Department of Law
Fall Semester 2008
TERM PAPER
Laws 3001A Women and Legal Process
TOPICS
The term paper requires you to select one of the women’s rights (activists academics, legislators, judges) listed below and prepare for a notional interview with them. For many of them, you can obtain an overview of their lives and work by consulting www.wikipedia.com. Once you know who you want to focus on, find and review some of their writing or organizations and issues with which they are closely associated. For those who are still living, DO NOT contact them directly!
Task
Your task is to prepare for an interview with the individual you choose.
- What questions would you ask them (justify them and provide background notes for the questions).
- Analyse their contributions (positive, negative, controversial, pending) to the equality and legal status of women.
- Casting me in the role of ‘producer’ for the proposed show or print media edition deciding whether the ‘interview’ should take place (“People Who Have Made a Difference to Women and the Law”), make the case to me about their relevance to women, law and social change.
Subjects:
1. Navanethem Pillay, UN Human Rights Commissioner (judge, war crimes, international human rights)
2. Doris Anderson (Chatelaine
editor) : http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/002026-295-e.html
3. Del Martin (lesbian human rights)
4. Stephen Lewis
5. Hon. Bertha Wilson
6. Catharine Mackinnon
7. Catherine Frazee
8. Charlotte Bunch
9.
10. Mobina Jaffer
11. Mari Matsuda
12. Radhika Coomaraswamy
13. Ursula Franklin, Scientist
14. Patricia Monture, academic
15. Roberta Jamieson, National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
16. Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Laureate
17. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Laureate
18. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Laureate
Topics: Essay work must address one of the
topics (subjects) provided. You must consult with the instructor if you wish to
write an essay on another person and obtain her approval. Any essay submitted
on a non-approved subject will be circulated to the student’s other course
instructors for the academic year.
Originality: DO NOT PLAGIARISE OR RECYCLE PREVIOUS
WORK. DO NOT SUBMIT THE SAME ESSAY IN MY CLASS AS IN ANOTHER CLASS.
Plagiarism (using the work of others as if it
were your own and without attribution) is an academic offence. All papers must
be fully original and may not be submitted in more than one course. I am quite
prepared to consult with your other instructors. All sources must be fully and
accurately cited. Use quotation marks for all quoted material. Do not string
quotes together even with correct attribution: this will not count as
originality. Be particularly careful that you do not hand in overly similar
work if you discuss your ideas or work in conjunction with a classmate in the
course of developing your paper. Without exception or discussion consistent
with University Regulations, I will refer suspected cases of plagiarism
immediately to the Dean.
Value: The term paper component is worth
40% of your final grade in the course.
Submission: Department of Law, Drop Box, around the corner from LOEB C473. I will
tick receipt against the class list. Keep a copy of your final papers as submitted.
Do not put your paper under my door!
Do not fax: The Department does not accept faxed
papers.
Due date: FRIDAY October 17th, 2008, by 3.45pm.
The Drop Box ‘closes’ at 4.00 sharp at which time essays are date stamped.
Format: Typed, double-spaced on white paper,
8.5 x 11. The font should be 12 point, preferably Arial or Times New Roman. Use
endnotes. Include a bibliography (not counted in page length but assessed for
citation accuracy). Include a cover page with your name, student number, course
name and number, title of your essay and the name of the instructor.
Term
papers must be stapled in the top left-hand corner. No
plastic covers or spiral binding. Do not enclose in a folder. No exceptions!
Return: In
class. My target date for return of marked papers is November 4, 2008.
If you prefer, you can attach a self-addressed envelope with
sufficient postage for paper return.
Length: 12 pages maximum.
Can be shorter if you can pull it off and still do a good
job.
Cannot be longer. Anything over the limit will be crossed out, not read
and not marked.
Endnotes, cover page and
bibliography don’t count in page length.
Extensions: If you need an extension, see or email the
instructor as soon as possible and before
the due date. Please be prepared to provide official supporting documentation.
Penalties: Term Papers submitted after the due date, and without
an extension, will be considered late. They will also be subject to grade penalty as
follows: if stamped
Saturday or Sunday October 18-19, 2/3 grade reduction; thereafter, 1/3 grade
reduction per day.
Citation: All sources must be
fully and accurately cited. Use a recognized style guide. You can also refer to
the law style sheet: http://www2.carleton.ca/law/current/Legal_Style_Sheet.pdf.
All direct quotes from other sources must be
enclosed in quotation marks. All paraphrases from sources must be credited to
their source. Make sure that when you take notes you identify their source and
whether you are copying verbatim. Be very careful not to so closely track your
notes from sources (or quotes) that you inadvertently copy the source without
appropriate attribution. These situations may be regarded as potential plagiarism
and/or not original. Quotes of more than 50 words should be indented and
single-spaced.