This course is about murder - a particularly grisly topic for some. Please be advised that during the semester, students will read about and discuss graphic portrayals of crimes and/or view gruesome images. This course assumes that students enrolling in this class are capable of tolerating this dark subject matter.
- To understand biological, sociological, and psychological explanations for the occurrence of homicide in the United States.
- To understand and be able to critique the various sources of information on homicide as well as what these sources tell us about offenders, victims, weapons, locations, types, and motives of homicide in the United States.
- To understand the stages, patterns, processes, offenders, victims, and settings of homicide.
- To understand how society and the criminal justice system react to the occurrence of homicide in the United States.