Cj 410 A Seminar:
Profiling Serial and Mass Murderers
Dr. Reynolds Fall ‘2008
Assignment—Non-fiction book on a Serial
Killer: This assignment
will be much easier if you select a book on a lust murderer (serial murder that
is sexual in nature; murders where the victims are sexually assaulted,
tortured, mutilated, and their body parts are displayed in a way that is
meaningful only to the killer). Much of
what we learn during the semester is applicable only to sexual serial killers,
and not to other types of serial killers (for example, those who kill for
profit or ideological beliefs). Using
the non-fiction book you selected on the serial killer of your choice, and any
additional resources you prefer, students are to answer the following questions
related to course content in two short papers.
You are to consult class notes and your textbooks in answering
these questions. You are not limited to answering
the questions I provide, you can tell me anything about your serial killer that
you feel is relevant. However, be sure
to answer all questions that I asked.
Also, as stated above, you are not limited to using just your
non-fiction book. Although you are not
required to do so, you may consult any additional resources of your
choice to answer questions about your chosen serial killer. You should paraphrase or quote from your
chosen book, our textbooks, and any additional sources you choose to use in the
writing of your papers.
Answers are to be written as essays, and not
in a question and answer format. Be
sure to answer all questions asked!
You are not to give me yes/no answers; you are to elaborate. There is no set length for each paper, use
your own judgment. Just remember that thoroughness and accuracy are important
criterion in my grading of your papers.
Each paper is of equal weight and both papers will be averaged together
to equal 25% (the equivalent of one exam grade) of your final grade. Part I of the paper is due on
1. Introduce your
chosen serial killer to me by telling me his name and by giving a brief description of the crimes he
committed. In what decade did your
serial killer commit his crimes? How
does this coincide with the trends, patterns, and prevalence of serial
killing? Is your serial killer
well-known in popular culture (e.g., in music, literature, art, television,
film, comic books, murderabilia, and so forth)? Did your serial killer receive a lot of press
coverage before and/or after committing his crimes? What made your serial killer newsworthy or
not newsworthy? What motive for killing
would you attribute to your chosen serial killer (in other words what category
of serial killers would you place him in given the typologies we discussed in
class and that are outlined in your texts)?
Explain your answer.
2. In what ways
does your serial killer match (or not match) the profile of the typical serial
killer? What common, or uncommon,
background characteristics and traits did he possess? Here you should consider the following: early
childhood, adolescence, education, employment, trauma, physical injury, and
abuse (see Hickey’s Trauma Control Model).
Was bed- wetting, fire-setting, or animal cruelty a part of his early
childhood (see Hickey’s discussion of the MacDonald Triad). What can you tell me about the victims of
this serial killer? Do the victims’
characteristics match, or not match the profile of the “typical” serial
killer’s victims? Did he keep souvenirs of his victims? Did your serial killer have any paraphilias (need for unusual objects, rituals, or
situations to achieve sexual satisfaction prior to or following the
homicide)?
3. Was your serial
killer formally diagnosed as a sociopath/psychopath, or was he found legally
insane because of a psychosis (e.g., schizophrenia)? Was he diagnosed with some other mental
disorder (e.g., a personality disorder other than antisocial personality
disorder)? What symptoms/characteristics
did he possess that warranted the diagnosis?
In addition to any mental disorders your serial killer may have had,
what additional psychological, social, or biological factors do you believe may
have contributed to the making of the serial killer you selected?
4. What role did
fantasy play in the serial killings of your selected murderer? Did he have any signature method of killing
(e.g., the imprint of the offender; reflects a deep-rooted fantasy that he has
of his crime—it is something that the perpetrator does for himself, regardless
of the necessities of the crime)?
Signatures, for example, sometimes include piquerism
(cutting and stabbing for sexual pleasure), posing of victims, and/or
necrophilia. Were the fantasies fueled
by any facilitators: books or other literature, pornography, the Bible,
alcohol, drugs, detective magazines, and so forth? What triggers (stressors) may have
contributed to the first murder (e.g., loss of job, divorce, birth of a child,
financial stress, legal problems, death of a significant person, and so
forth)?
5. How was this
serial killer captured (e.g., the investigative process; what role did the
local police and/or FBI play? was profiling involved?)? When was he sentenced and what was his
sentence?
Note: Answers to questions
asked, or information about your serial killer that you want to provide to the
reader, may overlap between papers, which is okay; it is acceptable to repeat
yourself.
Grading
Criterion for All Written Assignments
Content and Clarity—substance and thoroughness of the paper; the
development of ideas
Organization—the logical sequencing of
topics, sentences, and paragraphs
Evidence—the accuracy of statements
Comprehension—your understanding of the
material
Mechanics/Grammar—spelling, unclear
sentences, verbs and tenses, word choice, and punctuation
Documentation—accurately using
quotations and citing sources
Papers without proper
documentation will be severely penalized!
Appropriate style
footnotes/endnotes and references are required.
I prefer the ASA style of author's last name, year of publication and
page number in parentheses for citations in the text, which eliminates the need
for footnotes or endnotes. Other acceptable
formats for citations in the body of a paper are the APA and the MLA style.
Please note that
you should never put a web address as an in-text citation; always use an author
and the year or, if no author is cited, an article title and the year.
ASA
Examples of how to cite on-line sources in a reference or works cited page:
Online
Periodicals Available in Print and Online Form:
Scott, Lionel D., Jr. and Laura E. House. 2005.
“Relationship of
Distress
and Perceived Control to Coping with Perceived
Racial
Discrimination among Black Youth.” Journal of Black
Psychology
31 (3):254-72. (Retrieved from JSTOR on December
16, 2006).
Online
Periodicals Available in Online Form Only
Schafer, Daniel W. and Fred L.
Ramsey. 2003. “Teaching the
Craft of Data Analysis.” Journal of Statistics Education 11(1).
Retrieved
(http://www.amsttat.org/publications/jse/v11n1
/schaefer.html).
An
Online Newspaper Article
Goldsten, Amy. 1997. “Dying Patients’ Care Varies Widely by
Place,
Study
Says.”
For
those students not using the ASA
format, it is recommended that they purchase either the APA (American Psychological Association) Publication Manual or the MLA
(Modern Language Association) Handbook
from the college bookstore. Both of
these manuals explain how to format appropriate style footnotes and references.
All assignments are due during
the class period on the due dates given above; no exceptions. For each day that you do not have your paper,
your grade will be lowered one full grade.
This includes the lowering of grades on weekends and during breaks.
I do not accept papers via fax
or e-mail.