sociology

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BLAW 301 Fall 2019

Writing Assignment

Amii Castle

Due Date:

• Turn in your Writing Assignment, via Blackboard, by midnight, Thursday, October 24.

o Note – I will refer to a rubric when grading your papers. The rubric is available for you to view as a pdf document on Blackboard along with this assignment.

Directions:

Step One: Research Conduct research about Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia (17-1618), which is a case the Supreme Court is hearing this term. The issue in this case is whether an employer can discriminate against an employee (e.g., fire, not hire, pay less) because of that employee’s sexual orientation. Given this is a high profile case, you should be able to find and use resources that describe different positions of the parties. You may find sources from any medium (e.g. article/blog/website/podcast) stating different positions, but it might be easiest to start with a source that is likely to give a relatively neutral description of the case. Some good resources for starting points include:

• Scotusblog.com • Oyez.org • Constitutioncenter.org

After you have read some starting-point resources and have a solid understanding of the case, search for news articles or websites/blogs/podcasts that take a position (i.e. are not neutral) on the case. Often, special interest groups or trade associations will produce articles or materials in which they support one side or the other, and they file supporting briefs in the case (called amicus curiae briefs), which you also might find a good resource and to which you can cite (available at SCOTUSblog).

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Step Two: Write a Paper Write a two-page, double-spaced paper in which you:

1. State precisely the legal question that the case addresses.

2. Give a short description of the key arguments on each side, citing sources as appropriate. I do NOT have a preference on which citation style ( e.g., MLA, APA) you use. You should cite at least three sources stating different positions. (NOTE: Do not cite three sources that all reach the same conclusion or three sources that all take a neutral view. The point is to find and evaluate arguments from different points of view.)

3. State your own1 reasoned opinion as to what decision you think the Supreme Court should reach, considering the relevant arguments and the surrounding context (e.g. how the decision in this case may affect future events or future cases and/or how this decision is shaped past events or cultural forces).

Take care not to plagiarize. Do not quote without citation. Do not paraphrase your sources without citation. And, above all, do not use parts or the whole of a paper written by anyone else (or even by you in another course). Plagiarism will result in a failing grade and possible academic misconduct proceedings.

The Writing Assignment is due via Blackboard before midnight on Thursday, October 24.

Good luck!

1 I do not care which side of the case you ultimately support. Really. Your grade depends on the quality of your writing and analysis, not on whether I agree with your opinion.