Crim3403 Discourse/Crime Winter 2025-26 Classoom: MMH202  weblog  gradesheet  index
"We are bystanders at a spectacle," Guy Debord, Society and Spectacle

Overview: This research course involves analysis of public talk about crimes, eg. sexual assault, domestic violence, serial murder, terrorism, protests, etc, in mainstream news, social media, and video. Theories and methods guide individual research, such as content/discourse analysis, thematic and narrative approaches. Blended classes combine face-to-face lectures with online asynchronous material, although in the event of moving to a remote delivery design the classroom becomes virtual. Research involves both guided and independent work.
Suggestion: work in pairs or groups, and checkin regularly, eg. classtime.

Required text: Constructing Danger: Emotions and the mis/representation of crime in the news, 2nd ed. McCormick, Fernwood, 2010. Each chapter has a 1. different topic, 2. practical method, 3. emotion, and specially designed 4. sample study. Understanding current events will also focus on social media.

Evaluation: (1) Classmark (25%), reflects 'engagement exercises' posed in the class or as homework, a series of 1-2 pages sspaced with refs; posted on weblog and graded for quantity and quality. (2) Proposal (20%), due week six, on an issue/event you're interested in, eg. environmental protests, race riots, etc. This should be 2 single-spaced pages max, with refs; it should be specific on the analytical issues, and how method will be applied to the topic. Here is a list of topics people did last year: #YesAllWomen; 9/11; homelessness; the opioid crisis; female serial homicide; AIDS; sexual assault and femicide; Ronald Cotton; sexwork; #MeToo; the wet'suwet'en protest; Montreal Massacre; Westray; serial killers; wrongful conviction; MMIW; Robert Latimer; Robert Pickton; Creep Catchers; and, the Gladue decision. A current method could see how a topic is treated in social media.** (3) Project: (30%), end of term. take the proposal and expand it into a 7-10 dspaced essay, or interactive format, eg. prezi, or powerpoint, usually around 15 slides, or video, scrapbook... (4) Exam (25%), short-answer, or alternative.

Courseprotocol: a hybrid model with inclass contact, and occasionally shifted to online: using the book, guided reading and video exercises will be posted thru webadvisor and weblog by first class of the week, answers submitted through email by end of the week, noted on the gradesheet and replied to thru email usually. The readings are mandatory, the exercises are a proxy for class attendance, all leading to a term-length guided independent research project.  Please see guidelines and issues for more information. *This format is flexible, individually-focused, interactive, and indepth*

**Eg. "Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter were instrumental in the Arab Spring, facilitating the organization of protests, the rapid dissemination of information about government abuses, and the creation of a collective voice for dissidents. While not the root cause of the uprisings, social media acted as a powerful catalyst and organizing tool for activists in countries like Egypt and Tunisia, reducing the costs of organizing and allowing for the sharing of protest tactics, even prompting international attention to the events unfolding." Also see 'Social media's role in the Arab Spring", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media%27s_role_in_the_Arab_Spring

Photo: After 9/11, source unknown...