Students must select a topic pertaining to some aspect of public policy and law, and prepare a 10 – 12 page paper; not counting the title page, abstract, and reference section; describing and analyzing the topic. The paper should incorporate at least 6 scholarly sources to include at least two law journals. Please be sure to use the legal websites to find the cases. I would rather see your interpretation of the case than someone else’s. The paper is one way to gauge the student’s overall knowledge and understanding of the course subject material.
Please choose from the following topics listed below.
1. Write a paper on the doctrine of sovereign immunity–simply put the doctrine that the “king can do no wrong” or in our case the “government” rather than King. In your paper, explain what sovereign immunity means and how it works in practice. Discuss whether the immunity doctrines are obsolete and why. Suggest some possible alternatives to existing immunity doctrines.
2. Write a paper on sexual harassment in the workplace. How is it defined? What are the relevant laws? What about the case law? Is it easy to prove? Are the number of suits brought increasing or decreasing? Does it protect the rights of victims or is it an empty promise of justice?
3. Write a paper on the art of negotiation and how it influences the informal rule-making process in government. You can take this subject pretty much any where you like but make it clear that you have learned a great deal about how, when, where, and why to negotiate rather than to litigate or accept what is offered.
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