Introduction to the U.S. Legal System: Précis Assignment Alternative

What it is and Why

Précis writing may be a bit different from writing you have been assigned in the past. A précis (pronounced PRAY-SEE) is a comprehensive yet distilled summary of a written work’s important points, claims, and substantiating evidence. The purpose is to clearly and effectively dissect and communicate to an audience the essence of a written work. By completing this assignment, you will have gained familiarity with an important, ongoing debate concerning the role of courts in the United States and their relationship to social change.

Assignment

Read the Introduction, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 of Gerald Rosenberg’s The Hollow Hope (1991). In a two-page, carefully edited, free-of-errors document, summarize the main arguments that Rosenberg is making about the role and power of courts in society. In the course of doing so, you should also:

(a) carefully outline the issue area the author is examining,

(b) describe the relationship between courts and the other branches of the U.S. government,

(c) assess the evidence the author uses to support his broader thesis concerning the roles and powers of courts.

Note that this assignment is to be completed individually, and the UIW policy on academic honesty applies. Some tips:

· Take a “first-read” through the assigned chapters to gain an overall sense of the argument, issue, evidence, and explanations offered.

· Take a careful, more thorough “Second-Read” of the assigned excerpts. As you do so, create an outline (typed or handwritten) that allows you to organize the chapters by headings and subheadings, including the issue areas, claims, evidence, and explanations you find particularly important. Be sure to cite the pages where these claims appear.

· Draft your précis by, in your own words, stitching together your summary. Transition smoothly from point to point. Again, you will have to make some difficult choices here so as to capture the essence of the readings (balancing comprehensiveness with distillation).

· Ensure you use new paragraphs when moving to new areas explored by the author.

· Review your document, revising and editing when necessary. Make sure sentences make sense when spoken aloud, avoid complicated words and sentence structures, use spell check, and ensure proper punctuation and capitalization is present.

Formatting

Failure to follow the formatting requirements below will result in deductions equivalent to at least one full letter grade:

· 2 pages, stapled before class (no paperclips, dog-eared corners, etc.)

· Single-spaced (double-space ONLY when beginning a new paragraph).

· No title.

· Times New Roman, 12 point font.

· 1-inch margins on all sides.

· Page numbers at the bottom of each page, centered.

· Single-sided printing ONLY.

· Citations to particular pages when referencing specific points, or paraphrasing the author’s words (i.e., (p. 55)). If you are referencing many points from the same section of text, it is okay to place a single citation at the end of that paragraph.

· Free of proofreading errors

Assignment Due Date

The printed, stapled copy is due in class on Monday, Dec. 2, 2019 at 12:00 (noon) AND uploaded to Blackboard (Alternative under “Assignments” tab) before 12:00 (noon) that same day. Late assignments (even a minute late) will not be accepted and will receive a grade of zero.

Student Resources

· UIW Writing and Learning Center (WLC)

From the website: UIW undergraduate students can make writing appointments by calling us at 210-829-3870, stopping by our office in the Student Engagement Center (room 3167), or emailing us at [email protected].