Western Legal Tradition

Paper #1

Due: Monday, February 19, 2001
Length: 3-4 pages (12 point type, double-spaced, standard 1" margins)

Topic

People obey laws partly because of coercion (fear of penalties) and partly because they believe that they should – that they have an obligation to do so. A government has legitimacy to the extent that people obey the law because they believe that they should. Compare the reasons why people in the U.S. today obey the law with the reasons why people in ancient times did so, considering the specific ways in which each of the governments establishes legitimacy and the extent to which each relies on coercion.

You are not expected to do any research beyond the course materials.

Grading

Papers will be evaluated on the basis of coherence, clarity, accuracy, and originality. Grammatical English is an important component of clarity.

Need Help?

* If you need help in formulating your ideas or understanding the assignment, see me or Donnel. We’ll review a draft, or help you develop your thoughts.

* If you need help with your writing, go to the Writing Center, 102 McCabe, or call x2829.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is representing someone else's language or ideas as your own. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited by the university and will result in disciplinary action. You must write your own paper. In your paper, identify all direct quotations with quotation marks and footnotes. Identify sources of information that you paraphrase with footnotes or in the text. Citations should indicate author, title, and page number; websites may be identified by the URL (http://...).