City Colleges of Chicago Harold Washington College Abstract Criminology Paper

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Research Paper

We will cover many different theories regarding crime in this course. Undoubtedly, some will be more persuasive to you than others. In this paper, you will pick one crime that is of interest to you that has not been discussed in the lectures or analysis assignments. You will then attempt to analyze it using three theories, ultimately arguing which theory best explains the crime.

In your paper, you should introduce your paper and state your thesis (approximately half a page) and briefly describe the crime (approximately one page).

Then you will describe your first theory. You will state where the theory came from, what the theory assumes about human behavior, what it argues and models as the causes crime, what kinds of crime it cannot explain, what kinds of crimes it explains very well, whether it explains crime on the macro or micro level, and then how it argues crime can be prevented. This overview of the theory should be about one page and should contain citations from the readings and one outside, academic source. You should then spend about a page applying each aspect of the theory described above to the crime—and assessing whether or not that aspect of the theory fits the crime you are profiling. This assessment should take about another page

You will repeat the description of the theories and the assessment of each aspect of the theory as it applies to your crime for each theory you profile.

You may only use theories from the reading, unless you seek and are granted permission from me to utilize another theory. For the first Writing Workshop, you may only use theories covered between the start of the course and the week of Writing Workshop 1 (basically, theories covered in weeks 2 and 3).

Skip this part for now: For the second Writing Workshop, you may only use theories covered in weeks 4 and 5. For the last theory you discuss and apply, you may only use theories covered from week 6 onwards.

Conclude your paper by arguing which of the three theories you described and applied works best to explain the crime you profiled and which you think does the poorest job of explaining the crime (approximately one page).

Again, you are limited to using theories in the textbooks unless you seek and receive approval from me to do otherwise. Also, you may not use Wikipedia, similar encyclopedic sources, or blogs as sources for your paper—you are expected to use academic sources. You may be requested to attach the articles you use to your final paper.

.*A partner will be assigned you. you must provide your partner with feedback on their abstract

Good abstracts will address each of the following. Good abstracts will spend no more than two

sentences addressing each of the following considerations, and thus be no longer than ten sentences total:

1) What crime am I researching—when was it committed, who perpetrated the crime, and what were its most notable features?

2) What is the first theory I will apply to this crime, and what are the key

components of this theory? (Must be a theory we will cover during weeks 2 and 3.)

3) What is the second theory I will apply to this crime, and what are the key components

of this theory? (Must be a theory we will cover from weeks 4 and 5.)

4) What is the third theory I will apply to this crime, and what are the key components of this theory? (Must be a theory we will cover from week 6 onward.)

5) What evidence am I focusing on in determining which theories are not persuasive/persuasive in relation to this crime?

Reading schedule to help you select your theory

WEEL 2 : BSG 3; KSK 2

WEEK 3: BSG 4 & 5; KSK 3

WEEK 4 :BSG 6 & 8; KSK 5

WEEK 5: BSG 7; KSK 4

WEEK 6: BSG 9; KSK 6

bsj book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bIKpGcKPDYhDHn3MZ…

Then, find ONE journal article for EACH of the theories noted above that you can use to help you explain the theories. Give the citations for the these three journal articles below: