Rumors of the Queen's affairs, grave robbers feeding the medical profession's study of anatomy, female poisoners terrifying the nation's husbands, white slave traders at train stations, and a serial killer targeting London's poorest prostitutes: These are just some of the cases we will use to explore the larger social, legal, moral, and political context of 19th Century Britain and the role of the media in creating sensation and scandal. This course will answer such questions as: Why was the Victorian public fascinated by murder, whether done by an unhappy wife or a Jekyll-Hyde figure lurking at night in London's slums? What do certain crimes and scandals tell us about what it meant to be "Victorian," and how certain stereotypes we may have about Victorians today are not true at all? How did these scandals/crimes become part of popular culture at the time and how/why do they continue to be part of the entertainment we enjoy today?