U. S. Women's Legal History
Research Paper: Tracing Historical Antecedents Final Draft Due: Thursday Dec. 11 (beginning of class) Purpose: This assignment is intended to give you the opportunity to trace the historical antecedents of a contemporary debate relating to U. S. women's legal/constitutional status and rights. The issue may, but is not required to, relate to an issue that we are discussing during the term and must, in any case, evidence a thoughtful understanding of the broad patterns of women's legal history that we are discussing in the course. Assignment: An important component of your grade on this assignment will include meeting each of the interim deadlines described below and giving a class presentation of your research. Audience: Your audience will be other students in this class, but you will be the only one working on a particular question and so must assume that others will not be familiar with the current debate or the broader historical context. Format: Your final paper should be 8-10 pages (plus bibliography), word-processed or typed, double-spaced, 12 point font. Grading Criteria: Students must meet each interim deadline. Failure to meet one or more deadlines will mean a paper cannot receive above a grade of C. I will use the following criteria to evaluate your final paper. For each element, I will assess the paper on a scale ranging from 6 (best) to 1 (worst). I have listed the elements in order, from those that carry the most weight to those that carry less weight.
Help with Ideas, Organization and Writing: In addition to our conversations in class, I am available during office hours and by appointment to help you at every stage of your work on this project. But there are others who can help as well. These resources are as important for the good writer as the struggling writer.
Deadlines: To help you do your best work, I have broken the assignment down into a series of stages, these are noted below with the due dates for each. The intermediate stages are required parts of the assignment. 1. Paper Topic. Must be approved by instructor no later than Tues. Sept. 23rd. One paragraph is sufficient here. It should include one to two sentences describing the current issue, and one to two sentences describing the historical question you see the current debate raising and which you intend to pursue. 2. Thesis, Elements of Argument, Evidence. Due Tues. Oct. 14th. You must bring 5 copies of your paper to class (one for each member of your group and one for me). This component of the assignment should not exceed 2 pages. You should have a clear thesis and an outline or concept web of the key supporting points and evidence (drawing on primary and secondary sources) relating to those points, plus a list of primary and secondary sources on which you intend to rely. (This is in addition to the 2 pages!) Please make sure that your citations are complete enough for someone to know title, author, date and place of publication. We'll work on format later. This is a critical moment at which to get feedback on the direction of your argument and research. We will use a peer consulting group at this stage. 3. "Best Draft at this Point." Due: Tues. Nov. 11. You must bring 2 copies of your draft paper to class (one for me, one for your peer reader). The most important elements of the paper at this point are thesis, supporting evidence, and organization. This is where I and your peer review group will be focusing. You must have a bibliography attached. 4. Final Draft. Due: Thurs., Dec. 11.
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