Theory Paper: Students will be required to complete a paper in this course explaining gang violence through selected theories. The paper should be 1500 words in length, not counting the title page. You will need to locate a news article describing a particular violent criminal incident involving gangs OTHER THAN MS-13. You will then need to provide a short (one paragraph maximum) synopsis of the incident. Next you will need to apply apply two of the criminological theories discussed in the course textbook to the inciden in an attempt to explain the crime from two different perspectives. Application of the theory must be logical, but there is not necessarily a correct answer, as no theory is an exact fit for every crime. All papers must be in APA format with a cover sheet and reference page, using appropriate internal citations. The use of any other format will result in a loss of points for failure to follow instructions. You do not have to provide an abstract, or use running heads in this paper. Failure to properly cite your sources both in the paper and in the reference section will result in a loss of points. The paper is worth 20% of your final grade.

NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment and may result in automatic failure of the course.