Brooke Tolmasov
Intro to Criminology
Serial Killer Paper (see syllabus for due date)
Worth 50 pts
Guidelines:

Follow Writing Expectations provided on Canvas

The length of the paper should be 2 – 3 pages (I will deduct points for each subsequent
page).

Please double space your paper.  

Please use a 12 point font (preferably
Times New Roman
, Arial, or another plain text font).  

Margins must be set at 1” all around.  

Include page numbers

Paper must be uploaded as a PDF or Word doc (I will not grade assignments I cannot
open).

As stated in your syllabus: Papers are expected to exhibit thoughtful reflection of topics
presented and therefore should be written in a scholarly manner.  Any students
submitting assignments containing email/ text messaging lingo and/or abbreviations will
be
immediately lose half credit
on the assignment.  If you have any questions about
what constitutes “email/ text messaging lingo and/or abbreviations” please check in with
me.
*This subject matter can be very disturbing.  If you think you will find the subject matter
too difficult to handle, please contact me (at least one week before the due date) for an
alternate paper assignment.
Research:
Read the list of Signs of a Serial Killer available on Canvas. Then follow the link on Canvas to
the Crime Library and select “Serial Killers”. Pick a serial killer to read about. You can also do
an online video search on YouTube for the A&E biographies on Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or
Gary Heidnick, Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, etc. Either way, do research on the life and crimes
of one specific serial killer.
Prompt:
Use  the  following  guidelines  to  write  and  structure  your  paper.  Remember  to  use  APA  style
parenthetical citation when directly quoting (Author, year of publication, page number) and when
paraphrasing (Author, year of publication).  You do not need a title page or abstract, but please
sure to cite where your information is coming from using APA parenthetical citations.  

Introduction:
o
   Begin your paper with a brief Introduction letting the read know who you will be
researching and a quick overview of his/ her life and crimes.

Body paragraphs:
o
   Describe the life and crimes of your serial killer in detail.  Which signs from the
list do you think apply to your serial killer?  Explain how they apply.  

Brooke Tolmasov
Intro to Criminology
o
   Select 2 of the 6 broad theories of crime discussed in your text (Ch 4 – Rational
Choice Theory, Ch 5 – Trait Theory, Ch 6 – Social Structure Theory, Ch 7 – Social
Process Theory, Ch 8 – Social Conflict, Critical Criminology, and Restorative
Justice, and Ch 9 – Developmental Theories) and explain how they apply to the
serial killer you researched.

Concluding paragraph(s):
o
   Conclude your paper by telling the reader if you think serial killers are born or
made.  Is there anything society can do to rehabilitate them?  (This is your
opinion, so no citation is necessary for this part).

Works Cited Page:
o
   APA Style – see APA link on Canvas
o
   This does not could towards your total page count
Grading:
You  will  be  graded  on  both  the  quality  and  content  of  your  paper.    Papers  should  be  free  of
grammatical  and  spelling  errors.    Papers  should  be  coherent  and  cohesive,  demonstrating
organized understanding of the materia