Crime is fascinating, as long as it isn't too close. From the 1836 murder of Helen Jewett to the latest update on the Bryan Kohberger case, criminal justice reporting has remained a staple of news and entertainment media alike. Moreover, the true crime genre has proven uniquely capable of fixating audience attention on the minute details of forensic examination, courtroom jurisprudence, and human interest. Through these media processes of representation and dissemination, the very concepts of criminality, guilt, and public order are repeatedly defined, renovated, and transformed. In this course, we will investigate how print journalism, televisual media, and true crime podcasting have made matters of crime and justice into riveting spectacles. We will also consider the social, cultural, and political implications of mediated policing, prosecution, and the documentary approach to crime. show less