Famous Court Cases

Research Requirements 2017

You will be researching famous court cases throughout history. You will be given an assigned case to research the background of the case, the facts of the case, the law, and the ruling or judgment in the case. In addition, you will be required to create an argument supporting the court’s ruling or disagreeing with the ruling. The argument must be backed by case law and statutes.

For this paper, we will use parenthetical documentation and a Works Cited Page that is typically used with MLA documentation (MLA=Modern Language Association).

Final Paper is due ______(295 points)

ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENTS

1. The Research Paper MUST be typed, double-spaced, 12 font size, Times New Roman.

2. The paper should be written in paragraph form and the body paragraphs MUST include information from a documented source and include proper parenthetical citations. Some sections may have more than one source. You must use embedded quotes, paraphrased and summarized information as well utilize commentary regarding the source’s information.

3. DO NOT use 1st Person.

4. You must have a MINIMUM of three (3) entries on the Works Cited page. Of these three sources, you may only have up to two (2) internet sources, and you must have one book source. You are allowed more than 3 sources, however, one must be a book source.

5. You will not receive any credit for your research paper without a Works Cited page. I will simply hand your paper back to you. This enables me (and any other reader) to see where the information has been gathered.

6. The typed paper must be a six paragraphs in length with a thesis statement that is underlined and the last sentence of the introduction, topic sentences, and use of transitions.

Additional Requirements/Supplies:

· On library days, meet in the library. Daily grades will be taken while your research is in progress. It is your responsibility to have your assignments checked or handed in on due dates.

· Paper will be in this order: typed paper, works cited page and rubric.

Important Dates:

January 10th: topic must be chosen and approved by Mrs. Carter—only one person can have a topic per class

January 18th: Note cards are due for check/Works Cited Page Info. Check

January 20th: Hand Written Rough Draft Due for a check

January 27st: Final Typed Paper Due

Formatting Requirements for writing the paper

Your paper will need to include the following:

Introduction: 5 Sentences that introduce your topic with a thesis statement as the last sentence in your introduction. This time your thesis must have 4 points because your paper will have a minimum of 4 body paragraphs. You must follow the order of your points contained in your thesis throughout your paper (echo your thesis statement).

Body Paragraphs: Each body Paragraph has at least 9 sentences. You must cite your information!!

This is the suggested order of your paragraphs. You must have these paragraphs with this information, but you can change the order.

Body paragraph 1: Historical background of the people involved in the case or history of the case itself.

Topic Sentence: introduce your paragraph—echo thesis

Introduce case

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Body paragraph 2: Facts of Case and issues presented before the court.

Topic Sentence: introduce your paragraph—echo thesis stmt

Lead in sentence

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Body paragraph 3: laws involved in case and holding or ruling in the case

Topic Sentence: introduce your paragraph-echo thesis stmt

Background of laws

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Body paragraph 4: Your argument—do you agree or support the decision of the court or disagree? Explain your answer and support it with research and case law/statutory law.

Topic Sentence: introduce your argument—echo thesis

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**recognize the other side of the argument in this paragraph, but re-enforce your side.

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Optional : you may need another paragraph to support your argument

Conclusion: wrap up your paper in 4-5 sentences.