You do not have to agree with the author, his analysis or even fully understand the methodology of his research. Many of you will not. That is ok! I assure you it is. That is why I am using this article. It reflects a topic all of us are witnessing and experiencing and it provides a structured opportunity for us to interact with research and different ideas. We all need to think broadly… beyond how we were socialized and beyond what makes us comfortable. Finally, this assignment is worth 15 points but will be input as “0” points initially as not to interfere with students’ grade calculations who opt not to do the optional assignment.

-Dr. Grice

Instructions: Read the scholarly peer-reviewed article “I Feared For My Life”: Law Enforcement’s Appeal to Murderous Empathy and write a reflection by answering five of the questions below. All students must answer questions 3, 8 and 10. Students will pick the other two questions they want to answer. Each answer should be in paragraph form, about 100-150 words in length and use the correct question number. All submissions must be attached as a Word document or PDF.  Pages, Text Submissions and Emails will not be accepted. 

Reflection Questions:

1. What is the overall theme of the reading? 
2. Do you believe the author(s) are being objective or promoting a perspective? Explain. 
3. If the author provided a live lecture on their reading, what (relevant) question would you ask him?  
4. What [new] idea or perspective did you learn from the reading? 
5. What confused you in the reading? Why? 
6. What did you like about what the author presented? Why? 
7. What did you disagree with?  Why? 
8. What might explain why you or someone from your social group may have never thought about the subject matter/ perspective presented in this particular way?  
9. After reading this article, how do you feel? What specifically made you feel this way?  
10. How does this reading support, shed light on, or provide another side to a recent debate in class or in the news.