student-led discussions
The serial killer at work in his forensics lab. Screenshot from episode one of Dexter.
In an effort to establish a truly student-centered classroom that incorporated experiential learning activities, I handed the class over to the students for two weeks of student-led discussions at the end of the semester. I divided the class into small groups and had them choose the topic for the day, assign the readings, develop discussions questions, and lead the class during their assigned discussion period. By providing a choice of what and how they learned, I ensured that any perspectives I may have overlooked, and which may have been of interest to students, were addressed during these student-led classes.
Some of the topics students chose to explore in more depth included discussions of those who had completed a prison sentence but continued to be stigmatized as “criminal,” of corrections officers as compared to those in prison, of representations of organized crime, of the glorification of vigilante justice in the television show Dexter, and of the history of the witch trials and their lasting effects on the portrayal of women. This wide array of topics shows to what extent students expanded their understanding of how the word “criminal” operates in multiple ways not only in the legal system, but society at large and with respect to people who have not committed any crime.