In-Class Scavenger Hunt 03/24/15

While completing an in-class scavenger hunt assignment, we were asked to find various sources about our topic. The purpose of this assignment was to find several sources that could be useful in helping us with our research. Today, I will be discussing some of the sources that I found, what information was found within those sources, and how these sources can help me with my research.

Conklin, John E. Criminology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

I searched criminology in the Skyline Catalog and found a book on criminology. This book is an introduction into the world of criminology. It examines broad-based concepts of criminology rather than only focusing on types of crimes. These concepts include "social control and neutralization of the law; factors that facilitate crime; criminal careers; and the organization of criminal behavior." To further help individuals understand these concepts, the author provides "real-life examples and special feature boxes [that] appear throughout and address crime and the media, crime on campus, cross-cultural perspectives and critical issues." This source can be useful in helping me understand the broad concepts of criminology before really delving into the more specific aspects of criminology.

Hagan, Frank E. Introduction to Criminology: Theories, Methods, and Criminal Behavior.

Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print.

I found this source using Prospector. This book is more geared towards undergraduate courses. It provides an introduction into the world of criminology "with more attention to crime typologies than other texts, plus Crime Files boxes that offer real-world, well-known examples of the crime types discussed." The book was written by an active researcher with the intent to arouse students' interests in the fascinating world of criminology.  This source can be useful in giving me information and an idea of what is taught to students in collegiate level courses.

"What It Takes to Become a CSI (Crime Scene Investigator)." How to Become a Crime

Scene Investigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

This source is a credible organization that contains all of the information on what it takes to be a part of a crime scene investigation. It provides links to all of the different jobs that are involved in the world of crime scene investigators and the requirements that are needed to fulfill those jobs. It also includes where in each state the schooling can be completed. Their mission statement is:

“While CSI professionals collect and preserve evidence from active crime scenes, forensic lab professionals decipher their findings through DNA testing and other forensic analysis. Together, crime scene investigators and forensic scientists form comprehensive investigative teams responsible for solving crimes.”

This source is very useful to me because it has sparked my interest in the crime scene world. This source provided a brief explanation of each job that relates to crime scene investigators. By having these explanations, it allows me to figure out which jobs I want to research more in depth based on what sounds interesting to me.

Homicide Studies: Special Issue on Fatality/Death Reviews." Homicide

            Studies 16.4 (2012): 445. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
This source was found using the Auraria Library database. It contains multiple papers that focus on all types of fatalities and deaths. The topics of these papers include "issues related to consistent data collection; challenges in the identification, selection and composition of cases reviewed; measurement, identification, and tracking of risk factors; the development and uptake of recommendations; identified opportunities and strategies for system change and legislation reform for the prevention of deaths; [and] outcomes and measures of review impact including program evaluations." This will be a useful source in my research because it can be used as a sub-genre of the crime scene investigations genre.

By doing this assignment, I was able to find what direction I wanted to go with this blog. I knew the general topic I wanted to explore, but this assignment has steered me towards the field of crime scene investigators.