True crime: a deep dive into a cultural phenomenon
Students will critically engage with their own ideas about crime and how they are represented in culture, challenging their own ideas about crime. This masterclass will also introduce ideas about inequality in both the criminal justice system and wider society
Event Overview
Students will be asked to discuss their engagement with true crime, including their motives and their preferred format. They will also be asked about cases of crime that they know – either from their local area, nationally or internationally – to discuss what crimes most interest them, and what cultural ideas underpin that interest. The session leader will use their own examples as a prompt.
Students will then watch a short (20-30 minute) example of a true crime video, and asked to reflect on:
- The language used in the video
- The structure of the video
- The facts, and the use of evidence (including citations and references, if available)
Students will also be shown images of high-profile, as well as lesser known victims, to highlight which images they readily recognise and those with whom they are less familiar. This is to highlight the phenemenon known as missing white women syndrome and the myth of the ideal victim, and how it plays a role in both true crime and media reporting more widely.
The aims are:
- For students to critically engage with their own ideas about crime and how they are represented in culture
- To challenge their own ideas about crime
- To introduce ideas about inequality in both the criminal justice system and wider society