Sociology class explores fascination with serial murder cases
Released: July 19, 2004
Why have most Americans experienced a perverse fascination with the highly publicized trials of serial killers over the past several decades?
Serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy and David Berkowitz began dominating the headlines in the early 1970s. A University of Wisconsin-Whitewater sociology course this summer, being taught by Wayne Youngquist, takes an in depth look at the sociology of serial murder.
Sociology 496, The Sociology of Serial Murder, traces the sociological effects and causes of the serial murder phenomenon. According to Youngquist, the fascination stems from the simple notion of good versus evil.
“The moral choices are clear. White hat vs. black hat – good guy, bad guy,” Youngquist said. “This is a saga of good and evil, something that many people find appealing.”
Two Wisconsin serial murder cases are among the most highly publicized crime cases in U.S. history. Ed Gein’s case in the 1950s inspired the popular Alfred Hitchkock movie “Psycho.” The other was the Jeffrey Dahmer case in Milwaukee that exploded into the nation’s consciousness in 1991. Two of the central figures from the Dahmer case, defense attorney Gerald Boyle and Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, talked about the case before Youngquist’s class this summer.
FBI statistics say that more than 90 percent of serial killers are white males who tend to be intelligent. Growing up, their families tend to have criminal psychiatric and alcoholic histories. In spite of their high IQs, they do poorly in school, have a hard time holding down jobs, and often work as unskilled laborers.
Youngquist says that the frequency of serial murder is reflected in the shifting patterns of our society. Youngquist points to the current murder rate in the United States that has dropped substantially over the past decade following a rash of serial killing cases.
News Editors: The final three classes of Sociology 496 will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 20-22, in room 213 of UW-Whitewater’s Hyer Hall. If you would like to attend, contact Youngquist at (262) 472-1868.
- Tom Pattison,pattisot@uww.edu
