EMPLOYMENT LAW SEMINAR
ASSIGNMENT TWO – THESIS STATEMENT AND BRIEF INTRODUCTION
This writing assignment should make you think seriously about your topic. Most of us
benefit from writing because it encourages us to consider and to clarify initial or intuitive views
about the topic.
Purpose and content of the thesis statement. You are to choose one topic and formulate a
statement about the conclusion you expect to reach. This should take only one sentence, as in
“Employers should not have access to the personal email of employees.” The thesis statement is,
at this point, a working statement only. As you write, you may reverse your conclusion, decide to
alter the conclusion, or even change topics.
Purpose and content of the brief introduction. This draft should provide reasons why
your topic is of interest and importance. For instance, you may cite a split among the federal
circuits that results in disparate decisions, identify decisions or agency policies that are contrary
to statutory purpose, or note the numbers of people affected.
The point is to identify your topic, develop a sense of its direction, and explain how you
intend to convince readers that your conclusion is the most appropriate. As you write the draft,
you should think about a tentative outline or table of contents. In this sense, this draft
introduction also serves as a guide to your research and writing. For instance, if you are dealing
with a circuit split, you would probably summarize the decisions, emphasizing the respective
reasoning of the courts. Your paper should also include a review of any applicable statute,
including legislative history and public policy choices. It should also include secondary sources,
such as scholarship found in law review articles and practice guides as appropriate.
Remember that this is a working introduction that you will redraft so it reflects what you
actually write. Usually students can cover the content of this assignment in two or at most three
pages.