Explain how the crime/trial reflect the notion of what was criminal in that period and what does it tell you about the culture at that time in US history? You will want to
give a brief overview of the trial or crime (depending on your focus), but most
of your paper will be analysis and contextualization of the primary source in
the secondary sources. This is a
1500-word-maximum research paper. This paper is analytical, not
descriptive. Therefore, do not give a lengthy account of the crime or the trial,
rather address this main question.
In
thinking about the main question, bear in mind these smaller questions: How did this crime connect to larger
society and other events at that time? Was this an isolated incident or
connected to much larger events? What sectors of society did it involve? How
was the crime either exemplar or peculiar to the changes in understandings of
what was criminal and what was legal at the time?
You must
have a thesis statement in your introduction paragraph (a single sentence that
sums up the main argument/point of your paper and provides an answer to your
main research question. Do NOT rephrase the question; rather give the answer!)
Each paragraph must start with an analytic topic sentence that connects back to
and supports your thesis. See the grading rubric for a more thorough
understanding of how the paper will be graded.
FORMATTING: It MUST be an MS Word file (.doc
or .docx) or a PDF file available on ALL John Jay computers. 1 Inch Margins
all-around. 12 Pt Times New Roman font. Double-spaced. Regular indentations on
each paragraph. Include page numbers. (maximum 1500 words, excluding
footnotes, your name and title, etc, this word limit is strictly enforced).
CITATIONS: Citation
format for this paper is Chicago Style. You
must cite ALL information that you take from them, not just
quotations. See the Citations help sheet on Blackboard in the Week 10
section.
DEADLINE: The first draft of your paper is due by
May 1st at 11:59pm.
This draft should be the most developed version of your paper
possible and must be developed enough to be peer reviewed (contains a thesis,
structured argument, and evidence). This draft should be submitted to the Peer
Review assignment in the Week 15 Section.
