All students in this course are required to write a 4-6 page paper (worth a poss

All students in this course are required to write a 4-6 page paper (worth a possible total of 100 points). The paper should be double spaced, with one inch margins, and 12 pt. font. Please cite any references you might consult. Any citation format (MLA, APA, ASA) is acceptable. For this paper, you will have to choose from one of the two following options:
Analyze a movie:
Choose a movie that directly deals with the issue of crime/criminal behavior. Some good classic movies include: Menace to Society, Murder in the First, Boys N the Hood, Shawshank Redemption, Scarface, Slumdog Millionaire, and Maria Full of Grace. More recent movies might include Joker, and The Irishman. However, I’m open to the hundreds of other possibilities that exist. In fact, it can also be a series, rather than a movie.
Or…
Analyze a news story on crime:
Locate a newspaper article on a criminal event from one the following sources: The Miami Herald, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times, The Washington Post, or the Chicago Tribune. The article should not be older than two years of the due date. Make certain the article is about a criminal event and not the summary of previous criminal events. You will have to attach a copy of your article to your assignment when you turn it in.
Goal of the assignment
The central goal of this assignment (for either of the options noted above) is to draw from all pertinent course materials (criminological/sociological theories, concepts, and data) to analyze your chosen movie or crime news story. These should be essays—written in clear, coherent sentences (not outlines).
Guidelines
After addressing a brief summary of the plot of your movie or gist of your news article, your paper should address each of the following key questions/issues (not necessarily in this order):
Did the movie or news article take an individualist or structural/sociological approach in the way the crime/criminal was described/depicted? That is, did the factors or “causes” that encouraged people/individuals to commit crime/s lie inside the individual (in some sort of psychological or biological abnormality), or were the causes/factors that motivated their behaviors found in the environment or “social structure” in place?
What were the characteristics of the group or individual that perpetrated the crime/s (age, socio-economic status, racial/ethnic characteristics, gender, geographical location, etc.)? Based on everything we’ve discussed in class and addressed in notes, readings and videos throughout the semester, how/why might this be relevant to the story/plot? * If you’re analyzing a movie in which there are several crimes taking place, choose one to analyze.
What were the characteristics of the group or individual that were victimized (age, socio-economic status, racial/ethnic characteristics, gender, geographical location, etc.). Based on everything we’ve discussed in class and addressed in notes, readings and videos throughout the semester, how/why might this be relevant to the story/plot? ** If you’re analyzing a movie where there are several cases of victimization, choose one to analyze.
What specific criminological/sociological theories were reflected or challenged by the movie/article you chose? You should address a minimum of two theories.