LSJ 200 Final Assignment
Law & Society Policy Memo
(please note that this assignment may be updated to offer additional clarity)
For your final assignment in this class, we are asking you to put our course concepts to use and develop a policy memo on an area of law of your choice. This assignment will blend research, socio-legal analysis, and political advocacy together. Your memo should deploy the analytical tools we have been developing together all quarter, including key terminology and frameworks for interpreting policy impacts. While your research may rely primarily on external sources, the strongest policy memos will bring in major course readings (even ones that aren’t directly connected to your research!) and concepts to help us interpret your area of policy. Remember, one of the skills that we want you to work on this quarter is drawing connections even when they aren’t so obvious.
What policy topics are eligible for this assignment? Most! Remember, this is a class on “law and society,” not just one or the other. The important thing is that you can justify your policy area as being suitable for socio-legal analysis. This can include topics that we have covered in class, or topics that we have not had time to explore together.
Please understand that the final due date is firm, and with very few exceptions we are unable to offer extensions. All late assignments will be penalized -10 per day.
Your final assignment will include three sections of roughly equal length (i.e. your section 1 should not be substantially longer than sections 2 and 3), which are outlined below. In addition to your three sections, you must also include a works cited and the Statement of Originality. Policy memos should be properly formatted with 1 inch margins, 12 point font (Times New Roman, Cambria, or similar), in-text citations in APA formats, and will probably be between 1,500-2,500 words.
1. Policy Analysis:
1. Provide a brief overview of the area of law and how that area of law is experienced in society (e.g. is it the same for everyone? Why/why not?)
2. You should bring in relevant laws, court cases, policy statements, and secondary research from academics and journalists, etc. to help us understand your area of law as it is experienced today.
3. Note that you will likely have to “narrow in” to smaller areas of your policy topic (e.g. maybe you’re interested in gender equality, but will study sex- and gender-based violence, harassment and
discrimination in the context of higher education in particular).
2. Policy Proposals
1. Identify potential policy changes or social transformations. Consider questions like:
1. What specifically needs to change, and at what levels (international, federal, state, local, etc.)?
2. Who might benefit by your changes? Who might be harmed by your changes? Who are the winners and losers?
3. What sorts of consequences can you anticipate (positive and negative)?
4. What concerns might others raise about your proposed changes?
3. Action Plan for Change
1. Consider how we go from (A) the status quo to (B) your preferred policy changes. What needs to
happen between A and B? Your analysis should consider both “formal” and “informal” means for advocating for change.
2. Formal opportunities for change:
1. Elections: what types of candidates need to be supported?
2. Legislation: who has the power to adopt legislative changes, and how can we convince them to do so?
3. Litigation: what opportunities are available to achieve some of these policy victories by “suing”?
3. Informal opportunities for change:
1. Civil Society: what civil society organizations exist, or need to develop, to support advocacy around your preferred policy?
2. Social movements: are there opportunities for everyday people to try and influence outcomes in this policy area? What social movement tactics might be helpful for advancing this vision?
1. Protest: might protest help raise awareness or leverage enough pressure on elected officials?
2. Civil disobedience: are there unjust laws that ought to be challenged with disobedience?
3. Social engagement: do we need to change minds and hearts to build political support for your preferred policy vision? How can we achieve that?
4. Works Cited
5. Statement of Originality: To earn credit for this assignment, you must copy and paste the following statement into your document with your full name.
I, [FULL NAME], affirm that I worked hard on this. I invested in my own learning, and I trusted myself to navigate resources and learn from my mistakes. I may have asked a teacher, librarian, writing center tutor, or even class peer for feedback or insight, but every word of this document came from my own brain (or was otherwise properly attributed to the original author(s)).
I care about learning, even if the assignments are sometimes boring, and I wouldn’t insult my own intelligence by using artificial intelligence programs, paying for someone else to write on my behalf, or cheating from past student work. I understand that if I am found to have improperly plagiarized or otherwise violated this course’s academic conduct policy, I will face consequences including potentially failing LSJ 200 and citations for academic misconduct. I also accept that I may have room for improvement in my fully un-plagiarized submission, which is perfectly okay! Even the pros need to practice.