Draft 4/28/14
Lorraine Doran
411 Lafayette St., Room 417
Email: lorraine.doran@nyu.edu
Office Hours: by appt.
We tell ourselves stories about the law everyday – in literature and film, journalistic accounts and internet debates. In this course, we will consider the judgments and values beneath those stories, and what relationship they bear to the way stories are told and evaluated by lawyers and judges. We’ll think about how fictional versions of legal ideals transcend the boundaries of the law itself, as well as how the law has evolved in its understanding of our rights and responsibilities. The narratives we will examine involve, among other things, civil rights, criminal justice, and civil disobedience. Though these are issues we can (and should) become passionate about, we’ll go beyond the opposing positions, and try to discern what our legal narratives tell us about ourselves and the times we live in. In other words: what do the ways in which we translate legal principles in literature and film, and debate them in the public sphere, tell us about the human condition? With the authors of these texts, we will work toward our own definitions of what is just.
Required Texts:
The Constitution of the United States
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek
The Central Park Five, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
Supreme Court opinions, statutes, essays, and short stories will be available on NYU Classes
Writing Requirements:
1.
Course blog: Our course blog will be a collaborative effort, a written conversation that will guide our in-class discussions and form the basis of your final paper. Over the course of the term, you will be responsible for writing five 1-page posts that respond to that week’s readings, focusing on specific lines of inquiry, themes or conflicts, discussing a connection to a larger social context or another text, etc. These posts will be as thoughtful, rigorous, and elegantly written as printed work, and you will submit printed copies of your blog posts. In addition, you will write at least seven thoughtful, substantial responses to others’ posts. These are, however, only the required elements of the blog; I encourage you to use this space freely to discuss your thoughts with one another.
2.
Final paper: This 10-page paper will explore, in greater depth, an aspect of legal storytelling that you began to consider in your blog posts. You will develop your idea for the essay over the course of the semester, and submit a proposal two weeks before the essay is due. There will be one required drafting conference with me,
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Draft 4/28/14 though I encourage you to otherwise meet with me to discuss your evolving ideas.
Your essays must explore and develop an original, complex idea in a coherent, compelling way; have a thoughtful beginning, middle, and end; and use pristine grammar, punctuation and citation format.
Other Requirements:
Presentations:
We will open each class with a brief presentation by a designated student responsible for one of that week’s blog posts. You will also give one 5-minute presentation on the subject of your final paper.
Attendance, Preparation and Participation:
This is a discussion-based class, meaning that what we learn is driven by your analysis of, and ideas and questions about, what you are reading and writing, so your attendance is necessary and mandatory. Documented medical conditions and the observance of religious holidays are legitimate excuses for an absence. See me about each absence—in advance, when possible. Please come to class prepared to discuss the readings/films.
Format and Presentation :
All submitted writing must be typewritten (12 pt font), stapled, page-numbered, and doublespaced with 1-inch margins. Handwritten work will not be accepted, except for in-class writing. Your work must be proofread and edited for misspellings and errors in grammar, syntax, and punctuation. The presentation of your ideas is as important as the quality of your ideas.
Grading:
Final Grade
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
35% Final essay
30% Blog writing
20% Oral presentations
15% Class participation and preparation
Essay Grades
A work gives the reader a positive impression of excellence in all listed standards.
B work gives the reader a positive impression of general superiority in all listed standards.
C work is average in each standard.
D or F work is seriously deficient in one or more of the listed standards
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The Writing Center:
You can make an appointment at The Writing Center, a consultancy service offered by the
Expository Writing Program, if you need help at any stage of the writing process. The
Center is located at 411 Lafayette Street, 4th floor. Keep in mind that the Center is not a proofreading service; rather, you can expect the consultants there to help you with the ideas you are developing in your writing. Appointments can be made online: https://nyu.mywconline.com/
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Tentative Schedule (additional readings TBD)
1/26
The Constitution of the United States, Amendments 1-10, 14-15, 18.
2/2
Melville, “Bartleby the Scrivener”
2/9
Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, part 1
2/16
President’s Day: No Class
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2/23
Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, part 2
Gladwell, “The Courthouse Ring: Atticus Finch and the limits of Southern liberalism”
Excerpts from the Code of Professional Responsibility
3/2
Wilde, De Profundis
Lithwick, “Extreme Makeover: The story behind the story of Bowers v. Hardwick”
3/9
Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S. 186 (1986)
Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)
3/16
Spring Break: No Class
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3/23
U.S. v. Windsor, 570 U.S. __ (2013)
3/30
4/6
The Central Park Five, directed by Ken Burns, et al
Didion, “Sentimental Journeys”
Coates, “Travon Martin and the Irony of American Justice”
4/13
Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek
4/20
Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
Jackson, “The Lottery”
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4/27
King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Toobin, “Edward Snowden is No Hero”
Cassidy, “Why Edward Snowden is a Hero”
5/4
Writing workshop
5/11
Readings and Farewells. Final paper due, in class.
Draft 4/28/14
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