Abstract

As we approach the 50-year anniversary of the landmark Furman decision, it is of paramount importance to re-examine Justice Thurgood Marshall’s hypotheses. In Justice Marshall’s second hypothesis in his concurring opinion, he suggested “people who were fully informed’ regarding the death penalty “would find the penalty, shocking, unjust and unacceptable” (p. 361). While there has been much empirical testing of this hypothesis, the intent of this study is to add to the existing literature by examining whether different methods of information delivery produce sentiments in opposition to capital punishment. The main research question to be tested is as follows: does exposure to information have more of an impact on opinions if it is given in-person or in online/hybrid formats? Data were collected by an instructor who taught death penalty classes (n = 143) utilizing different teaching modalities. Results suggest that method of course delivery is marginally significantly related to change in opposition towards capital punishment. More specifically, hybrid/online offerings were more likely to result in increased opposition towards the death penalty after taking the class. Furthermore, the analysis also revealed a significant relationship between teaching modality and level of death penalty knowledge at post-test. In light of recent developments in higher education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also beneficial to conduct research that has important implications as colleges and universities come to grips with a new normal in distance learning.

摘要

在我们接近具有里程碑意义的弗曼50 周年之际因此，重新审视瑟古德·马歇尔大法官的假设至关重要。在马歇尔法官在其同意意见中的第二个假设中，他建议“完全了解”死刑的人“会发现该刑罚令人震惊、不公正和不可接受”（第 361 页）。虽然对这一假设进行了很多实证检验，但本研究的目的是通过检查不同的信息传递方法是否会产生反对死刑的情绪来增加现有文献。要测试的主要研究问题如下：如果信息是面对面或在线/混合格式，接触信息是否会对意见产生更大的影响？数据由使用不同教学方式教授死刑课程的讲师（n = 143）收集。结果表明，课程授课方法与反对死刑的变化略有显着相关。更具体地说，混合/在线课程更有可能在上课后导致对死刑的反对增加。此外，分析还揭示了教学方式与后测死刑知识水平之间的显着关系。鉴于 COVID-19 大流行导致的高等教育最近的发展，随着高校掌握远程学习的新常态，开展具有重要意义的研究也是有益的。在上课后，混合/在线课程更有可能导致对死刑的反对增加。此外，分析还揭示了教学方式与后测死刑知识水平之间的显着关系。鉴于 COVID-19 大流行导致的高等教育最近的发展，随着高校掌握远程学习的新常态，开展具有重要意义的研究也是有益的。在上课后，混合/在线课程更有可能导致对死刑的反对增加。此外，分析还揭示了教学方式与后测死刑知识水平之间的显着关系。鉴于 COVID-19 大流行导致的高等教育最近的发展，随着高校掌握远程学习的新常态，开展具有重要意义的研究也是有益的。