Crime in The Media
In groups of 4 you will be writing an 8 - 10 page term paper (typed, double spaced, 12pt. font, Times New Roman, 1” margins) in which you do a content analysis of one television show that depicts crime as a main theme. You will each watch a minimum of 2 hours each (different episodes of the same show) of your program and analyze the show relating it to theories and concepts we have learned in this course. You will write your paper using the following format (please title each section with the corresponding heading). Please proofread your paper.
Introduction – This section is a paragraph giving a broad description of the project. This is NOT where you tell me what show you watched. This paragraph should be a general explanation of how crime is depicted in the media, and what theory(ies) you are applying to your analysis.
Literature Review - This section will explain your outside resources as they relate to your topic. You will need a minimum of 4 outside sources (one per person) that are academic and sociological. If you have a question about the apropriateness of a source I recommend you get it approved from me in advance.
Methodology – This section is about what you did. What show did you watch? How and why did you choose that show? When did you watch the episodes? What was the environment in which you watched the episodes? How did you identify the themes that came up in your episodes?
Results – This section will describe what you found. How were the characters portrayed? Who were the “bad” guys, and who were the “good” guys? What types of crimes were being illustrated, and how what role did the criminal justice system play? How were the victims portrayed? What patterns emerged in your data?
Analysis – This section is the most important in the paper. This is where you will connect the data in your results section to sociology. What theory(ies) did your episode exemplify? How is this sociologically relevant? Were there class, race, and/or gender issues illustrated? Was the media portrayal accurate or based on stereotypes? Explain in great detail.