The professor will assign each student a specific convicted serial, mass, or spree killer during the first week on class. The list will be posted on Canvas under the module and/or assignment section. The students will then complete a research paper on the convicted killer. The research project is based on criminal psychology, which refers to the study of the mental and behavioral characteristics of people who break laws established by local, state, national or international governments. Some criminal or forensic psychologists focus their research on serial, spree, and mass killers. Many killers have a definitive and common psychological personality profile. Serial killers are frequently profiled in order to obtain additional knowledge behind the reasons for their aggression and deviant behavior. There are many types of serial, spree, and mass killers and each type has its own agenda and reason for killing. Nevertheless, there are common traits found among various killers. Some behaviors can be found as early as childhood. Typical signs of danger in children include early antisocial behavior such as, setting fires and abusing animals. As these future killers grow older, there are other signs such as, the desire to be alone, addiction problems, the inability to do well in school or hold a job, and family problems at home that indicate a future of aggression and antisocial behavior. The research paper is based on content rather than page count, but at least five pages are expected (excluding the cover page and reference page). The research paper should consist of the following information:

Provide a background surrounding the convicted killer
Explain the crimes committed by the convicted killer
Discuss behavioral patterns displayed by the killer throughout their life
Discuss the motivations behind the criminal activities
Related a specific criminological theory to the convicted killer’s actions
Show a relationship of studies to the theory, which explain the killer’s actions