Final Paper Guidelines Content Assignment: Your 5-7 page essay will be due on Friday, Aug. 2nd by 11:59 pm (NO, EXCEPTIONS). Your essay MUST be submitted to the course Dropbox on or before your due date in order to be graded. NO late papers will be accepted. This assignment is designed not only to evaluate your reading and knowledge of justice issues as presented/discussed in class, but also to give you an opportunity to integrate this knowledge, expand your writing skills and construct a paper on a topic of your choosing—one which will hopefully reflect your interests and concerns. The easiest and most useful way to approach this assignment is to simply read a trusted news source frequently. As you scan articles, look for those that involve topics we have been covered. The final paper will be a 5-7 page essay on a justice issue of your choosing, although the topic should be directly related to the themes/material we have discussed throughout the semester. We’ll be covering a lot of interesting material, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem being inspired. One of the main goals of this course is to help you think about, and understand, how justice issues are always inter-related to other socio-economic, and political issues. For example, homelessness is never about only one thing; it is connected to poverty, race, capitalism, social identity, social ideas of success, etc. Your job is to choose an issue that you are interested in or feel passionate about and to begin to make some of those connections. You will need to not only provide a summary of the problem but talk about at least two driving factors that are contributing to the problem. Some issues may require a deeper historical analysis than others, but in any case you should be able to identify some contributing factors to this problem and talk about those complexities. This isn’t an opinion paper; it is a position paper where the task is to lay out a clear argument and analysis of an aspect of justice that we covered during the semester. Don’t be afraid to be imaginative and take intellectual chances in your writing. You are being graded on how well you present your position and ideas, not on what your political beliefs or principles of justice are. In other words, don’t be shy about what you think, but be ready to defend and analyze those beliefs. Instructions: Incorporating citations from the readings, as well as lecture notes and class material, address the following questions in depth: 1) Locate a news article from the past year that addresses a “justice” issue that interests you. Article must relate to one of the course themes we discussed in class (punitive justice and incarceration, Social/political Identities, Globalization and Economic Justice, Environmental justice and Indigenous rights, Citizenship and Migration, Activism and social change, ). A working link must be attached to your essay for full credit. Article should be at least 1-2 pages long (not simply a paragraph or two). Articles must come from the following sources: Arizona Republic, New York Times, Washington Post or a major paper from your home town (e.g. Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune etc). Small newspapers like the NewTimes are not appropriate for this paper. Provide the full proper APA citation to the journal article you have chosen. I recommend you begin by either using Google Scholar or the ASU library. 2) Create thesis or opening paragraphs regarding your paper/article choice —Explain the following clearly in and in the order listed below: How is this article an issue of “justice”? What type of justice does it represent (e.g. distributive, retributive, restorative) or what theory of justice does it entail (e.g. justice as fairness, equality, protection, legal/rights)? What about this article did you find most compelling and why (why did you choose it)? *(make sure to answer all questions as you will lose points for not addressing them all) 3) Discuss salient factors that may have contributed to the problem. You must identify at least two driving and/or interesecting forces. This is where you can really connect your issue to other theories/readings discussed during the semester (remember, you must cite a minimum of 4 readings from the course). What demographic (who/where) may be most affected by this issue? Be specific about the micro/macro communities affected (e.g. urban Latinos in Phoenix; African American juveniles in New Orleans; white, rural women who have meth addictions etc). What types of factors may be involved in this justice issue? (e.g. historical, political, social, economic, racial, cultural?) Be specific and discuss these factors in depth. Whose interests are at stake? Who stands to “gain” or “lose” from this problem? Are there economic/political forces at play – is there “money to be made” off of the problem? Are there any issues of “rights” at play in this article? What would our authors have to say about this current conflict? Include data from your readings into this essay – cite in APA format correctly. It is crucial that you draw from the authors/text/films and class material for this paper. Lack of such integration will drastically lower your grade. 4) Discuss policy implications: In your opinion, is this problem being handled well in the U.S. today (why/why not)Final Paper Guidelines Content Assignment: Your 5-7 page essay will be due on Friday, Aug. 2nd by 11:59 pm (NO, EXCEPTIONS). Your essay MUST be submitted to the course Dropbox on or before your due date in order to be graded. NO late papers will be accepted. This assignment is designed not only to evaluate your reading and knowledge of justice issues as presented/discussed in class, but also to give you an opportunity to integrate this knowledge, expand your writing skills and construct a paper on a topic of your choosing—one which will hopefully reflect your interests and concerns. The easiest and most useful way to approach this assignment is to simply read a trusted news source frequently. As you scan articles, look for those that involve topics we have been covered. The final paper will be a 5-7 page essay on a justice issue of your choosing, although the topic should be directly related to the themes/material we have discussed throughout the semester. We’ll be covering a lot of interesting material, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem being inspired. One of the main goals of this course is to help you think about, and understand, how justice issues are always inter-related to other socio-economic, and political issues. For example, homelessness is never about only one thing; it is connected to poverty, race, capitalism, social identity, social ideas of success, etc. Your job is to choose an issue that you are interested in or feel passionate about and to begin to make some of those connections. You will need to not only provide a summary of the problem but talk about at least two driving factors that are contributing to the problem. Some issues may require a deeper historical analysis than others, but in any case you should be able to identify some contributing factors to this problem and talk about those complexities. This isn’t an opinion paper; it is a position paper where the task is to lay out a clear argument and analysis of an aspect of justice that we covered during the semester. Don’t be afraid to be imaginative and take intellectual chances in your writing. You are being graded on how well you present your position and ideas, not on what your political beliefs or principles of justice are. In other words, don’t be shy about what you think, but be ready to defend and analyze those beliefs. Instructions: Incorporating citations from the readings, as well as lecture notes and class material, address the following questions in depth: 1) Locate a news article from the past year that addresses a “justice” issue that interests you. Article must relate to one of the course themes we discussed in class (punitive justice and incarceration, Social/political Identities, Globalization and Economic Justice, Environmental justice and Indigenous rights, Citizenship and Migration, Activism and social change, ). A working link must be attached to your essay for full credit. Article should be at least 1-2 pages long (not simply a paragraph or two). Articles must come from the following sources: Arizona Republic, New York Times, Washington Post or a major paper from your home town (e.g. Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune etc). Small newspapers like the NewTimes are not appropriate for this paper. Provide the full proper APA citation to the journal article you have chosen. I recommend you begin by either using Google Scholar or the ASU library. 2) Create thesis or opening paragraphs regarding your paper/article choice —Explain the following clearly in and in the order listed below: How is this article an issue of “justice”? What type of justice does it represent (e.g. distributive, retributive, restorative) or what theory of justice does it entail (e.g. justice as fairness, equality, protection, legal/rights)? What about this article did you find most compelling and why (why did you choose it)? *(make sure to answer all questions as you will lose points for not addressing them all) 3) Discuss salient factors that may have contributed to the problem. You must identify at least two driving and/or interesecting forces. This is where you can really connect your issue to other theories/readings discussed during the semester (remember, you must cite a minimum of 4 readings from the course). What demographic (who/where) may be most affected by this issue? Be specific about the micro/macro communities affected (e.g. urban Latinos in Phoenix; African American juveniles in New Orleans; white, rural women who have meth addictions etc). What types of factors may be involved in this justice issue? (e.g. historical, political, social, economic, racial, cultural?) Be specific and discuss these factors in depth. Whose interests are at stake? Who stands to “gain” or “lose” from this problem? Are there economic/political forces at play – is there “money to be made” off of the problem? Are there any issues of “rights” at play in this article? What would our authors have to say about this current conflict? Include data from your readings into this essay – cite in APA format correctly. It is crucial that you draw from the authors/text/films and class material for this paper. Lack of such integration will drastically lower your grade. 4) Discuss policy implications: In your opinion, is this problem being handled well in the U.S. today (why/why not)? What can we take from our in-class knowledge to better inform or hopefully solve, the current issue/conflict? If you do not believe this issue is being addressed appropriately by politicians/lawmakers, then what other alternative means might there be to address it? Again, the point here is to uncover the ways in which justice related issues are manifest in our daily lives. FORMAT: As stated previously, your paper should include citations from/references to the course material, any films or articles read/presented in class as well as class lecture/discussion. This paper is designed to stimulate your thinking about justice issues, as well as develop your analytical skills, please address all questions listed above—please do not simply summarize the readings. This essay should be 5-7 pages, type-written and double-spaced, using 12 point font (Times New Roman) and 1” margins. All papers must include a cover page with the following: your name, my name, the date and a title for the assignment – Be CREATIVE (cover page is NOT to be counted toward your 5-7 pages). Your name and page number should be included on all subsequent pages in the header. Your essay must include a reference section of works cited (which also does not count in your 5-7 page length). As stated previously, spelling, grammar, syntax and clarity will be assessed in addition to content. HELPFUL NOTES/INFORMATION: Citations/Quotations: When you use the ideas, arguments, phrases, language of others, you must always give credit where credit is due. Lack of a citation is considered plagiarism. Text in bibliography: Beckett, K. & Sasson, T. ( 2004). The Politics of Injustice: Crime & Punishment in America. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Text in body of paper: As Beckett and Sasson (2004) state, “Similarly, in the 1980s, conservatives called for the wars on crime and drugs before the public demonstrated any desire for such measures” (p. 71). Though President Clinton sometimes appeared to relate the problems of crime and drugs to social conditions, he did not appear to offer alternative means to the “get tough” ideology of the Republicans in his cabinet (Beckett & Sasson, 2004, p. 65 If you do not believe this issue is being addressed appropriately by politicians/lawmakers, then what other alternative means might there be to address it? Again, the point here is to uncover the ways in which justice related issues are manifest in our daily lives. FORMAT: As stated previously, your paper should include citations from/references to the course material, any films or articles read/presented in class as well as class lecture/discussion. This paper is designed to stimulate your thinking about justice issues, as well as develop your analytical skills, please address all questions listed above—please do not simply summarize the readings. This essay should be 5-7 pages, type-written and double-spaced, using 12 point font (Times New Roman) and 1” margins. All papers must include a cover page with the following: your name, my name, the date and a title for the assignment – Be CREATIVE (cover page is NOT to be counted toward your 5-7 pages). Your name and page number should be included on all subsequent pages in the header. Your essay must include a reference section of works cited (which also does not count in your 5-7 page length). As stated previously, spelling, grammar, syntax and clarity will be assessed in addition to content. HELPFUL NOTES/INFORMATION: Citations/Quotations: When you use the ideas, arguments, phrases, language of others, you must always give credit where credit is due. Lack of a citation is considered plagiarism. Text in bibliography: Beckett, K. & Sasson, T. ( 2004). The Politics of Injustice: Crime & Punishment in America. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Text in body of paper: As Beckett and Sasson (2004) state, “Similarly, in the 1980s, conservatives called for the wars on crime and drugs before the public demonstrated any desire for such measures” (p. 71). Though President Clinton sometimes appeared to relate the problems of crime and drugs to social conditions, he did not appear to offer alternative means to the “get tough” ideology of the Republicans in his cabinet (Beckett & Sasson, 2004, p. 65
