Influence of the Csi Effect on Education and Mass Media

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Influence of the Csi Effect on Education and Mass Media University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2010 Influence Of The Csi ffE ect On Education And Mass Media Sarah E. McManus University of Central Florida Part of the Anthropology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation McManus, Sarah E., "Influence Of The Csi ffE ect On Education And Mass Media" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 1577. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/1577 INFLUENCE OF THE CSI EFFECT ON EDUCATION AND MASS MEDIA by SARAH E. McMANUS B.A. University of Tennessee, 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2010 ABSTRACT Forensic science television shows, especially CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, have been said to influence the public’s perception of how forensic science is used and create interest in studying forensic science and pursuing jobs in the field. This study investigates this claim through a variety of methods. First, definitions of the CSI effect are discussed, including how it was first used and mentioned in the media. Second, survey data from students in a forensic anthropology course regarding interest in forensic science media and educational and career choices are analyzed. Third, the number and debut dates of forensic science non-fiction books, novels, non-fiction television shows, and television dramas are investigated. Finally, a content analysis of the television show Bones is undertaken in order to understand how the forensic anthropology presented in this show differs from the actual practice of forensic anthropology. Results of this study indicate that, overall, students who wanted to pursue forensic science careers and graduate study did not watch more forensic science television shows and read more forensic science novels than those who did not want to pursue forensic science careers and graduate study. Also, based on the decreased interest in a number of forensic careers, it appears that respondents may have started the course with false perceptions regarding the actual job descriptions of these careers. Regarding the number and debut dates of forensic science media, this study found that the majority of non-fiction forensic anthropology books, non-fiction television shows, television dramas debuted after CSI appeared, corroborating the claim that CSI led to an increase in interest in forensic ii anthropology. In addition, this study found that while much of Bones is fictionalized for entertainment purposes, many of the techniques and analyses presented on the show have a peripheral basis in scientific methods. iii Dedicated to my parents and John iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank a number of people for their help in the completion of this thesis. I would first like to thank my committee, Dr. John Schultz, Dr. Tosha Dupras, and Dr. Jana Jasinski. Dr. Schultz has provided a tremendous amount of help in the formulation of this thesis, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. I am also grateful for the knowledge I have gained working under and learning from him in the past two years. Dr. Dupras provided important guidance for both the improvement of this thesis and in general while I was a graduate student at UCF. Dr. Jasinski provided a great deal of help with statistical analysis and understanding survey data and content analysis. I would also like to thank my parents for both their financial and emotional support and my brother John for his encouragement. Furthermore, thanks to my fellow graduate students and Lauren, Mike, Joanna, and William in particular. It’s been fun. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 1 Research Objectives ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER 2: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CSI EFFECT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 Media Impact on Crime, Public Perception of Crime, and the Criminal Justice System ........ 8 Origin of the CSI Effect .................................................................................................................................... 9 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ............................................................................................................ 11 CSI’s portrayal of forensic science ..................................................................................................... 13 What is the CSI effect?............................................................................................................................. 22 Different definitions of CSI effect ....................................................................................................... 26 Influence of CSI on the Criminal Justice System ................................................................................ 31 Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 33 Literature Cited .............................................................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER 3: FORENSIC REALISM IN THE TELEVISION SHOW BONES AND THE CSI EFFECT’S IMPACT ON POPULARITY OF FORENSIC SCIENCE MEDIA ........................................... 40 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 40 Non-fiction Books .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Fiction Book Series ....................................................................................................................................... 44 Non-fiction Television Series .................................................................................................................... 48 Forensic Science Television Dramas...................................................................................................... 49 Content Analysis of Bones .......................................................................................................................... 51 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 54 Results........................................................................................................................................................... 54 Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 64 Literature Cited .............................................................................................................................................. 72 CHAPTER 4: THE CSI EFFECT: IMPACT ON FORENSIC SCIENCE EDUCATION AND INTEREST IN FORENSIC SCIENCE CAREERS .......................................................................................... 78 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 78 Forensic Science and Education .............................................................................................................. 79 Forensic science programs at the college level ............................................................................. 79 Influence of forensic science in primary and secondary education ..................................... 81 Forensic Science University Programs ................................................................................................. 84 Survey of Forensic Anthropology Students ........................................................................................ 88 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 89 Results........................................................................................................................................................... 93 Discussion and Conclusions ...................................................................................................................
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