Theoretical Book Report

This will be a two-part assignment. Part one will require you to write a “book report” based on any “true crime” novel that describes a serious or violent crime (you may not choose a work of fiction for this assignment!). The only other restrictions on the novel are that it must be at least 150 pages in length, and it must give a detailed description not only of the crime(s), but also of the criminal(s). If your novel does not provide enough detail about the background, actions, motivations and thoughts of the offender(s) you will not be able to do a good job on the second part of the assignment. Therefore, novels written from the perspective of the victim(s), or those that focus on the details of the police investigation, are not good choices for this assignment! Also, do not choose a book where the offender is unknown (e.g. The Zodiac or the Jack the Ripper murders)! If you are not sure if the novel you have chosen is suitable, please discuss it with me before you begin.
The book report should be 4-6 typed pages in length (not including the title page and bibliography). You should use a 12 point font, double spaced, and approximately 1 inch margins all around. Your assignment should have a simple title page containing the title, your name, the course number, and the date. It should also have a bibliography describing the book you have read. If you use direct quotes or specific references in your book report they must be properly cited (ex. Capote (1976: 35) stated that Perry was a “cold blooded killer who murdered his victims without remorse”.)

Please e-mail your report to me (kierkusc@gvsu.edu) by the end of the class period on the day it is due. Your report must be submitted as either an MS Word or a .PDF document. No other format will be accepted! If I can’t open the file, you will not receive credit for having completed the assignment!
Your book report should accomplish the following objectives:
1) Describe the way the crime was committed (ex. The setting, the M.O., was it premeditated?)
2) Describe who the victims were, and why they were targeted (ex. The gender of the victim, why were they at the crime scene, why might they have been chosen as opposed to other victims?)
3) Describe who the perpetrator(s) were (ex. His/her physical characteristics, background, employment status etc.)
4) Describe what the outcome of the case was (ex. Was the perpetrator caught, brought to trial, imprisoned, executed?)
In part one of this assignment you are not trying to analyze the motivations of the perpetrator(s). If there is an obvious reason for the crime taking place (ex. A bank robber shot a security guard who pulled a gun on him) you should report this in part one. However, do not try to explain the underlying motivations for the behavior at this stage (ex. Was the bank robber an innovator in the Mertonian sense, or was his behavior motivated by a lack of parental attachment?). The goal of part one is to “set the stage” for the analytical essay. My experience has been that students typically do a good job with this part of the assignment unless they get too preoccupied with writing about the crime(s), and forget to describe the criminal(s).
Your bibliography should describe what book(s) and other sources you have consulted for this assignment. You should cite your course text and readings if you used them (please use APA style). You are not expected to go beyond these materials in this course. There is no specific rule regarding which theories you should use: this will vary from case to case (i.e. crime to crime). However, you should select the three theories that provide you with the best possible understanding of why the crime occurred. Not all theories will apply to each case (e.g. using a feminist theory to analyze a case that had nothing to do with gender is probably a poor idea). Please also be aware that if you elect to use a novel written about a multiple murderer, this topic is presented near the end of the semester: consequently, you may want to “read ahead” to complete your paper by the assigned due date.
Your essay should have a clear introduction (including a “thesis statement”), a body, and a conclusion. In the first part of the paper, you should summarize the key theories that you believe are applicable to your novel. Your goal in this part of the essay is to demonstrate that you have developed an understanding of the theories.
Then, you should link specific pieces of evidence from your novel to the theoretical perspectives that you have selected (ex. Capote (1976: 113) stated that Duke committed the crime because “he was a massively muscular man who could tear people limb from limb with his bare hands”. This is consistent with what Sheldon (1949) wrote about individuals with mesomorphic body types.) By the end of your paper, your goal is to convince me that you understand the key reasons why the criminal(s) in the story behaved as they did. Make sure that you link the theories to the key events from your novel! If you leave it to me to make these connections, you will not earn a good grade!
Please note, if the author of your novel provides a theoretical explanation of the crime, you may use it as a starting point, but you should be critical of his or her explanation. Most “true crime” authors have limited criminological training. Do not base your essay on the author’s analysis without considering other perspectives.
Advice
If for some reason you can not submit your assignment on the date that it is due you must contact me ASAP to explain why (not). If you need an extension on the due dates please speak to me before the assignment is due. Extensions will only be given for documented medical or compassionate reasons. Late assignments will receive a grade of F! Make sure you keep a copy of your assignment. If it somehow becomes electronically lost it will be your responsibility to send me a second copy.
Your assignments will be graded on the basis of the following:
Part 1 (Book Report – 15%):
1) The appropriateness of your novel to this assignment (2 points).
2) How well you describe how the crime(s) occurred (4 points).
3) How well you describe the criminal(s) (and to a lesser extent, victim(s)) who were involved (6 points).
4) The general quality of your writing and organization (3 points).

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