Normative Legal Theory

Professor Solum

Georgetown University Law Center

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  • This page was last updated on Wednesday, November 07, 2007.
  • Students may enroll in either the 2 unit or the 3 unit version of the course.  The assignment for the 3 unit course is to write a research paper that meets the Georgetown Upperclass Legal Writing Requirement.  The assignment for the 2 unit version of the course is to write a weekly reaction paper to the readings.
  • Detailed description on the assignments are provided below.

 

3 Unit Course

 

If you are enrolled in the three-unit course, then your grade will be based on a research paper.

 

Your paper must satisfy the Upperclass Legal Writing Requirement, which is described as follows:

 

Students choose topics, submit outlines, prepare and submit a first draft, and complete the final paper in consultation with faculty members in approved seminars and clinics.

 

The upperclass writing project should show the student’s mastery of the in-depth research undertaken and demonstrate how the student has organized, clarified, or advanced this body of knowledge in resolving the issues raised by the paper. Final papers must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar and not directly to the professor.

 

The technical requirements for writing in approved seminars include: (1) use of legal forms of citation (when appropriate); (2) submission of an outline and a first draft, in accordance with the professor’s instructions and schedule; (3) submission of a revised final paper based on the professor’s comments; and (4) both the first draft and the final paper of at least 6,000 words (excluding footnotes), which is approximately 25 typewritten pages using customary margins and spacing. All work must be that of the student in consultation with the professor or must be cited for attribution to others.

 

The deadlines for your paper are as follows:

 

Requirement

Date

Topic Proposal—Approximately 200 words describing your proposed topic, including a “thesis statement” of the central point the paper will make.

September 19

Outline—Approximately three to five pages, including a revised “thesis statement” and an annotated bibliography of relevant sources such as books, journal articles, cases, etc.

October 10

First Draft—A substantially complete draft of the paper with citations.

November 21, 2007

Final Draft—A fully complete draft of the paper, no less than 6,000 words with complete citations in either Bluebook or Chicago Manual of Style Form

January 21, 2008

 

 

2 Unit Course

 

The assignment for the two-unit version of the course is to complete a weekly reaction paper of no less than 300 words to the readings and/or to an article relevant to the readings (after consultation and agreement with the instructor).

 

Reaction papers will be due each week, starting with the second week of class up to and including the last class meeting.  Papers are due by noon on the day before class is scheduled, i.e., by 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday if class meets as regularly scheduled on Wednesday.