SOC 3571 - Murder in America

On average, about 16,500 people are murdered each year in the United States. While murder continues to intrigue, horrify, and mystify most Americans, it is a subject that is plagued by misinformation, stereotypes, misunderstanding, and a lack of scientific rigor. The objective of this class is to review the literature on several different dimensions of murder so as to gain a better understanding of what constitutes murder, how it has been defined both historically and sociologically, and investigate its overall role and function to society and the criminal justice system?