CJL 355-01 Crime In America Theoretical Paper on: Mass Shootings in America, who commits them, the punishment they usually face, why are white people who commit mass shootings treated differently and always classified as mentally ill when others who commit them are people of color or of other national origin are labeled as terrorists? Due: October 10th (Hardcopy) 7-8 pages long Attached are 2 sample papers The purpose of this course is to provide a solid foundation of criminological theories by reading original works and applying them to present day issues. This paper is dedicated to exploring both sections thoroughly in a theoretical paper. Students will choose a popular criminological issue and apply it to one of the theories discussed in class. Paper Objectives 1. Critical thinking: The most important objective of this paper is to demonstrate critical thinking by applying one or more theoretical frameworks to a popular criminological issue. This means that one must go beyond the "surface" of the issue and analytically assess the issues surrounding the crime and how a theory or theories would explain the phenomena. 2. Research: Students are expected to search online databases for articles that relate to their topic. It is expected that six to seven outside scholarly works in addition to course readings from respected journals or edited volumes, and reputable news sources will be used. Books from respected academic authors are also acceptable. Students should ask for help from the instructor if they are unable to locate appropriate reference materials. The length of the paper should be seven to eight pages, not including cover and reference page. 3. Grammar: My expectations are high when it comes to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Therefore, no short cuts are allowed. This includes no contractions, no "conversational language'', and bad formatting (e.g. not indenting paragraphs, large spacing). In addition, this should be a formal paper. Therefore, "first-person" should not be used. All of this will result in a deduction of points. Paper Components 1. Background: Provide background information on the popular criminological issue. Issues that are appropriate for this paper include: police brutality, biological explanations of crime, poverty and crime, as well as the link between stereotypical images of people of color and how it relates to perceived criminality. This should only be a brief summary as most of your paper should be devoted to critically assessing how the topic chosen is linked to your theoretical framework. Be sure to address what you will analyze about the issue. There should be at least two to three issues of the case or topic that will be analyzed through a theoretical lens. ( Ten points .) 2. Theory: Talk about the theory chosen for your issue. Include a description of the theory / theorist, theory origin and context (social, political, biological), as well as h ...