PY546 - Profiling the Offender
Social and Behavioral Sciences / Psychology
James P. Conroy, MS Contact - Vita
Course Description:
This course provides an understanding of the role of offender profiling in modern police work and focuses on the
behavioral patterns of these offenders. Specific reference will be given to offender John Robinson and extensive
detail into his background and activities will be undertaken, as well as author John Douglas’s actual cases that were
profiled and resolved through this method of investigation.
Offender Profiling: Theory, Research and Practice, Janet L. Jackson and Debra A. Bekerian,
John Wiley & Sons, 1997 ISBN #: 0471975656
This text is available at the online bookstore.
Student Goals:
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
Define offender profiling
Differentiate between a signature and modus operandi
Differentiate and examine the disorganized and the organized personalities
Understand the intricacies involved in constructing a profile
Understand the investigative and profiling process
Grading Procedure:
Your grade will be determined as follows:
Paper 1: 50% - due at the end of week 4
Paper 2: 50% - due at the end of week 8
Breakdown of Grades:
100-90
89-80
79-70
69-60
Below 60
A
B
C
D
F
Method of Instruction:
PY 546, Profiling the Offender, is a distance-learning course offered through Canyon College. This
class allows the student to work ay his or her own pace; as such, it is essential that the student reviews all available
materials located in the text, the syllabus and any notes. Your mid-term and final examinations will be administered
during the student’s fourth and eighth weeks, respectively. We will read through this book and will, for the most
part, review two chapters per week. As stated, this is a self-paced course and students can work at their own pace;
however, exams will be administered during the above-referenced times.
Each student must submit to the instructor the following:
Name
E-Mail address, Telephone #
Course Expectations
Professional Work Experience
Educational Background/Major
Other Interests
COMMUNICATION WITH INSTRUCTOR:
I will read my e-mails at least once per day and I urge you to communicate any questions, comments and/or
concerns you may have. I can be reached through the College internal e-mail system: Contact
ASSIGNMENTS:
Read the entire text.
Pick one of the following three books and read it’s entirety. Write a 10 page paper, double spaced, about the
subject matter of the book, and choose three cases that the author discuses. For each case, analyze the information,
discuss the facts of the case, and discuss what steps the author took in resolving the case. What methods of profiling
did he choose? What investigative actions did the author take? What led the author to identify and classify the
perpetrator as such? This is Paper # 1, due at the end of week 4.
The Cases That Haunt Us – by John Douglas ISBN: 0671017063
MindHunter- Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, by John Douglas ISBN #: 0671528904
The Anatomy of Motive: The FBI’s Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching
Violent Criminals – by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. ISBN #: 0671023934
Read the book, “Anyone You Want Me To Be- The True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet”, by John
Douglas and Stephen Singular - ISBN: 0743448804. Write a 10 page paper, double-spaced, that discusses
the subject, John Robnson, what actions he took, whether he was an organized or disorganized personality, what
his method of operation was, whether he left a signature to his crimes, etc. Be thorough and detailed in this
summarization, be certain to reference the concepts you have learned while studying your text. This constitutes
paper # 2, due at the end of week 8.
Paper # 1- due at the end of week 4. 50%
Paper # 2 – due at the end of week 8. 50%
This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor
