ASSIGNMENTS
Below, there are five assignments that are listed in detail for your convenience.
Celebrated Case Assignment #1 (Non-Supreme Court) – 30 points (2/1)
For this assignment, you are to choose a celebrated case that captured media and national
attention in the United States in the last 100 years. There are hundreds of these cases, so do not
just pick the obvious few. These celebrated cases were in the spotlight, splattered all over the
front pages of newspapers and the top story on the nightly news (an example of a celebrated
case is the OJ Simpson case, therefore you cannot use that case for this assignment). Once you
have chosen a case, you are to write a brief summary about the case and why it was important.
In your summary, you should include the facts of the case (summarized of course), the outcome
of the case, and why the case was important. In addition, you should think about including a
discussion regarding the media attention given to the case. Make sure that this case is a nonSupreme Court case. The assignment should be two to three pages typed, is worth 30 points,
and is due on Thursday, February 1st.
Celebrated Case Assignment #2 (Supreme Court) – 30 points (3/1)
This assignment is much like your first celebrated case assignment. However, for this
assignment, the case you choose should be a Supreme Court case (it may be a little more
challenging but there are still plenty of high-profile Supreme Court cases). This is a celebrated
case that generated a lot of media attention but also must have made it to the Supreme Court
(meaning the Court heard the case). You will be completing this assignment in the same fashion
as the first. This assignment should be two to three pages typed, is worth 30 points, and is due
on Thursday, March 1st.
Obscure Case Assignment – 25 points (4/3)
The assignment is similar to your celebrated case assignments. However, instead of choosing a
celebrated case, you will be choosing an obscure case that has striking appeal to you (for
whichever reason you choose) but is relatively unheard of (meaning, if this case has been heavily
covered in the media, then it is NOT suitable for this assignment!). You will be completing this
assignment in the same fashion as your celebrated case assignments. In addition however, you
should include why this case was interesting to you and why you chose it. This assignment
should be two to three pages typed, is worth 30 points, and is due on Tuesday, April 3rd.
In addition, for the three case assignments, each student will be placed into a randomly
generated group. One third of class will briefly discuss their case for celebrated case assignment
#1, one third of the class will briefly discuss their case for celebrated case assignment #2, and
one third of the class will briefly discuss their case for the obscure case assignment. When
discussing your case, it can be done from your seat in the class. All you need to do is briefly
mention the name of the case, the facts surrounding the case, and the outcome. You should
have an understanding of the case though, as there may be follow-up questions from the
Instructor or fellow classmates. Be prepared. The discussion part will consist of 10 points,
making the maximum value for the three assignments 100 points.
Video #1 Questions – 10 points (2/6)
We will be watching the A&E Documentary, “Why Michael Jackson Won.” This documentary
looks at the summer 2005 child molestation case of Michael Jackson. Before we begin viewing
the video, you will be given approximately 10 questions to answer as you watch. You will turn
these questions in at the conclusion of the video. This will be worth 10 points.
Video #2 Questions – 15 points (3/29)
We will be watching a special program on eyewitness testimony. This video looks at the usage of
eyewitness testimony in various court cases. The video specifically looks at how powerful
eyewitness testimony can be despite how inaccurate it sometimes is. Before we begin viewing
the video, you will be given approximately 10 questions to answer as you watch. You will turn
these questions in at the conclusion of the video. This will be worth 15 points.