not acceptable.
Both of the Research papers must consist of the following topics listed under subheadings within the paper:
- A description of the crime in its historical setting. (What events would influence the media and courts at the time of the crime? (social unrest, civil rights, war etc.)
- A theoretical analysis of the crime event. (Choose a criminology theory that best explains the crime)
- A description of media involvement and coverage of the case from investigation to disposition.
- A perspective concerning the media effect on case outcomes.
MO 5.1 Synthesize information into a coherent argument regarding a crime event portrayed in the media. (CO 5)
MO 5.2 Author an original paper that presents a theoretical analysis of a significant crime event portrayed in the media (CO 6)