CAPSTONE ESSAY

OUTLINE: Presentation of topic to classmates. Be prepared to defend your topic and sources. 

• A paper copy will be collected. Students who do not submit a paper copy and present their topic will lose 5 points from their academic grade.

Preparing an outline will help you organize information so that your essay makes logical sense to the reader, transitions smoothly from beginning to end and is interesting to read with a clear thesis statement, introduction, discussion and conclusion.  In the outline you will provide a brief synopsis of the topic you have chosen without going into a full discussion of the facts. Your outline will become the foundation of your capstone essay.

Cover Page: 

• Title of Topic,
• Your Name
• Date of Submission

Introductory Remarks: a brief overview of your topic

• a clear thesis statement which identifies the nature of the social injustice and the institution responsible for perpetrating the injustice
• a statement that identifies the minority or oppressed group most affected by the injustice
• some initial statistics that support the prevalence of this social injustice

Discussion: a short narrative of the social injustice

·         a brief history of this unfair practice – how far back can this injustice be traced

• identification of the minority/oppressed group
• a brief discussion of personal outcomes for those targeted by the injustice
• a brief discussion of the costs to society (financial, loss of talent or resources)

Summary: final remarks which will be the foundation of the conclusion of your essay.

• a brief note of recent changes in social attitudes/public opinion (negative or positive) regarding this injustice
• a brief note of current political movements or legislation that are having a positive or negative effect on the problem you have identified

Reference List and In-text Citation (APA): The required manual of style for this course is the only acceptable format for all assignments.

• See page 118-139 of the Hackers & Sommers Manual for information on the APA Reference List.
• See page 107-113 of the manual for information on in-text citations.

Final Notes

• Include a minimum of 3 scholarly sources.
• Scholarly sources are peer reviewed articles and are found in such sources as the Journal of Criminology, Sociology and Social Research, American Journal of Psychology, American Journal of Criminal Law.
• Consult the required manual of style for determining scholarly sources. Google scholar does not guarantee peer reviewed research. 
• You may use government websites for statistics in addition to your 3 scholarly sources, such as the Bureau of Justice or the US Census Bureau.
• Do not use sources more than 5 years old unless you are using information for historical value.
• Please use 12 font, double spacing and 1” margins.

The Injustice of the Trump Administration Zero Tolerance Policy

Introductory Remarks

Due to the zero-tolerance policy, thousands of children have been separated from parents and forced to sleep alone in detention centers for month on end. This has caused much controversy within our government and beyond.

Discussion A

· One sentence statement of the nature of the social injustice suffered

· The zero-tolerance policy from the trump administration is separating children from their parents and destroying families.

· One sentence statement of the institution responsible for perpetrating the injustice

· The department of state, homeland security, ICE, and the trump administration are crippling families by injustice deportations and invasions resulting in broken families.

· One sentence statement that identifies the minority or oppressed group most affected by the injustice

· Mexicans, seven countries from the Muslim ban and any immigrants coming through our borders are constantly oppressed and negatively affected due to this injustice policy.

· Statistics that support the prevalence of this social injustice

· “The government is separating 65 children a day from parents at the border.”

· “2,342 children have been separated from 2,206 parents at the US-Mexico border between May 5 and June 9.”

· One sentence statement on how far back can the injustice be traced

· United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the zero tolerance policy on April 6, 2018.

· One or two sentences on the personal outcomes of those who have suffered from this social injustice

· According to a victim from the separation policy, Yolanda de la Cruz, her child suffered from trauma after he was separated from his mother at the US-Mexico border.

One or two sentences on the costs to society as a result of the injustice suffered (financial, loss of talent or resources)

·

“The cost to operate a 400-bed temporary structure for a month at capacity would top $5 million, and the average stay for separated kids is nearly two months.”

Discussion B

Summary

· One or two sentence of remarks which will be the foundation of the conclusion of your essay.

· The trump administration zero-tolerance policy is immoral and not human. The separation of children and families is creating trauma and is raising the issue to mental health in our country.

· One or two sentence  note of recent changes in social attitudes/public opinion (negative or positive) regarding this injustice

· Hundreds and thousands of Americans have protested against the zero-tolerance policy. Many demand the abolishment of this policy to keep families together.

· One or two sentence note of current political movements or legislation that are having a positive or negative effect on the problem you have identified

· In response to the current inhuman immigration system, Senator Cory Booker introduced The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act which will restrict family detention and prevent the federal government from using resources to detain immigrants. In addition, the bill will also end the use of private prisons to detain immigrants.

Guidelines

Capstone Essay Outline

Due: March 20

· Presentation of topic to classmates. Be prepared to defend your topic and sources.

· A paper copy will be collected. Students who do not submit a paper copy and present their topic will lose 5 points from their academic grade.

Preparing an outline will help you organize information so that your essay makes logical sense to the reader, transitions smoothly from beginning to end and is interesting to read with a clear thesis statement, introduction, discussion and conclusion. In the outline you will provide a brief synopsis of the topic you have chosen without going into a full discussion of the facts.
Your outline will become the foundation of your capstone essay.

Cover Page:

· Title of Topic,

· Your Name

· Date of Submission

Introductory Remarks: a brief overview of your topic

· a clear thesis statement which identifies the nature of the social injustice and the institution responsible for perpetrating the injustice

· a statement that identifies the minority or oppressed group most affected by the injustice

· some initial statistics that support the prevalence of this social injustice

Discussion: a short narrative of the social injustice
· a brief history of this unfair practice – how far back can this injustice be traced

· identification of the minority/oppressed group

· a brief discussion of personal outcomes for those targeted by the injustice

· a brief discussion of the costs to society (financial, loss of talent or resources)

Summary: final remarks which will be the foundation of the conclusion of your essay.

· a brief note of recent changes in social attitudes/public opinion (negative or positive) regarding this injustice

· a brief note of current political movements or legislation that are having a positive or negative effect on the problem you have identified

Reference List and In-text Citation (APA): The required manual of style for this course is the only acceptable format for all assignments.

· See page 118-139 of the Hackers & Sommers Manual for information on the APA Reference List.

· See page 107-113 of the manual for information on in-text citations.

Final Notes

· Include
a minimum
of 3 scholarly sources.

· Scholarly sources are peer reviewed articles and are found in such sources as the Journal of Criminology, Sociology and Social Research, American Journal of Psychology, American Journal of Criminal Law.

· Consult the required manual of style for determining scholarly sources.
Google scholar does not guarantee peer reviewed research.

· You may use government websites for statistics in addition to your 3 scholarly sources, such as the Bureau of Justice or the US Census Bureau.

· Do not use sources more than 5 years old unless you are using information for historical value.

· Please use 12 font, double spacing and 1” margins.

Rev. 8/18 (fcr)

Guidelines for Capstone Essay

Due: April 18

· Written Assignment: 50 points

· Presentation: 1-5 Extra Credits at the Instructor’s Discretion

The distribution of justice in our society is not always fair and inequalities exist in relation to race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and age. Discriminatory practices and social injustices are inherent in the
major institutions
of our society: the workforce, educational system, criminal justice system, the legal system, religious institutions and the media. Social injustices have serious consequences on the life experiences of individuals.
This capstone essay challenges students from all three concentrations to discuss a current social injustice in the United States
.

Social Injustice vs. Social Problem

· A social injustice occurs when certain members of a society do not have access to an equal distribution of wealth and resources and are denied opportunities
by an institution
. Unfair treatment and denial of one’s civil rights may be based on one’s age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or religion.

· A social problem is behavior that has negative effects on an individual. Addiction, partner violence and child maltreatment negatively impact an individual and may have consequences for their family and friends.

Drawing from previous coursework and prior research answer
one
of the following questions that apply to a
social injustice
in our society:

1. Are all groups that become involved with the criminal justice system treated equally?

Consider
one

of the following issues and include them in your discussion.

· differential
rates of arrest and incarceration
among minority groups

· disparity in
sentencing practices
for minority groups

·
abuse
of racial profiling as a scientific tool

2. Illegal immigration is currently a major concern in the United States. Discuss
discriminatory practices that affect the undocumented
in the United States and the positive and/or negative
consequences
of illegal immigration on the undocumented and on society at large.

3. Do Juries reflect the diversity of local communities and protect an individual’s constitutional right to a fair and impartial trial? Please include the possible consequences of the current system of
jury selection
in your essay.

4. Does discrimination in the legal professions give rise to specific social injustices?  You may concentrate on either the legal or paralegal profession or compare and contrast both. Your discussion should address the following issues: 

· Differential rates in hiring practices, promotion, and pay scale among men and women. Is there a “glass ceiling” for women?

· In what other ways does discrimination manifest itself in the legal environment?

5. Choose a social injustice that you feel passionate about and present a proposal to your course instructor for approval.

Only two students can select the same question for numbers one through four.
Please use your instructor’s sign in document to select your choice. Once you select your topic, you will not be able to change that choice.

Include in your Capstone Essay discussion:

· Historical References to the social injustice

· The Institution that perpetuates the injustice

· The minority group most affected by the injustice

· The negative outcomes or personal consequences suffered by those who are targeted

· The
cost/s of this injustice to society

(financial, loss of human capital/resources)

· Solutions or alternatives to the problem/s that you have identified: new policies, legislation, social movements, public opinion

Students will be required to submit a 5-6-page essay on their
selected topic
. They must use
at least 3 recent scholarly sources as explained on page 21 of the Hacker and Sommers Manual. You may use government websites in addition to their scholarly sources to quote statistics. All sources must be cited in-text and students must submit a separate reference list.

· The APA Manual of Style required for this course will be the only APA source used to grade this assignment.

· All written work is to be typed using 12 font, one inch margins and double spacing.

· Please utilize grammar and spell check before submitting your paper.

· You must submit an electronic copy to Turnitin on or before the due date.

Students are permitted to draw upon research papers that they have submitted in previous course work. Prior work can be used as a
foundation to build their new research project
. Turnitin will determine how much of the paper is new material and how much is from former work.
More than 50% of prior work is unacceptable.

ESSAY FORMAT

· Please note that an essay is a continuous flowing paper.

· Your writing should reflect a sequential thought process.

· There are no section headers or sub-section headers in an essay.

· Follow the format instructions for the Analytical Essay on pages 69-73 of the Hacker and Sommers required manual of style. No other format will be accepted.

For help organizing and writing your Capstone Essay

Contact: The Center for Writing Excellence

Bohn Hall, 5th floor

PHONE: (973) 655-7442

EMAIL:

cwe@mail.montclair.edu

Rev. 8/18 (fcr)