This research seminar will focus on the generation of publishable research relating to the US death penalty system since 1972. The professor will supply two unique databases, one on homicides in the US from 1976 to 2021 and one on death sentences imposed from 1972 to present. The professor will also supply a template for a set of analyses relating to patterns of use of the death penalty per 100 homicides previously accomplished for certain states. The class will work together and in small groups to revise these analyses into chapters of a book for publication and into a series of reports for publication focused on individual states. We will begin with a review of the relevant literature and by getting familiar with the relevant data sources. We will then break into teams with each one focusing on a section of the larger research project. The goal is to write an influential and comprehensive book and a series of articles based on the data resources provided. Additional article projects based on student interest and available data may also be possible. Each student will work with the professor actively on certain aspects of the larger project and contribute feedback and constructive criticism to the others in the class. The class will meet throughout Fall 2024 as well as Spring 2025 and students must participate in both semesters of the class. Enrollment is limited to graduate students interested in the subject matter and to selected undergraduate students by permission of the instructor.
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(Last updated: January 9, 2024)