Course Description

The purpose of this course is to examine the media’s role in portraying crime and criminal justice. 

Most Americans develop an understanding about crime and justice not from criminal justice courses or personal experiences, but rather by presentations from the popular media.  This includes both entertainment media (including crime-based movies, television crime and justice dramas, reality-based criminal justice shows) and the news media (including both print and broadcast). Unfortunately, much of the picture that is painted from such media about crime and justice is distorted and inaccurate, yet the consequences of wide acceptance of such a distorted image of crime and justice are far-reaching, affecting how we vote, what crime control policies we approve, where and when we go places and how we act towards others.

The course will explore such issues as: What types of crime and criminals are over represented or underrepresented in the media and what are the ramifications of this imbalance? What is the symbiotic relationship between the news media and the police and how does this relationship contribute to the representation of crime and justice in this media?  How are the police portrayed in the entertainment media versus the news media?  How are other components and actors in the criminal justice system portrayed in the news and entertainment media?  How are women (as offenders, victims, and criminal justice personnel) represented in the media?  Does exposure to media violence cause crime?  Does the viewing of pornography lead to violence against women?  Can the media be used to reduce crime?  How does the media portrayals of crime and justice affect public attitudes about crime and criminal justice actors? Finally, do such representations affect policies geared at combating the crime problem? 

This course fulfills the 3 credits of the social science degree requirement in Liberal Studies.

Meeting Place and Times

Online

Instructor

David Eitle earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at Indiana University. Professor Eitle's research interests include exploring the institutional and community factors associated with school disorder and violence, the etiology of criminal and deviant behavior among late adolescents and young adults, and the risk and protective factors associated with substance use and HIV-risk behaviors. He is a joint principal investigator on two National Institute on Drug Abuse research grants. His work appears in such journals as Justice Quarterly, Crime and Delinquency, Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Social Forces, Journal of Health and Social Behavior and Social Science Quarterly

Prerequisites

SOCI101 or consent of instructor

Tuition and Fees

If you are accepted into a qualified online program, see the appropriate MSU Online Only Tuition and Fee table.

If you are also taking a face-to-face course, please refer to the MSU Fee Schedule.

Required Books/Materials

  • Surette, Ray. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice. Images, Realities, and Policies.  5th Edition. 2015. Cengage Publishing.
  • Additional readings available on course website

Book will be available at most online retailers and at the MSU bookstore.

Computer Requirements:

  • Internet access
  • A device and browser that pass the system check for Brightspace LE, MSU's learning management system.

For More Information

For course information, contact the instructor David Eitle.

How to Register

You must be accepted as a student to Montana State University to take this course.

Learn how to apply

After your application has been accepted, you will register via MSU's online registration system, MyInfo.

Registration requires a PIN. Learn how to obtain your PIN.

Once you have your PIN, learn how to register through MyInfo.