LESSON 1
INTRODUCTION TO COURSE
“One of the most significant and potentially illuminating areas of
criminological inquiry is the analysis of crime, media, and popular culture.”
(Dowler, Fleming & Muzzatti, 2006, p. 837)
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POPULARITY OF CRIME IN MEDIA
A course in Crime, Media and Culture came about in recognizing
that crime and criminal justice feature strongly in our media and
popular cultural landscapes.
• Crime accounts for more stories than any other in the news
• Crime fiction is the most popular fiction genre in literature today
• Crime dramas are consistently ranked among the most watched
entertainment programs on TV
• Crime has long been a popular theme in film
• Video games often feature crime and deviance
• Themes of violence and crime frequently appear in music
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SACR-3740 CRIME,MEDIA AND CULTURE
This course explores the relationship between crime, crime
control, media and popular culture by focusing on the
theoretical understanding of the interplay between crime,
media and culture, how crime and crime control are
represented through various forms of media, and the
potential effects of various media on crime and crime control
policy.
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SACR-3740 CRIME,MEDIA AND CULTURE
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Apply key concepts, theoretical approaches, and methodologies
appropriate to the interplay between media, crime, and criminal justice;
• Identify and assess relevant research and scholarship pertaining to this
subject;
• Reflect critically on the intersection of crime/criminal justice and media;
• Collaborate with peers in evaluating and discussing issues relevant to this
intersection.
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YOUR INSTRUCTOR: D. SOULLIERE
As some of you may know, my scholarly and research interests
focus on the theme of popular culture as it relates to crime,
deviance, and criminal justice, as well as gender and sexuality.
My first foray into examining the crime-media nexus was in
completing my doctoral research, which focused on how crime and
criminal justice were depicted in popular prime-time television crime
shows.
Check out my Crime-Media Curriculum Vitae on Blackboard.
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DANIELLE’S CRIME SHOW FAVES!
Also check out my Crime Show Faves in the Welcome folder on Blackboard.
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OVERVIEW OF COURSE
In this course, we will be considering:
• Interplay between media and crime
• Theoretical understandings of the crime-media nexus
• Media representations of crime, criminals, victims and criminal justice
• Effects of media representations on perceptions, policy and practices
• Crime and media in the 21st century
Within each topic, attention will also be given to the ways in which
gender, race/ethnicity, and/or social class play a role
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OVERVIEW OF COURSE: LESSONS
Topics have been divided into LESSONS according to the following
schedule:
JAN 6
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO COURSE AND EXPECTATIONS
JAN 13
LESSON 2: THEORIZING THE CRIME-MEDIA NEXUS
JAN 20
LESSON 3: MIS/REPRESENTING CRIME
JAN 27
LESSON 4: MIS/REPRESENTING CRIMINALS
FEB 3
LESSON 5: MIS/REPRESENTING VICTIMS
FEB 10
LESSON 6: UNDERSTANDING AND EXPLAINING CRIME
FEB 17
READING WEEK
FEB 24
LESSON 7: MEDIATED POLICING
MAR 2
LESSON 8: MEDIATED JUSTICE
MAR 9
LESSON 9: MEDIATED PUNISHMENT
MAR 16
LESSON 10: PERCEPTIONS, POLICY AND PRACTICE
MAR 23
LESSON 11: CRIME AND MEDIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY
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OVERVIEW OF COURSE: LESSONS
Each of the LESSON folders include:
• Lesson Objectives
• Lesson Slide Presentation (in PPT and PDF)
• Lesson Readings
• Lesson Reference List
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OVERVIEW OF COURSE: ASSIGNMENTS
There are four assessments in this course:
• Media Critique (15%)
• TV Show Pitch (30%)
• Media Analysis (40%)
• Team Stuff (15%)
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MEDIA CRITIQUE
What is a media critique?
A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly
summarizes and critically evaluates a work or concepts.
Critiques can be used to carefully analyze a variety of works
such as: creative works (novels, exhibits, film, poetry),
research (monographs, journal articles, reviews), and media
(news reports, feature articles).
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MEDIA CRITIQUE
For this assignment you will be critiquing an article from the
Reader’s Digest, written in 2005, that offers an account of Canada’s
penal system at the time. Essentially, this article is a news piece so
your critique is focused on news media.
News outlets often claim impartiality, but nearly every news source
has an inherent bias in its work. To guard against such bias and
potentially misleading ideas, it is important to learn how to critique
news media on the pathway to achieving media literacy.
Detailed guidelines for this assignment are found in the Media
Critique folder in Assignments folder in Resources on Blackboard.
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MEDIA CRITIQUE
Why this assignment?
The purpose of this assignment is to engage with and
critically evaluate media reports of crime/criminal justice to:
• enhance application and integration of knowledge;
• foster effective writing skills; and
• cultivate media literacy.
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TV SHOW PITCH
Your task in this assignment is to pitch a TV show for Netflix
that focuses on some aspect of crime or criminal justice in a
Canadian setting.
Your pitch document should be about 5-7 pages. You may
choose to accompany your document with a slide
presentation.
Detailed guidelines for this assignment are found in the TV
Show Pitch folder in Assignments folder in Resources on
Blackboard.
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TV SHOW PITCH
Why this assignment?
The purpose of this assignment is to:
• Engage with entertainment media from the perspective of creator
rather than consumer;
• Lend criminological knowledge to the development of a creative
product;
• Critically reflect on entertainment media as a source of
information about crime and criminal justice in the Canadian
context;
• Enhance self-guided learning.
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MEDIA ANALYSIS
This media analysis assignment is designed to engage you in
hands-on research of a topic of interest that relates to the nexus of
media/popular culture and crime/criminal justice.
For this assignment, choose a media/popular culture source that
you will analyze with respect to some aspect of crime or criminal
justice. Media/popular culture sources include: television, film,
literature, comic books and graphic novels, music, video games,
social media.
Detailed guidelines for this assignment are found in the Media
Analysis folder in Assignments folder in Resources on Blackboard.
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MEDIA ANALYSIS
Why this assignment?
The purpose of this assignment is to:
• Recognize media/popular culture as a space where crime and
criminal justice are expressed;
• Design and carry out independent research to examine media
representations of crime/criminal justice;
• Synthesize existing research literature pertaining to the crimemedia nexus;
• Compose a scholarly ‘presentable’ research paper.
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TEAM STUFF
You have been placed in one of six teams based on the members
of the Strategic Response Unit’s Team One from the Canadian
crime drama Flashpoint (2008-2012).
Why Flashpoint?
One, it’s Canadian.
Two, it’s a freaking awesome show.
Three, it is one of Danielle’s all-time
favourite police shows (don’t judge me).
Click on above to reveal portfolios of each Team.
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There are 12 members on each team. Get to
know each other so that you can collaborate
and /or exchange ideas and build team
camaraderie. Plus, it’s always good to make
new friends.
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HOW THE TEAM STUFF WORKS
For each week of the course, you will have the opportunity to
participate in two activities - Challenge Quiz and Discussion – for
points that will count toward your team’s overall score and standing.
• Challenge Quizzes will be based on the week’s lesson materials
and readings.
• Discussions will focus on a debate or issue that falls within the
week’s lesson topic.
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HOW THE TEAM STUFF WORKS
A Challenge Quiz and Discussion will be posted every Monday,
starting January 13, and will be due the following Sunday (by 12:01
am) over the course of the term, ending March 29.
Although you will be given one whole week to do the activities, most
will only take a few minutes to complete. It is your choice to
participate but the more members who participate, the higher the
chance of your team earning points and taking the top spot.
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TEAM RANKING
Teams will be ranked according to points earned over the term
according to the following:
FIRST PLACE TEAM gets 15/15
SECOND PLACE TEAM gets 14/15
THIRD PLACE TEAM gets 13/15
FOURTH PLACE TEAM gets 12/15
FIFTH PLACE TEAM gets 11/15
SIXTH PLACE TEAM gets 11/15
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TEAM RANKING
No team will earn less than 11 out of 15 (B or 73%) for the
team stuff portion of the final grade for this course.
The member of each team who earns the most individual
points will receive 15 out of 15, regardless of his/her team’s
score.
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TEAM STUFF
Why the Team Stuff?
The purpose of these team activities is to provide the opportunity to:
• Foster a sense of community;
• Enhance collaboration with peers;
• Participate knowledgeably in constructive discussions and
debates;
• Review and apply course material in less traditional ways.
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COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY
In this folder you will find a list of all sources used in creating
the lessons for this course.
It is a good idea to consult this list in preparing your
assignments, especially the Media Analysis assignment. I’ve
done a lot of the leg-work for you to allow you to focus on
doing the analysis and writing an excellent paper, so take
advantage of this!
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DISCUSSION FORUMS
Under Discussion Forums in the sidebar menu, you have
access to the following:
• Virtual Café – space for us all to get to know each other
• Question Corner (aka Mind Palace) – place to ask
questions about the course or course material
• Lesson Roundup – place to discuss material in the
lessons and/or readings
• Discuss This! – place where Discussions take place
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MOST IMPORTANT THING
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