Essays
1. Using cases such as Furman v. Georgia (1972) and Gregg v. Georgia (1976), argue whether or not the United States should utilize the death penalty. Be sure to discuss how attitudes toward capital punishment may or may not have shifted over time.
2. What is the exclusionary rule? Beginning with a discussion of Weeks v. United States (1914), use Supreme Court cases to survey the development of and incorporation of the exclusionary rule. Use a minimum of two sources, one of which may be the textbook.
Your answers to the essay questions should be well developed and supported with references from Supreme Court decisions you have read about. Be sure to include the name of the case. For example, in an answer discussing the development of the equal protection clause you might include a discussion of the concept "separate but equal" put forth in Plessy v. Ferguson. In your written essay you might say: "In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) the Supreme Court established the concept of separate but equal. In that decision the Supreme Court defined separate but equal as. .". The point of the written assignments is to demonstrate what you know from your readings and to what extent you can apply this information to new situations.
Each essay should be at least 500 words in length (2 pages, double-spaced), using 12-point font, and in proper APA format.