Research Paper

DESCRIPTION

This is the first of two research papers valued at 100 points apiece which comprise 40% of your grade.  Each research paper is designed to develop and practice the skills associated with good scholarship, strong writing, and critical thinking.  A properly completed assignment will show evidence of familiarity with class exercises and required texts. The paper will be graded according to whether instructions are followed, all parts are included, content is accurate, the presentation (grammar, spelling, organization) is correct, references are appropriate and properly listed/cited, and the analysis is logical.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This assignment addresses the following course learning objectives related to the Liberal Studies Upper-Division Writing requirement:

5. Use appropriate evidence from multiple sources to illustrate how a chosen topic is relevant to a particular field. 6. Convey ideas clearly, coherently, and effectively for a particular purpose, occasion, or audience representative as appropriate for the field.

FORMAT

The format is to include title page, abstract, body, and bibliography. References and citations are to be in APA format. If you have questions concerning APA, please refer to the link or contact the group instructor for assistance. The length of the body of each paper is to be 1500 words, written in 12-point font and double-spaced. Papers are to be submitted through the course website.

DIRECTIONS

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.