FOLLLOW THE PDF INSTRUCTIONSSSSSS
JUS 215: Position Paper Guidelines and Rubric Overview Court cases and their decisions establish a basis for the future. For these assignments, you will prepare a position paper that contains your concise and structured opinion of the decisions made in each case. The Midterm Position Paper will be submitted in Module Four. The Final Position Paper will be submitted in Module Seven. Your paper should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. • Introduction (of your main element) o State your thesis (topic and opinion you have chosen) o Introduce main points of argument • Body (Support for your position, containing evidence and examples) o Summarize the opposing viewpoint o Address all sides of the issue o Detail your position on the issue o Include evidence for key points that support your position • Conclusion (Closing statement) o Restate your thesis o Summation of key points Prompt The purpose of a position paper is to identify an issue, your position, and rationale for that position in order to convince your audience that your opinion is valid. Refer to this helpful resource for writing an effective position paper. Your paper should include: • Objective views for and against your position—not a descriptive or opinion paper! (analysis) • Statements that define the major issue as well as arguments and counterarguments that support your position (background). Include information on the major points of the cases (differences and similarities), who the victims were, which victim state or federal rights were crucial in these cases, victim services that were involved, and any related crime theory and victim typology. • Premise and thesis. Your paper should have a premise on which you have based your thesis. Personal statement written in third person (per APA) concerning the position and the issue (e.g., Abraham Lincoln’s premise was that all people are created equal; his thesis that slavery ought to be abolished) (Thesis and position) • Statement of the importance of the issue to society (real-world). What were the implications of these court decisions on society as a whole? https://web.archive.org/web/20090220165944/http%3A/aspen.edu/cybrary/positionpaper.htm Midterm Position Paper: For Module Four, you will review the two cases below and prepare a position paper that contains your concise and structured opinion of the decisions made in each case. The midterm should be a minimum of 2-3 pages, not including cover page and resources. This submission will be graded with the Position Paper Rubric. REGINALD MEEKS, Petitioner-Appellant, vs. DAVID MCKUNE, et al., Respondent. Case No. 09-3133 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS 607 F. Supp. 2d 1235; 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30846 April 9, 2009, Decided April 9, 2009, Filed UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus CONRAD DOMINIC POOLE, Defendant - Appellant. No. 05-5049 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT 241 Fed. Appx. 153; 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 18114 April 18, 2007, Submitted July 30, 2007, Decided Final Position Paper: In Module Seven, you will submit your final position paper. For this paper, you will be required to identify a case (you may not use the cases above that were used for your Midterm Position Paper) that relates to a topic or issue covered in this course and prepare a position paper. Reach out to your instructor if you have any questions when identifying a case. Your paper should be a minimum of 3-4 pages, not including cover page and resources. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Position Paper Rubric. http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/09/09-3133.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20170208172734/http:/www.ca4.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Unpublished/055049.U.pdf Rubric Requirements of submission: Written components of projects must follow these formatting guidelines when applicable: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and discipline-appropriate citations. Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value Main Elements Includes almost all of the main elements and requirements and cites multiple examples to illustrate each element Includes most of the main elements and requirements and cites many examples to illustrate each element Includes some of the main elements and requirements Does not include any of the main elements and requirements 25 Inquiry and Analysis Explores multiple issues through extensive collection and in-depth analysis of evidence to make informed conclusions Explores some issues through collection and in-depth analysis of evidence to make informed conclusions Explores minimal issues through collection and analysis of evidence to make informed conclusions Does not explore issues through collection and analysis of evidence and does not make informed conclusions 20 Integration and Application All of the course concepts are correctly applied Most of the course concepts are correctly applied Some of the course concepts are correctly applied Does not correctly apply any of the course concepts 10 Critical Thinking Demonstrates comprehensive exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion Demonstrates moderate exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion Demonstrates minimal exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion Does not demonstrate exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion 20 Research Incorporates many scholarly resources effectively that reflect depth and breadth of research Incorporates some scholarly resources effectively that reflect depth and breadth of research Incorporates very few scholarly resources that reflect depth and breadth of research Does not incorporate scholarly resources that reflect depth and breadth of research 15 Writing (Mechanics/Citations) No errors related to organization, grammar and style, and citations Minor errors related to organization, grammar and style, and citations Some errors related to organization, grammar and style, and citations Major errors related to organization, grammar and style, and citations 10 Total: 100