WS 415 - The Politics of Reproduction
Spring 2015
Dr. Aimee D. Shouse
Simpkins 226E
309-298-2214
AD-Shouse@wiu.edu
Office Hours:
M 2:00-3:00
TTh 8:00-9:30
or by appointment
Required Readings:
 Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy
Roberts
 The Political Geographies of Pregnancy by Laura R. Woliver
 Other readings as assigned on schedule of assignments – found on Western Online
Course Objectives:
“The individual is not accountable to society for his actions in so far as these concern the
interests of no person but himself.” - John Stuart Mill
“Without the ability to determine their reproductive destinies, women will never achieve an
equal role in social, economic, and political life and will continue to be politically subordinate
and economically dependent on men.” – Dorothy E. Roberts
WS/POLS 415: The Politics of Reproduction considers a topic that clearly demonstrates that the
“personal is political.” One can think of few issues as seemingly private as to when and whether
(and how) one will have a child. However, the individual decision to reproduce (or not) also has
public ramifications, such as the practical problems associated with over (and under) population,
financial support for families, and the perceived moral and ethical issues associated with
reproductive choices.
But where is the line between the private decisions related to reproduction and the public’s
interest in reproduction? At what point does reproduction become an issue of legitimate concern
to the government? And what are legitimate government actions related to reproduction? This
course will consider these questions and will allow students, more generally, to
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Explain how theories and assumptions about the legitimate role of government and the value of
human reproduction influence the political context in which reproduction policy is made.
Identify and explain the different issues that fall under reproductive policy, including
contraception, forced sterilization, surrogate motherhood, adoption, fetal and maternal rights,
reproductive technologies, and abortion, among others;
Recognize the disproportionate effect reproductive policy has on limiting the autonomy of
women;
Identify the role that factors such as poverty and race play in the political environment
surrounding reproduction policy;
Explain the historical development of reproduction policy in the United States;
Identify what political factors influence reproduction policy, including (among others) interest
groups, elections, and political parties.
Course Requirements:
In general, students are expected to do several “common sense” things, all of which are related to
one another.
 Attend class;
 Come to class having already read all assigned material;
 Participate in class discussion;
 Communicate with me regarding absences and assignments;
 Turn in assignments on time.
Specifically, there are several course requirements.
 Midterm exam (due March 22)
100 points
 Final exam (due May 10)
100 points
 Paper topic proposal (March 4)
Required, but no points
 Bibliography for paper (April 1)
25 points
 Paper Outline (April 8)
25 points
 Paper (April 28)
100 points
 Presentation of Paper (May 3 or 5) 25 points
 Weekly written submissions
100 points (10 points each, I take your top 10 scores out of 13)
TOTAL
475 points
Grades
Undergraduate:
A: 426-475
B+: 411-425; B: 392-410
C+: 364-377 C: 345-363
D+: 316-330 D: 297-315
F: 282 or lower:
B-:378-391
C-: 331-344
D-: 283-296;
Graduate
A: 426-475
B: 378-425
C: 331-377
D: 283-330
Exams: There are two exam and both are take-home essay exams. Each exam will
include some choice among the questions. Exams must be typed, double spaced, and
specifically reference the readings, with appropriate citations. You will receive the
questions at least 1 week prior to the due date for the exam. Late exams will have 10
points deducted for each day they are late.
Paper: We will discuss this at greater length in a few weeks. However, in short, you will
develop a paper topic related to the course topic and approve it with me. You will submit
both a bibliography and an outline for your paper prior to the paper’s due date. The paper
itself will be between 10 and 12 pages (undergraduates) and 12-15 pages (graduates).
During the last week of class, you will present your paper to the class. See “Paper
Assignment Overview” at the end of this syllabus for more detailed instructions.
Presentations are informal and are intended as an opportunity for you to share your topic
with the class, how you researched your paper, and what you learned. You should plan
on approximately 10 minutes for you presentation. The use of Powerpoint is fine, but is
NOT a necessity. This is simply a time to share your paper with the rest of the class and
give the rest of the class (and me) a chance to ask you some questions.
Weekly Reflections on the Readings:
Each week, undergraduates should prepare a 1/2-1 page typed, double spaced analytical
reflection on some aspect of the assigned readings, and graduate students should submit
1-2 page analytical reflection.
Weekly essays are due on Tuesdays in class and should consider one or more of
the readings that was assigned for that class period (not based on one of the
recommended readings). Essays submitted late will have a point deduction.
Grades will be based on how well you demonstrate a thorough reading of the
material, how well you incorporate information from the reading into your comments,
and how well you communicate your thoughts (writing skills). Your comments should be
in essay form. Your comments or question can be guided by the following questions.
(Note, these questions should guide your reflection… you should not address bullet point
by bullet point. Essentially, I want to see evidence of your critical thinking skills.)
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What specific topic or point really caught your attention in the assigned reading? Identify
from which reading- specifically - your comments/question is drawn, as well as what
part/sentence sparked your comments/question.
How does this point relate to the rest of the reading? What is its relevance?
Why did it catch your attention?
What questions or thoughts occur to you regarding this point?
How does this point “fit” the topic of this class? How does it “fit” your understanding of
the topic?
What conclusions can be drawn about this point?
Are there contradictions in the readings or in viewpoints on the issue?
Are there current events that relate to the readings that support or conflict with the
author(s)?
Please be aware that this assignment is harder to do well when focusing solely on the
shorter assigned readings. There is simply less information on which to write. So, while
the temptation may be to read only the short assignments, you may find it more difficult
to come up with original ideas than when reading the longer assignments, such as
textbook chapters.
Policies of Note:
 Class Format & Reading Course Material:
o I intend for the class to be a hybrid of a lecture class and seminar, or discussionbased class. Although it’s hard for me to imagine having any class period where
we do not engage in some class discussion, I generally expect that on Tuesdays, I
will introduce the topic of the week, give background information, and consider
the types of issues that fall under the week’s topic. Thus, I will engage in more
lecture with Powerpoint slides on Tuesdays, although we may start discussing the
readings if time allows.
o On Thursdays, we will finish any Powerpoint slides from the background
information and start discussing the assigned readings. Thursdays will typically
be devoted to discussion of the readings, general class discussion on the topic of
the week, or films. Any weekly questions submitted by the class that I found
particularly pertinent or useful may also be used as a departure point for
discussion.
o This approach to class will require that you read the material and be able (and
willing) to discuss it in class. It will also be helpful for the exams (and
discussion) if you take notes as you read.
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Attendance:
 Because I conduct this class as a hybrid of a lecture and seminar format, it
is imperative that you come to every class. It won’t work if people are
routinely absent. As such, you are allowed two absences, which do not
have to be excused by me. You’re an adult… if you or a family member
is ill and you need to stay home, or if you have a conflict with class one
week… then you are in the best position to make that decision. Once you
miss two class periods, any other absence must be excused by me.
Unexcused absences will result in 5 points being removed from your
final point total.
o Missing Class when Assignments are Due (including weekly essays)
 If you miss class on a day that an assignment is due, including weekly
essays, you must notify me about your absence prior to class in order to be
able to turn in your assignment for full credit. 10% of the points possible
for the assignment will be deducted for each day late, if I’m not notified.
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After a student has submitted three late assignments due to an illness
about which the student has informed me, I may ask for documentation
of your illness.
If the university issues a weather advisory, students should use their own
judgment as to whether travel to campus is advised. Lack of attendance
will not count against you on days that the university announces a weather
advisory.
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If the weather advisory falls on a Tuesday, you are still required to
submit your weekly essay through email. This is the only circumstance
that an emailed essay has a blanket pre-approval. If you do not have
access to email from home, please see me. (This is consistent with the
university’s policy on weather advisories. While attendance may
certainly be affected by the weather, your ability to complete and submit
the weekly assignment is not.)
o So, what’s an excused absence? You are excused for being ill (no one wants to
catch what you have), but “not feeling very well,” is not an excuse. After a
certain age, “not feeling well” becomes a way of life.  Additionally, you are
excused for a death in the family or a car accident, but I’m not so inclined to
excuse a “family emergency.” It’s not that I want the intimate details of your
family’s personal lives, but “family emergency” is so vague as to cover “Grandma
misses me and really wants to see me,” to “My father was diagnosed with cancer
and I need to go home.” One is an emergency; one is not. It’s all a matter of
degree. And yes, my judgment is subjective, but I think I’m pretty fair. This
policy is directed much less at the students who just do what they’re supposed to
do than it is at the students who don’t take responsibility for their own education.
In short, just come to class and don’t make me take off points. I hate doing that
(but will).
Academic Dishonesty:
o I do not tolerate academic dishonesty and do closely follow the university’s
academic integrity policy (http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php). I most
commonly discover academic dishonesty in the form of plagiarism, using
someone else’s words as if they were your own and not giving the original author
proper credit. Sometimes, this is an inadvertent error by simply not citing
sources properly; sometimes, this is intentional by lifting words from a source and
sticking them in your paper. I can usually tell the difference. Plus, the higher the
course level, the more inclined I am to judge plagiarism harshly. And, as a word
of warning for anyone tempted to plagiarize… In 22 ½ years at WIU, I’ve graded
thousands of essays and papers and I know student writing. I don’t know if it’s a
blessing or a curse, but I can often tell the very sentence that plagiarism begins.
And then starts the quest to find the original source… which I usually do.
My response to plagiarism corresponds to the severity of the problem.
o If you’ve not employed quotation marks correctly, but have attempted to cite the
page number of a quotation, then I’ll just have you correct the problems before
giving you a grade for the assignment.
o If you have done a bad job of paraphrasing, honing too closely to the original
wording on three of fewer instances, I will have you correct the problem before
assigning a grade and will deduct 5 points from your paper grade.
o If you have done a bad job of paraphrasing, honing too closely to the original
wording more than three times (but are not outright copying text, verbatim), I will
have you correct the problem before assigning a grade and will deduct 10 points
from your paper grade.
o If you have lifted entire sentences or passages without citing your source, you will
correct the problems before receiving a grade on it and will have twenty-five
points deducted from your paper grade. I will also file a charge of academic
dishonesty with CAGAS (see policy for details of this process).
o If the work of two or more students is too similar to be coincidence, I will deal
with the situation on a case-by-case basis. Unless there is compelling evidence
otherwise, I will follow the policy on academic dishonesty for all students
involved, and you will rewrite the assignment with a 25 point deduction. Thus,
guard your work carefully.
If these options sound like something you’d rather avoid, then just write your own papers,
don’t cheat, and see me if you have questions on citations. It’s simple!
Schedule of Assignments
Readings from the 2 texts are indicated by the authors’ last names and the assigned
chapter.
Articles are found on the class’s Western Online site.
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All but four articles will be found on Western Online; click “Resources” then “Links.”
The four exceptions are included as documents under the “Content Browser” on the front
page of Western Online.
o Two of the articles is included as both PDF and text documents, in case you can’t
access the PDF for some reason.
If an article under Web Links is from JSTOR, once you click it you may have to then click
“Proceed to PDF” to access the article. And give JSTOR articles a little time… they are
often large files.
An * beside the week indicates that a weekly reflection on the readings is due, in class, Tuesday of
that week.
Week 1: January 19/21 – The Personal is Political: How Government Policy is Made
 “The Many Faces of U.S. Abortion Policy: How Government Structure Results in Multiple
Policies” by Aimee Shouse, in Interdisciplinary Views on Abortion, edited by Susan A.
Martinelli-Fernandez, Lori Baker-Sperry, and Heather McIlvaine-Newsad, McFarland Press:
Jefferson, NC, 2009. See in “Assigned Articles Not Online” under Content Browser on
Western Online
 “Sex and STI/HIV Education.” Guttmacher State Policies in Brief, January 1, 2015. See Link on
Western Online.
 “The CDC gives U.S. an F for Sex Ed.” The Daily Beast, Dec. 9, 2015. See Link on Western
Online.
*Week 2: January 26/28 – The Legitimate Role of Government; the Public/Private Dichotomy;
Perceptions of Reproduction
 “Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin, in Science, December 1968, Vol. 162 no. 3859 pp.
1243-1248. See Link on Western Online.
 “The World Will Be More Crowded… with Old People,” by Phillip Longman, in Foreign Policy,
September/October 2011. See Link on Western Online (or in “Assigned Articles not Online”
under Content Browser, if you can’t access the link).
 “U.S. Birthrate Hits Turning Point.” Wall Street Journal online, June 17, 2015. See Link on
Western Online.
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RECOMMENDED “The Handmaid’s Tale and the Birth Dearth: Prophecy, Prescription, and Public
Policy” by Diane D. Blair, in Women in Politics: Outsiders or Insiders, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 1999. See in
“Assigned Articles Not Online” under Content Browser on Western Online. There are 2 versions: a
PDF and a Windows Publisher version. They’re the same article, but display differently. Choose
whichever is your preference.
RECOMMENDED: “Family Planning” Vintage Disney Film. See Link on Western Online
*Week 3: February 2/4– The Value of Women’s Reproductive Capabilities
 Woliver – Chapter 1: Feminist Praxis, Reproductive Powers, and Medical Models
 Roberts – Introduction
 “Pregnant and No Civil Rights” by Lynn M. Paltrow and Jeanne Flavin, in from NYTimes.com,
November 7, 2014. See Link on Western Online.
 “Why U.S. Women are Leaving Jobs Behind.” New York Times online. December 12, 2014. See
Link on Western Online.
*Week 4: February 9/11 – Reproductive Technology and Self-Determination
 Woliver – Chapter 2: Reproductive Technologies: Medicalizations of Pregnancy, Birth,
Reproduction, and Infertility
 “Childbirth by Appointment” by Lauren M. Whaley, on California HealthCare Foundation’s
Center for Health Reporting, February 17, 2012. See Link on Western Online.
 “Intuition and the Emergence of Midwifery as Authoritative Knowledge” by Ina May Gaskin, in
Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 2, (1996), pp. 295-298. See Link on Western
Online.
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RECOMMENDED: “The Politics of Reproduction: The Troubling Case of Nadya Suleman and Assisted
Reproductive Technology” by Dana-Ain Davis, in Transforming Anthropology, Vol 17, No. 2 (2009), pp
105-122. See Link on Western Online.
RECOMMENDED FILM: The Business of Being Born – documentary by Ricki Lake. See Link on
Western Online.
THURSDAY, WATCH FILM: Sperm Donor X (56 minutes)
*Week 5: February 16/18 - Adoption and Surrogate Motherhood; Commodification of Motherhood
 Woliver – Chapter 5: Adoption and Surrogacy
 Roberts – Chapter 6: Race and the New Reproduction
 “Six Words: Black Babies Cost Less to Adopt” on NPR.org, June 27, 2013. See Link on
Western Online.
 “India’s Surrogates Fear Hardship from Embryo Ban.” The Guardian, January 2, 2016. See Link
on Western Online.
 FILM in Class Thursday: Teenage Pregnancy and Adoption – bring tissues (38 minutes)
*Week 6: February 23/25 – From “New and Improved” Babies to “Value-added” Babies
 Woliver – Chapter 3: The Human Genome Project: Designer Genes
 Roberts – Chapter 1: Reproduction in Bondage
 “The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson,” by Henry Wiencek, in Smithsonian Magazine, October
2012. See Link on Western Online.
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RECOMMENDED: “Blood Test Provides More Accurate Prenatal Testing for Down Syndrome” by Rob
Stein, on npr.org. February 26, 2014. See Link on Western Online.
RECOMMENDED: “Greater Disability Protection Doesn’t Mean Less Selective Abortion” by Dov Fox
and Christopher L. Griffin, Jr. on Huffington Post Politics Blog, March 5, 2013. See Link on Western
Online.
FILM in Class Tuesday: IVF: Medical Ethics, Real World Applications (20 minutes)
*Week 7: March 1/3 – Contraception
 Roberts – Chapters 2 & 3
 Paper Topic Proposal Due by Friday, March 4. You may either turn it in during class the day
before, or you may email to me as a Word attachment by 4:30 Friday, March 4.
*Week 8: March 8/10 – Baby First: Drugs, Maternal Health, and the Law
 Woliver – Chapter 6: Social Controls and Reproductive Politics
 Roberts – Chapter 4: Making Reproduction a Crime
 “Substance Abuse During Pregnancy.” Guttmacher State Policy Briefs, January 1, 2016.
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RECOMMENDED: “Tennessee's effort to protect babies from mothers' drug use creates new problems.”
Los Angeles Times Online, December 14, 2015. See Link on Western Online.
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Midterm Exam questions distributed Tuesday, March 8. The Midterm exam covers
material from Weeks 1-7.
***Week of March 14 - Spring Break***
*Week 9: March 22/24 – Fetal Rights: Employment, Women’s Responsibilities, and Personhood
Amendments
 United Auto Workers v. Johnson Controls (1991) See Link on Western Online.
 “The Implications of Defining when a Woman is Pregnant” by Rachel Benson Gold in The
Guttmacher Report on Public Policy, Vol. 8, No. 2, May 2005. See Link on Western Online.
 “On Abortion and Defining a Person” by Gary Gutting, in The Opinion Pages, The New York
Times, Nov. 30, 2011. See Link on Western Online.
 “A Survey of State Fetal Homicide Laws and Their Potential Applicability to Pregnant Women
Who Harm Their Own Fetuses.” by Andrew F. Murphy, in Indiana Law Journal, Vol. 89, p. 847,
2014 See Link on Western Online.
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RECOMMENDED: “Punishing Maternal Behavior: Potential Legal Consequences for Obesity-Associated
Poor Fetal Outcome in the United States” by Christopher M. Buckle, et al., in Journal of Legal Medicine,
34: 251-71, Sept. 20, 2013. See in “Assigned Articles Not Online” under Content Browser on Western
Online
RECOMMENDED: “Promoting Fetal Personhood: The Rhetorical and Legislative Strategies of the ProLife Movement after Planned Parenthood v. Casey” by Glen A. Halva-Neubauer and Sara L. Zeigler,
Feminist Formations, Vol. 22, No. 2, Summer 2010, pp 101-123. See Link on Western Online.
Midterm Exams due Tuesday, March 22. Midterms due either in class or to my office by
4:30. Hard copies only… no electronic submissions accepted.
*Weekly essay can be submitted on Thursday of this week.
*Week 10: March 29/31 – Abortion I: History through Roe v. Wad
 Woliver – Chapter 4
 Roe v. Wade (1973) –See Link on Western Online
 “Before and After Roe v. Wade” by Jacque Wilson, on CNN.com. Jan. 22, 2013. See Link on
Western Online.
 FILM in Class Thursday: Silent Choices (60 minutes)
 Bibliographies due Friday, April 1. You may either turn it in during class on the 2nd, or you
may email to me as a Word attachment by 4:30 Friday.
*Week 11: April 5/7 – Abortion II: Post Roe Politics and Policy
 “2015 Year-End State Policy Roundup.” Guttmacher Institute, January 4, 2016. See Link on
Western Online.
 “Explaining the Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole Abortion Case.” By Lindsey Cook and Kimberly
Leonard, in US News and World Report online, January 11, 2016.
 “As U.S. abortion case looms, both sides seek personal touch.” By Joan Biskupic in Reuters
online, January 3, 2016.
 “Abortion Viewed in Moral Terms: Fewer See Stem Cell Research and IVF as Moral Issues” by
Pew Research Center on pewforum.org, August 15, 2013. See Link on Western Online.
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RECOMMENDED: “Infant Safe Haven Laws: Legislating in the Culture of Life” by Carol Sanger in
Columbia Law Review, Vol. 106, No. 4 (May, 2006), pp. 753-829. See Links on Western Online.
Paper Outlines due Friday, April 8. You may either turn it in during class on the 7th, or you
may email to me as a Word attachment by 4:30 Friday.
*Week 12: April 12/14 – LGBTQ Reproductive Rights
 “Marriage and Family: LGBT Individuals and Same Sex Couples” by Gary J. Gates, in The
Future of Children, Vol. 25, No. 2, Fall 2015. See Link on Western Online
 “Queering the Fertility Clinic.” By Laura Mamo, in Journal of Medical Humanities, June 2013,
Volume 34, Issue 2, pp 227-239. See Link on Western Online
 “Griswold's Progeny: Assisted Reproduction, Procreative Liberty, and Sexual Orientation
Equality.” By Douglas NeJaime, in 124 Yale Law Journal Forum 340 (2015). See Link on
Western Online
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RECOMMENDED: “The Right to (Trans)Parent: A Reproductive Justice Approach to Reproductive
Rights, Fertility, and Family Building Issues Facing Transgendered People” by Laura Nixon in the William
and Mary Journal of Women and the Law, Vol 20, Issue 1, Article 5, (2013). See Link on Western
Online.
RECOMMENDED: “Reproductive Rights Beyond the Binary: Mandatory Transgender Sterilization” by
Chamonix Adams Porter in Broad Recognition, November 10, 2011. See Link on Western Online.
*Week 13: April 19/21 –Fathers’ Rights
 “He Said, She Said: Diverging Views in the Emerging Field of Fathers’ Rights” by Anne Poland
in the 46 Washburn Law Journal 163, Fall 2006. See in “Assigned Articles Not Online” under
Content Browser on Western Online
 “Unwed Putative Fathers: Beware Utah Adoption Law.” By Samuel C. Johnston in The Utah Law
Review Online, vol. 2013, No. 1. See Link on Western Online.
 “Unwilling Fathers and Abortion: Terminating Men's Child Support Obligations?” by Sally
Sheldon in The Modern Law Review, Vol. 66, No. 2 (Mar., 2003), pp. 175-194. See Link on
Western Online.
 “Rapists’ Rights in Illinois: The New Law and What Other States can learn from it,” by Randi
Burggraff and Kerrianne Waters, in The Catalyst, isba.org. December 2013. See Link on
Western Online
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RECOMMENDED: “The Politics of Fatherhood” by Stephen Baskerville, in PS: Political Science and
Politics, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Dec., 2002), pp. 695-699. See Link on Western Online
*Week 14: April 26/28 – Conclusions – What Does Liberty Require?
 Woliver – Conclusion: The Changing Geographies of Motherhood and Reproduction
 Roberts – Chapter 7: The Meaning of Liberty
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PAPERS ARE DUE THURSDAY, APRIL 28. Hard Copies required… no electronic papers
will be accepted. Papers may be turned in during class or to my office by 4:30. Papers not
submitted in hard copy by 4:30 on Tuesday, 4/28/13, will be considered late.
Week 15: May 3/5: Student Presentation of Papers
Week 16: Finals Week, May 9-13
Final Exam is due to my office by Tuesday, May 10, before 3:00. This time corresponds to the
final exam time for our class (Tuesday, 1:00-2:50). You may turn your exam in early, however,
a Hard Copy is required – no electronic submissions will be accepted.
Paper Assignments Overview
1. Paper Topic – Due no later than Friday, March 4, 4:30. May be emailed to me as a
Word attachment.
This should be a short paragraph in length (4-10 sentences). I am more than happy to help you
settle on a paper topic, but here are a few things to help you get started.
 What topic related to reproduction and politics really piques your interest? For
instance: Adoption? Reproductive technology? Abortion? Race? Poverty? LGBT
and reproduction?
 More than likely, your answer is something too broad to write a paper on. So, let’s
narrow it down.
 Is there something specific about that topic you’d like to discover or learn more about
in your research? For instance, if you answered “surrogacy,” then you could narrow
it to a comparison of the policies between two states, such as Florida and California,
or compare the legality of surrogacy in the US to some other country, like India. Or,
you could look at the use of surrogacy by gay couples.
 You can also take a theoretical approach to your topic… sort of an “ideas” paper.
This could be something like whether or not surrogacy is an abuse, or an
empowerment, of poor women. This is not an opinion paper… it has to be grounded
in theory. I can help with that.
 The more narrow your topic, the easier it will be to write a 10-12 page paper.
Otherwise, you’ll be overwhelmed with information.
2. Bibliography – Due no later than Friday, April 1, 4:30. This may be emailed to me as
a Word attachment.
This is simple…
 Provide at least 10 sources that you may use in your paper.
 While you may certainly use sources that were assigned in class in your paper, at least ten
sources in your bibliography must not have been assigned in class.
 Five of the ten sources have to be academic articles or books, rather than from just
webpages or journalistic sources.
o Note… academic articles can be accessed through the Internet, but the source
itself is the article published by a journal, rather than, for example, an
organization’s website.
o The databases on our library’s website, such as JSTOR, will be helpful for
academic journals.
 Your bibliography must be presented in an accepted citation style, such as MLA or APA.
 You are not required to actually use these particular sources in your paper, this just gets
you started on looking at what resources are out there on your topic.
 If you can’t find any sources, this is a good indication to start thinking of another topic
(but see me first!).
3. Paper Outline – Due no later than Friday, April 8, 4:30. This may be emailed to me as a
Word attachment.
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This is entirely for your benefit. It helps you organize your thoughts, and it makes it
easier to write the paper.
The more information you can provide in your outline, the better I can give you help, and
the easier it will be to write your paper.
It should look something like this (although the various entries don’t have to look just
like this):
I. Introduction
What is the main idea/goal of your paper. What do you hope to show in your paper?
II. Literature Review
What has been written about this topic? We call this a “literature review.” What from the previous
literature on a topic will you use to help discuss or explain your topic? These readings could be listed here,
A.
B.
C.
etc…
III. Your Research
What information will you provide specifically on your topic? Where is your information coming from?
IV. Findings/Conclusions
What are the things you will discuss in more detail? These aren’t things you necessarily know at this point,
but will be things you anticipate looking at in greater depth.
A.
B.
C.
V. Conclusion
4. Paper – Due Thursday, April 28, 4:30. This must be submitted in hard copy. If I do not
have a hard copy by the end of the day on Thursday (office closes at 4:30), your
paper will be considered late.
 Include a cover page, including your paper title and your name.
 Just staple pages; please do not use folders.
 Paper is 10-12 pages in length for undergraduates, 12-15 for graduates, not counting the
cover page.
 Pages should be numbered.
 Must be typed, double spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman)
 Do not include any headers, such as your name or course information, on your pages.
 Use 1” margins
 Cite sources.
o For undergraduates, use at least 10 sources, with at least 5 coming from academic
sources.
o For graduate students, use at least 15 sources, with at least 8 coming from
academic sources.