Case Study: Serial In The Classroom

Adnan Syed is accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend, and various factors present him as a very likely suspect. Information put together by the state don’t add up, but instead prove he is innocent. Is Adnan guilty or innocent for his ex-girlfriend’s death? In the Serial Podcast, journalist Sarah Koenig discusses the case, committed almost seventeen years ago, and uncovers new evidence that indicates Adnan’s innocence. Adnan Syed has been viewed as a boyfriend, honor roll student, and a murderer. Many described him as a smart, flirtatious, and a likable high schooler. On January 13, 1999, his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, was murdered. Investigators immediately assumed Adnan as the primary suspect because Hae had broken up with him, a month

According to the FBI (2007) the Beltway Snipers was a series of random murders that had occurred around the Washington D.C. area during the month of October in 2002. The case was closely studied and investigated by the Montgomery County Police Department and was led by Chief Charles Moose with additional help from other government services such as the FBI. The identities of these two men were discovered due to clues that were purposely left behind by the perpetrators. Their names were John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. During this time in history, these two names were known to strike fear in people’s hearts and make people think twice about going outside and continuing their regular day-to-day activities. In the end, both of Malvo and Muhammad were charged with life in prison, but Muhammad was also charged with the death penalty. Today, only Malvo is still alive and now realizes the wickedness of the crimes he committed. This paper is not only going to introduce you to the Beltway Snipers, but also help you become more aware of the reasons as to why they did this, all of the victims that were involved, and the significance of this case as a whole.

The criminal justice system is meant to protect the innocent, and punish those who are guilty of a crime. However, no system is perfect, and as a result, sometimes the innocent become victims of the system that was meant to protect them. How exactly do these innocent people become victims of the system? Sometimes the person gets framed, and the crime scene is staged to point a finger at them. Sometimes, there is no strong physical evidence against them, yet circumstantial evidence is used by the crown to put them away. This happened to a 17 year old boy named Adnan Syed in Baltimore, Maryland, who was imprisoned for life, for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Lee. Throughout the Serial podcast, Sarah Koenig is able to critically analyze information which proves Adnan’s innocence. Firstly, Asia’s letters gave Adnan an alibi for the time of the murder. Secondly, Adnan’s innocence can be demonstrated through the lack of any strong evidence and the prosecution’s use of circumstantial evidence which can be disproved. Thirdly, Jay’s constantly changing testimony is not credible evidence of Adnan’s guilt, making him innocent.

I am not skilled in public speaking by any means and I know that with time and practice I can gain more confidence. I enjoyed picking the clips for the presentation because I felt it gave our presentation more liveliness and the attention of our audience. It also gave us time to gather our thoughts and remember to speak calmly and collectively, even if our goal was not fully attained. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish in the limited time frames we were able to meet. My personal feedback on this project that though it was challenging at times, I enjoyed being able to explain it in a way that was easy to understand from a student-to-student perspective. Sometimes I believe we as students get “lost in translation” and are afraid to ask to break ideas down into laymen terms. This project was a great opportunity to teach others the way that we think and understand concepts and general ideas. This class has opened my eyes to viewing videos and life in a different light. For example, in high school, by default a student would read a poem in English class and break down its’ hidden meeting, and from then on you subconsciously do that with everything you read. As for this class, I feel that yes I do review films for the hidden meaning but also to take a step back and enjoying the moment in which I am

Decades later, the Kennedy assassinations and surrounding mysteries continue holding public interest. Although their notoriety as charismatic leaders is a significant contribution, other factors regarding societal psychology deserve consideration whilst exploring this phenomenon. With these events occurring during a time that allows living witnesses, modern accessible evidence, various media coverage, and visible modern impact, the mysterious Kennedy assassinations have the capacity to encourage inquiries. This intrinsic investigative nature entices connection creating, discovering paranoid control, expressing official story skepticism, and various biases.

I personally agree with Anderson when she states that the show was not very clear because of the fast pace of the show and the music and bright colors were a distraction to the information, which makes it hard to grasp the concept of multiplication or verb tenses. “It is easy for them to absorb the information, but at no time are they taught or forced to analyze what they have just seen” (Anderson, 3). Students need to be able to analyze information, before they can actually grasp the full concept of the knowledge. Here is where I oppose a different solution. I do believe that the television programs should be integrated in order to have the students more involved in a formal setting, but with a different approach. Anderson states that, “In order for one to have a true understanding of the parts of speech, or most any other concept, a knowledgeable person needs to explain it and then the concept needs to be applied” (Anderson, 3) and I disagree with this. I believe that the concept of the knowledge should be taught in class, whereas the students understands the basic knowledge of the information, and use the television programs as additional tools or integrations within the teachings for further examples and explanations. Postman states that “…. Both teaching and learning are intended to be vastly amusing activities. I honestly agree with the use

Serial murders are not just part of the United States they also happen globally. There are many investigative tools that are used when working a serial murder case and we will discuss some of those. We will also discuss the problems with the media when it comes to serial murders. We will also talk about how the criticism of the public and media can affect serial murder cases.

A teacher can record their own videos and post them to the site, allowing the student to watch them at their own leisure. Doing this allows more of the actual class time to be used for discussion and problem solving, instead of boring lectures. Sean Houlihan plans to continue to use the newest technologies in his classroom for the betterment of his students.

America in the 1960's was ravished by one of the biggest increases of violence and crime since the 1930's and many people were intrigued and sucked in by the violent acts and their coverage in the national media, much like people are today. Famous figures of the 1960's were surrounded in violence, either themselves violent or the change they were trying to bring about caused people to become violent. One such figure was Malcolm X. His group pushed for the advancement of blacks through the religion of Islam. This act helped spur the Civil Rights Movement which the 1960's is known for. Malcolm X was assassinated by the Nation of Islam in 1965ngs. Another figure who pushed for change in the 1960's and then was assassinated was President John F. Kennedy. He was assassinated in 1963 in Texas. These two figures’ assassination along with the increase in crimes across America had caused the nation to be engulfed in the violence. Penn takes the issues of violence of the 1960's and weaves them seamlessly into a story about crime in the 1930’s that also captured the American public attention. He is able to take a story that could have been just a historical recount of a burglarizing couple popular in the 1930’s and turned it into an expose of the current American

E’s class was a good way to have the students discuss different themes and compare how the themes changed just by the production of the film. I also feel that Miss. E teaching methods may not have been the best in today’s lesson. She used a teacher-centered method, where she asked questions, but answered them herself. This caused a lack of involvement with the students in relation to what they were taught. Valuable lessons were lost. When the students were unable to participate in the discussion, this could cause them to lose critical thinking tools.

Few subjects capture the headlines, imaginations, and collective public fears as the “serial killer” does. Headlines throughout the nation blaze such fear-provoking words as “masked killer on the loose”, “college campuses terrorized” or even “your neighborhood is no longer a safe zone.” Headlines that are read throughout barber shops, diner eatery’s, or bus stops. The normal brain tries to process the “why’s” whereas the criminal investigator brain tries to process the five W’s, who, what, when, why as well as the where…as in where will the next strike occur? When and Who will be next?

On March 29, 1971, a thirty-seven-year-old male was convicted of killing seven people and suspected in killing another thirty-five. His methods of killing included gunshots, stabbing with forks, knives, or swords, dissecting, and battering with clubs. He showed no remorse for what he had done, but instead created a media circus in which he had a starring role (Blundell 124-30).

In the classroom, I agree this is a great idea called “Quiet Time”. In the video, today we still face students that are dealing with poverty and violence. In low-income schools, traumatic stress is a reality for several children who grow up in a poverty, violence, and fear. I feel quiet time is actual important when it comes to reducing stress levels in students. I believe this makes students feel safe, provides a learning environment and teachers can be productive. I will introduce activities like putting puzzles together or to use coloring books.

It seemed that the students were not challenged enough and were getting bored in parts of the video. During the time when she split the students into groups she could have rotated around the room to make sure every student was on task instead she tended to stay in one area of the room. I also noticed that she didn’t give positive reinforcement throughout her lesson. I think if the lesson was more challenging, she would have seen more students having trouble doing the lesson; but, in this case, all the students had no trouble. I think she should have had some “one on one” time or “group one on one” time with students to make sure every student was doing the elements correctly, and she could of used one of the assessment tools to help with this. As stated earlier, I prefer the check list because it is simple and effective. One other thing I think she could have done is during the transition from one part of the lesson to another she could have stopped the class, gone over the lesson again, and had a student demonstrate the lesson too. This is just my

A reign of terror shocked the United States during the 1970s. More and more women students suddenly and inexplicably vanished. During a frantic search for the serial murderer, investigators could not seem to find a link to the perpetrator. The striking similarities of the victims indicated to only one mastermind was behind this scheme. However, when he was caught, America learned that not every serial killer fits the profile. Ted Bundy, a man known to many as intelligent and intriguing, spread his reign of terror throughout the United States by systematically targeting and murdering young women; using the process perspective, it is determinable that his confusing and often tumultuous upbringing as a youth influenced his future behavior one