Description
Essay
Your first research essay should be a fully completed work of 5 pages. Your topic may be related to the development of any idea that has already been expressed as part of the course; your thesis should be a synthesis of carefully documented research and critical analysis of this topic. The essay should incorporate the general parts of an academic essay—an introduction and thesis, a body of specific evidence/support/analysis, and a conclusion that emphasizes the answers to questions you may have asked within your research.
Your writing should address the Core Learning Outcomes of the course and the Instructor Specific Learning Outcomes, as specified on the syllabus. I have included them here for your convenience:
- Analyze the disciplinary content in its own context and in relationship to the issues, questions, and positions of other disciplines.
- Compare and contrast differences and similarities among the disciplines in terms of central concerns, values, methodologies, and relationships to public life.
- Synthesize diverse perspectives to achieve an interdisciplinary understanding.
- Analyze the relationships among academic knowledge, professional work, and the responsibilities of local and global citizenship.
- Interpret and critique the possible “real world” connections or behaviors associated with the viewing or playing of media violence.
Instructor Learning Outcomes
- Identify, discuss and critique the representations of serial killers as heroes, celebrities, and icons in modern media forms. Explain the characteristics of the media forms, genres, and methods for each subject.
- Describe and analyze the popular culture forms that encourage audience identification or participation through violence or vicarious experience.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives, modes of inquiry and expression, and processes for decision-making in the disciplines.
Specifics
Your essay should conform to the MLA format for citations within the text and in your works cited. Therefore, your writing should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in a 10-12-pitch font. The grading of this essay will be based upon the objective skills we have focused upon in our course lectures and discussions—incorporating your research sources seamlessly within your own writing, building upon your skills as a “close-reading” expert and analysis of your topic, and answering the larger questions about “why” we are studying serial killers as heroes (as well as, “why” your topic is popular? important? significant? worthy of study? definitive of its audience?)
Resources
You should carefully construct your essay by looking at the examples we have studied within our course—the popular culture essays that have been part of your reading assignments, our in-class examples, and the writing process that has been investigated in our class assignments (Discussion Postings, etc).
APA (Links to an external site.)
Rubric
LE 300: Integrative and Interdisciplinary Learning Capstone
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 1: Insightful QuestioningRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Asks meaningful questions that show an understanding of the need for an interdisciplinary approach to solving a complex problem. Competent (Second Milestone): Asks questions about complex problems that show an attempt to understand and solve the problem from a single disciplinary perspective. Developing (First Milestone): Asks surface-level questions about complex problems. Beginning (Benchmark): Acknowledges that problems are complex without being able to pose surface-level questions about them. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment. threshold: 3.0 pts |
| -- | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 2: Gathering information from multiple disciplinesRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Assembles intentionally focused, relevant information from multiple reputable sources (or using disciplinary methods) from multiple disciplines. Competent (Second Milestone): Assembles relevant information from multiple, different reputable disciplinary sources or using disciplinary methods. Developing (First Milestone): Assembles tangentially related information from sources or methods from different disciplines. Beginning (Benchmark): Finds disconnected information from sources or methods without acknowledgement of their disciplinary origin or reputability. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment. threshold: 3.0 pts |
| -- | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 3: Analysis of patterns and connections from disciplinesRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Organizes and synthesizes evidence from multiple disciplines to reveal insightful patterns, differences, or similarities related to the problem the student is analyzing. Competent (Second Milestone): Organizes evidence from one or more disciplines to reveal important patterns, differences, or similarities related to the problem the student is analyzing. Developing (First Milestone): Organizes evidence from at least one discipline, but the organization is not effective in revealing important patterns, differences, or similarities. Beginning (Benchmark): Lists evidence, but it is not organized and/ or is unrelated to focus. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment. threshold: 3.0 pts |
| -- | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 4: Synthesizing Disciplinary PerspectivesRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Independently creates holistic understandings or frameworks out of multiple parts (synthesizes) or draws conclusions by combining examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Competent (Second Milestone): Independently compares, contrasts, and connects examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Developing (First Milestone): When prompted, compares and contrasts examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Beginning (Benchmark): When prompted, presents examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment. threshold: 3.0 pts |
| -- | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 5: TransferRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Makes explicit references to previous learning in general education or major and applies that knowledge and those skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations in a new and creative way. Competent (Second Milestone): Makes references to previous learning in general education or major and shows evidence of applying that knowledge and those skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations. Developing (First Milestone): Makes references to previous learning in general education or major and attempts to apply that knowledge and those skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations. Beginning (Benchmark): Makes vague references to previous learning in general education or major but does not apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment. threshold: 3.0 pts |
| -- | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 6: Interdisciplinary CollaborationRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Helps the team move forward by articulating the merits of alternative ideas or proposals generated by the team from an interdisciplinary perspective. Competent (Second Milestone): Offers alternative solutions or courses of action from student’s discipline (or an interdisciplinary perspective) that build on the ideas of others. Developing (First Milestone): Offers new suggestions from the student’s discipline to advance the work of the group. Beginning (Benchmark): Shares ideas but does not advance the work of the group. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment. threshold: 3.0 pts |
| -- | |||||
Total Points: 0 | |||||||
Explanation & Answer
Here is the outline and your paper! Let me know if you need any edits at all! :)
Last Name 1
Your Name
Instructor Name
Course Number
Date
Serial Killers Portrayed in the Media
The media has always had a role in portraying serial killers as heroes to inspire and
sympathize with as well as villains to fear. Serial killers have fascinated people for centuries.
There are a lot of questions and concerns when it comes to serial killers that people watching
want to know. This leads to them searching for more information. These searches can be endless.
The media, which includes social media platforms, television shows, newscasts, newspapers, and
online articles, have published and streamed content that discusses how serial killers are the
‘heroes’ of society. The ways in which they are portrayed have led to various ‘fandoms’ of these
serial killers to emerge because of the constant media coverage on serial killers. Serial Killers
being portrayed in the media has allowed serial killers to feel as if they are stars, gave them an
audience who see them as heroes, and has also helped police find serial killers quicker.
One of the many common traits seen in serial killers is their love for attention that can be
impacted and increased by the media and its constant coverage. This love for attention has led to
them enjoying the presence of media coverage on their killings, suspects, and lives when they are
caught. According to one thesis published online following this topic of serial killers and their
connection to media, the author found that “Most serial killers start their lives as unknowns, but
through their crimes, they become superstars, known throughout the country” (Wiest p.3). This
has become such a prominent idea and situation, that students, authors, researchers, and
psychologists agree that serial killers love the attention they get from their killings being
Last Name 2
broadcasted in the media. This violent attention interestingly enough is not the reason that they
are di...
