legal history

ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS

1. Continue working on the previously shared Google Doc. Add a page break at the end of the document. Write “Legal History” at the top of the new page. Add the Google Doc address below “Legal History.”

1. Did you use Grammerly, Google Translate, or other similar tools (editing or translation)? If yes, explain. Please note, you may use Grammerly to check your paper for grammatical errors AFTER you have written your assignment.
2. If you did not use an AI tool, how did you identify your references? E.g., did you use a library database, Google Scholar, etc.?

3. Copy and paste my comments from the proposal (comments in margins aren’t necessary) and provide a response explaining how the current assignment addresses them.

4. Write an outline – this is required. Write this PRIOR to writing your essay. The outline can be as brief as 1/2 page. You will be marked down if you do not include an outline. Be sure to write an outline – NOT an abstract. Here’s an

. Your outline doesn’t have to be this long or detailed. You just need to organize your ideas before writing.

5. In 1000-1200 words (4 to 5 pages if you use 12 pt Times font, double spaced, 1″ margins), provide an explanation of the social problem and historical background/legal history. See below for details.

6. Provide an updated list of references. See below for details.

7. Download a PDF of steps 1 to 6 and upload this file to Canvas. This is the version I will read and grade. However, I must have access to your Google Doc file for the rest of the semester. (You will continue adding to this document).

8. Upload TWO marked PDFs OR document (this could be pages from your Google Doc) with detailed notes (facts, quotes, AND page number of where found) that you used to research the legal history of your topic. If you are relying on previously submitted file(s), submit them again. I need to see evidence of you reading and researching the legal history. Ideally, the resources used are scholarly, not just websites with timelines. Remember, this is an academic research paper.

When you refer to an idea/argument or have a direct quote, you MUST cite your source(s) in-text, including the relevant page number(s), when appropriate. This is an important way to demonstrate you’ve done the research.

Details for writing #5: Legal History

NOTE – the following questions are the overall research project questions. You are NOT answering all of these questions in this essay assignment.

Overall Research Project Prompt: How is social change possible through law, particularly legal challenges that lead to Supreme Court decisions or legislative acts? What was or is the social problem? What kind of legal remedy did activists seek? What happened? Did the legal remedy address the problem? What legal change or policy can help cement the remedy? What are some advantages and disadvantages to effecting social change through law?

The second step of the research project is to provide a historical background and legal history of your topic. There are two substantive parts of the essay (1st is shorter, 2nd is longer). (You are NOT answering the question of whether social change is possible through law in this assignment. You will address that question in the final essay).

1. Begin by explaining what the social problem is or was. Almost all of you did not provide a clear statement of the problem with illustrative examples in the proposal. Here’s your chance to clarify this. Assume the reader knows nothing about your topic. Explain with details, illustrations, examples, etc. the problem that galvanized people to seek change. Be sure to look at my comments regarding this in your proposal.

2. Explain the legal and political efforts to address the issue and the current legal and policy status. What was the legal battle to solve the problem? Explain the legal history that led to the major Supreme Court decisions, Congressional legislation, or other legal outcome and the current legal or policy status.

E.g. – if you’re writing about voting rights, begin with an explanation of what the denial of voting rights meant, who this harmed, and how. Then explain the legal and political history that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. To explain what the current status of voting rights is, you’ll need to discuss the 2013 Holder v. Shelby decision and its aftermath.

If you’re writing about abortion rights, begin with an explanation of what the lack of abortion rights meant, who this harmed, and how. Then provide a history of abortion rights in the United States, how it became criminalized, and the fight to change such laws. You’ll want to explain the legal battle that led to Roe v. Wade in 1973, the efforts to restrict abortion rights since then, and the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022.

Please note: Supreme Court decisions are capitalized and italicized.

To demonstrate your research, you MUST cite your sources in-text, including the relevant page number(s) when you refer to facts, specific ideas, or quotes.

Details for writing #6: References

1. Provide a list of at least five references. These references should be materials you used to write your essay. Only cited sources can be listed in your references. Be sure to use a clear citation style (any) and be consistent. All relevant information, including a link to the source, must be included. See any citation style (APA, MLA, etc.) for details.

2. References can include scholarly journal articles, scholarly books, news articles, documentaries, or podcasts. At least three of your five sources need to be scholarly articles and/or books. Course materials can be included. However, at least three new references must be included. To be clear: you need a minimum of three scholarly sources, and three of your references need to be new (not from the modules). You need a minimum of five sources in total.

3. If you select a topic covered in the course, I strongly encourage you to look at the materials included in the relevant module, especially the scholarly sources. I listed many suggestions in the .

4. If I recommended particular references, be sure to look at them!

What does NOT count as a reference source or as a scholarly source?

• Legal summaries offered through sites like oyez.com do NOT count toward the minimum number of sources. These summaries are helpful for understanding legal decisions. However, they are not enough for answering the research question.
• Advocacy websites like Planned Parenthood may have helpful materials like timelines or brief summaries of key events. These materials may be helpful for your understanding of the history. However, they are not peer-reviewed, scholarly sources and therefore advocacy websites do NOT count toward the minimum number of scholarly sources.
• History blogs or websites geared toward a general audience (e.g. the History Channel). They can be useful guides, but general history websites are not scholarly sources and do NOT count toward the minimum number of scholarly sources.

What is a scholarly source?

Articles and books written by an expert (usually a professional researcher/writer and peer-reviewed). This website has a brief guide for helping you to identify whether a source is scholarly:

Documenting AI Use for Generating Scholarly Sources (*IF* you are using AI)

1. At the end of the References section, state the AI tool used. Copy and paste your prompt(s) and the output selections you chose from the AI-generated suggestions.
2. Include full citation, including links, in the list of References.
3. Please note: you are NOT allowed to use any AI-generated text, including source summaries, in the proposal or the annotation/description of the reference sources you select.

Grade

Here is the for all writing assignments.

Your grade will be determined by how well you address the prompt and my comments on your proposal

!!!!!This is a comment from the professor from the topic proposal!!!!!

you’ve done a good job of explaining what the social problem is. You incorporated the references well. Some illustrative examples would have been helpful. That’s what you could have spent your time writing – instead of jumping ahead to the legal history.

You did not follow the prompt directions. You’re missing the 3 marked PDFs of references. Instead you provide a summary of 3 references. You were supposed to annotate 5 references.

You cite Ziegler but don’t include in a list of references.