Logic and Critical Reasoning
Final Paper Guidelines
Due date:
Here are some guidelines.
Each student will be expected to read and write a reaction to part of a
U.S. Supreme Court Decision. You can
select to address one of the following opinions:
1) Regents of the
2) Grutter v. Bollinger Thomas
Opinion
3) Gratz v. Bollinger Rehnquist
Opinion
Your burden is to tell me whether you agree or disagree with the opinion
you select to analyze. You can use textual support e.g., dissenting opinions in
Bakke and Gratz decision or the majority opinion in Grutter, to help make your
case. So, if you agree with Thomas and
you want to analyze his opinion, you can use the majority opinion, written by
O'Connor, to explain why you agree with Thomas. Notice, however, that your
thesis will be about the Thomas opinion. "I agree with Justice Thomas in
... because...." You are trying to persuade me to adopt your thesis; at a
minimum you want to defend your thesis in such a way that I, an unsympathetic
reader, consider your point of view reasonable.
The essays should be MORE than two pages, but LESS than six pages.
Answers that either do not meet the minimum or exceed six pages will not
be evaluated. Use standard margins and no more than 12 point font.
Grading guidelines generally:
a) If you use some textual
references, but make little effort to
defend a thesis your grade will be in the "D range."
b) If you formulate a thesis
but your paper is not organized well,
then your paper will be in the C range.
c) If you have a clear and
coherent thesis and you have an
introduction, body and a conclusion, your paper is in the high C range
to low B range.
d) If you had a clear and
coherent thesis, used textual support and
organized your essay, you will probably receive a B or B+.
e) If you have a clear and
coherent essay, used textual support and
provided a persuasive argument for your position, then you probably will
receive an A.
F) F should be self-explanatory.