Crimes of the Century: A Selective History of Infamy

It wasn’t what I expected. I expected more definitive details that prove who committed the crimes

The crimes were discussed in a way that was more superficial than I expected. I k ew as much about several of them just from news and other stories over the years. I expected more. I also did not like it that the presenter did not look into the camera directly. He clearly was not teaching to a live class, so he should have looked at the camera. It created a disconnect between him and the “audience “.

I bought this course because I do enjoy true crime, but most of the crimes covered in this course I had only a superficial knowledge of. It covers crimes across the world, which was different than a lot of true crime (which tends to be North America based). With that said, it's very much a review of the cases. There's not a ton of insight into them. If you're looking for more criminology or forensics, there are other courses that are better suited.

Aristotle wrote of a man who passed a mangled body on the road. His brain told him not to look, but his eyes feasted themselves. Now I know what Aristotle meant.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I had read about most of these cases prior to taking the course, but, Professor Spence's gave me additional insight and hypotheses as well as additional clues as to how the cases were investigated. I also liked the photographs that were used during Professor Spence's lectures. I would recommend the course to anyone who enjoys "Who Dun'It's."

I bought the course hoping to gain fresh insights into the murders covered. Professor Spence is to be congratulated for his efforts; I have learned more about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and the assassination of Trotsky than I thought I knew- I have now to review my previous opinions. However, I was surprised to see that notorious British murderers such as Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper), Bible John and Doctor Harold Shipman - all of whom were as evil as the people covered in the course and, in Shipman's case, more prolific in murder victims.

This subject fits uncomfortably in the Great Courses tradition, but you may want to give it a try. Lesser-covered crimes and crimes that are best seen in a historical context, were best able to capitalize on the presenter's knowledge base and the lecture format. Those that were more recent, more widely covered in the media, or which were more about "who really did it", suffered in comparison to what I have seen in made for TV case stories. If watching the latter on TV is what driven your interest in this subject, you may find several of these cases somewhat uninspiring. However, you may want to give it a try, focusing on the first eight lectures.

I enjoyed the course and found it interesting and informative. But, I see it as a opportunity missed. I found the choice of crimes to be discussed to be curious. Several were from other parts of the world and some seemed to be of only minor significance. Those that were presented were often discussed in excruciating details. Would have been better to spend time covering other and additional crimes in the details that were really important.

This was an excellent course on crimes. The in depth look that you don't see from most story tellers. I absolutely loved the instruction. I want more!!!

Interesting and at times thought provoking, my husband and I have both enjoyed watching these together.