The Paper: The completed paper should be from 2,200 to 2,800 words, with that total not counting the citations, the footnoted materials, or any bibliography or title page. While writing more than 2,800 words will NOT lead to a penalty (you won’t be rewarded either!), writing less than 2,200 words likely will be penalized. The final paper, assuming that you have completed an outline on time (on or before Thurs., Jan 26th) and any requested outline revisions, is due Wed., March 23rd. The paper submitted should be in Microsoft Word.
THE RUBRIC
1. A well-stated thesis – Understandable? What is the author (the student) trying to do? – 5 pts.
2. Analysis of Topic – Has the author analyzed legal topics, the case, or related course materials? – 40 pts.
3. Clarity of Paper – 10 pts.
4. Strong Conclusion? – Has the author attempted to prove anything? If so, given the brevity of the paper, has he/she been successful? – 10 pts.
5. Writing, Spelling, and Punctuation You will receive fewer points on your paper for grammatical mistakes, especially ones that I specifically advise against. – 20 pts.
6. Sources – Are there an appropriate number of quality sources, cited correctly? The author should correctly cite at least nine different sources, unless there is an understandable reason. The sources should be of different types, and most should be recent in origin whenever practical and appropriate for the paper. You must use footnotes or in-text citations, correctly cite the court case(s), and include a bibliography. Not doing so may result in a loss of points. – 15 pts.
(1) One approach (BUT NOT THE ONLY APPROACH) is to write a paper arising from, relating to, delving deeper into, or otherwise concerning a real case or actual example discussed in the LSB text, in the Barron’s book, or in one or more of the class-related YouTube videos. Generally, it would be much better to choose a case or example that was not discussed at great length (e.g., for more than one or two paragraphs), because that gives more opportunity for you to do your own research and develop your own insights. This is not the only approach. Generally, any law topic that is business related (very broadly defined) is acceptable.
(2) Your paper’s subject and/or focus cannot be on a case from before 2012. While you can write briefly about an older case, you should quickly pivot to much more recent developments. Remember: you do NOT have to focus on a case in your paper. You could just pick a business law subject that interests you. A case does, however, sometimes help the writer find an angle or anchor for focusing your paper.
(3) ANY CASE MENTIONED IN THE OUTLINE OR IN THE PAPER MUST STATE THE YEAR THE CASEWAS DECIDED or, IF NO DECISION HAS BEEN RENDERED, THE DATE (YEAR, MONTH & DAY)THE CASE WAS FILED. Simply place the date in parentheses after you give the case name.
(4) Do not write about any subject that is more pertinent to another course than to a law course, about a matter where you are focusing on a case or an event from earlier than 2012, or about a criminal law matter not related to business.
