Selecting Your Current Event

Select a current event reported within the past six months. Your topic may involve:

• Policing or law enforcement
• Arrest, prosecution, or sentencing
• Courts and legal representation
• Corrections or incarceration
• Juvenile justice
• Immigration enforcement
• Victimization or access to services
• Hate crimes or identity-based violence
• Missing-person or victim coverage
• Criminal-justice policy or reform
• Disparities involving gender, race, ethnicity, or intersecting identities

The event must be covered by at least two credible sources.

Assignment Instructions

Write a 500–750-word analysis addressing each of the following areas:

1. Summary of the event

Explain what occurred and identify the primary individuals, communities, agencies, or justice-system institutions involved. Distinguish confirmed facts from allegations, opinions, and disputed information.

2. Comparison of sources

Compare how two credible sources presented the event. Consider differences in:

• Headlines
• Language and tone
• Photographs or video
• People interviewed or quoted
• Facts emphasized
• Information omitted

3. Gender, race, and ethnicity

Explain how gender, race, ethnicity, or intersecting identities relate to the event. Do not assume that identity caused a particular outcome unless credible evidence supports that conclusion.

4. Application of course concepts

Apply at least two concepts from Gender, Ethnicity, & Justice. Clearly identify each concept and explain how it helps us understand the event.

Possible concepts include:

• Discrimination
• Implicit or explicit bias
• Intersectionality
• Racial or ethnic disparity
• Gender disparity
• Stereotyping
• Institutional or structural inequality
• Selective enforcement
• Discretion
• Differential treatment
• Procedural justice
• Equal protection
• Overrepresentation or underrepresentation
• Victim credibility
• Access to justice

5. Evidence and alternative explanations

Identify the evidence supporting your analysis. Discuss at least one reasonable alternative explanation for the outcome. Explain what additional information would be needed to determine whether bias, discrimination, institutional policy, individual behavior, or another factor contributed to the event.

6. Evaluation of the justice response

Evaluate whether the justice system’s response appears fair and consistent. Consider how officials used discretion, whether similarly situated people were treated similarly, and whether appropriate procedures were followed.

7. Personal reflection

Conclude by explaining:

• What the event helped you understand about gender, ethnicity, and justice
• What information you would still need before reaching a final conclusion
• What surprised you most while completing the assignment

Submission Requirements

• Write 500–750 words.
• Use at least two credible sources.
• Apply at least two course concepts.
• Use complete sentences and organized paragraphs.
• Submit the assignment through Brightspace/D2L by the posted deadline.