To make the course engaging for each student, you will select a legal topic to research in Weeks 3 and 5 of the course. Click HERE for complete instructions and a list of topics. Although you are not required to select the exact topics listed, you should select something closely related. Try to select a topic that reflects an issue that is related to a concern you have in your professional life. Consult with your instructor if you are unsure whether your topic is acceptable for the class.
Week 3 Deliverables
Introduction
Provide a short introduction to the topic. Provide some background about the topic selected and why it was selected. Include definitions as necessary. Use more than one paragraph, if needed. You will refine the introduction and background information when submitting the final paper in Week 5.
Literature Review
Conduct an abbreviated literature review related to the topic you selected. A literature review identifies information that is already known about a research topic. Although you will not conduct an actual research study in this class, a summary of scholarly information that has been written about your topic makes up an important component of your project.
For Week 3, locate two scholarly articles related to your topic. Summarize the articles in your own words and explain how they are related to your topic. Do not use published cases for this section. You must use scholarly articles from the South University Online Library. Legal journals may provide some of the best sources of information.
Laws and Regulations
Research and analyze one law or regulation related to the topic you selected. The information may require research of federal and/or state laws, as well as administrative agency laws. Summarize the information about the law or regulation you found and explain how it applies to your topic.
Cases
This week you will find one published case (lawsuit) that is related to the topic you selected. Summarize the case in your own words and explain how it is related to your topic. Provide a summary that includes the name of the case, state or federal court, issue, summary of events and ruling. Explain whether you agree or disagree with the court’s decision.
The following websites may be helpful in finding cases to use in the paper. You must read the actual case and not a summary found on law firm websites, blogs and similar sources.
FindLaw – Caselaw.findlaw.com Justia – http://law.justia.com/cases/
Public Library of Law – http://www.plol.org/Pages/Search.aspx Leagle – http://leagle.com
Open Jurist – http://openjurist.org