COURSE
STRUCTURE
This
course can best be defined as "Internet Assisted." Traditional
reading and writing is combined with nontraditional methods
of learning. Throughout
this course students will be expected to critically analyze
many forms of media. As criminal justice scholars, our focus
will be on the several issues. Please think about these issues
as we move through the assignments:
Media Definition of
Crime and Criminals
What images of crime, justice,
and the criminal justice system are presented in the mass
media?
What behavior and offenders
does the media cover? What is ignored?
Does the media exaggerate
the occurrence of certain crimes, committed by certain people,
while ignoring other crimes?
Media Definition of
the Criminal Justice System
How does the media portray
the police, courts (both criminal and civil), and the corrections
system?
How does the media impact
the administration of justice? While the O. J. Simpson case
may immediately come to mind, there are many more examples
of the interaction of media and justice.
How well does the media
describe the successes and failures of our system of justice?
Policy Impact
Do media portrayals of
crime become accepted by the public?
Does this acceptance make
it difficult to develop an accurate account of the crime
problem?
Does this biased view of
justice result in poor policy choices?
Is reform of the system impeded by a less than
adequate knowledge of the justice process?
Is
there a way to overcome the stereotypical views of justice
that are so prevalent in today’s media?
