College of Social and Applied Human Sciences

Department of Sociology & Anthropology

SOC*2760 Homicide – Distance Education

Professor: M. Dawson                                                                                               Winter 2026

Email: mdawson@uoguelph.ca [1]

Course Description

This course will review legal definitions of homicide, statistical trends in homicide-both in Canada and internationally-and theoretical explanations of homicide. The course will also examine the key criminological/ sociological empirical research studies on the various types of homicide, such as: corporate homicide, femicide, serial and mass murder.

Required readings: All readings will be available through Ares Course Reserve or Courselink.

Learning outcomes: By the end of the course, the learner should be able to:

1. Explain homicide using a sociological criminological framework, including why it is important to study this phenomenon;
2. Describe the role the media plays in shaping our perceptions of homicide and who is involved, as well as the accuracy of these representations;
3. Identify and describe available data sources used to study homicide and analyze their strengths and limitations;
4. Identify, explain and assess major theories of homicide, and apply the theories to real-life scenarios;
5. Differentiate among the many types of homicide, including the common characteristics of those involved and the circumstances surrounding the killing; and
6. Describe and assess the criminal justice and community responses to homicide and evaluate the effectiveness in deterring, controlling and preventing homicide.

Technical Requirements

You are responsible for ensuring that your computer system meets the necessary system requirements [2]. Use the browser check [3] tool to ensure your browser settings are compatible and up to date (results will be displayed in a new browser window).

*Course details are subject to change.