Your final research paper should be a work of high quality. Please be sure that you clearly identify a paper topic and submit it via e-mail to me by October 19, 2009.(Let’s hope you did this)  You may not have a clear theme, concept or point of view in mind by that time, but you must  have a fairly narrowly defined topic or issue. You should soon be developing a reading list and reading on the topic you choose. I will expect a written reading list or “works cited” on a date I will assign. Please keep the following in mind:

1) give yourself enough time!! Start !!

2) ask for help…see the library staff ASAP or arrange for a tutor. See the Writing Program as early as possible.

• be sure to properly cite your sources. In the past, this has caused significant problems. MLA format is the standard for SUNY Delhi. Check the class web site for links to research sources and for links to helpful articles on writing a research paper:     http://govt150.wordpress.com/

4) work with each other in discussing your topics and reviewing ideas or drafts of the paper.

5) Remember…be sure that your paper has a central theme or idea; e.g., an analysis of a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

6) the paper must be fifteen pages or longer. (This does not include endnotes, references, works cited etc.)  In reviewing the civil liberties topic, the issues or problems that it raises, and summarizing the analysis and your conclusions, you will need a substantial paper.

7) I will read only legible, word-processed drafts of your paper. The due date is December 7, 2009.

write the paper in your own well-chosen words…I do not want pages of quotations from your sources. However, your tone must be academic-not colloquial. Originality counts!!

9) plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment and the class.

10) No Late Papers Will Be Accepted!!

The instructor may be reached via email at:

lennyesq@hancock.net

November 30, 2009 is the final date to hand in short written assignments!!

Hand in any prior assignments you are missing. This includes assignments you were given an opportunity to redo. It is better to have a low grade with a penalty for lateness, than to receive a “0″.

REMINDER: YOUR RESEARCH PAPERS ARE DUE AT 6:00PM, MONDAY, DECEMBER  7TH, 2009.

You should now have completed your research and be finishing writing your paper.

Finish reading Chapter Six of Sullivan, the required text.

Hand in your 3rd Short written assignment.

Hand in any prior assignments you are missing. This includes assignments you were given an opportunity to redo. It is better to have a low grade with a penalty for lateness, than to receive a “0″.

REMINDER: YOUR RESEARCH PAPERS ARE DUE AT 6:00PM, MONDAY, DECEMBER  7TH, 2009.

You should now have completed your research and be writing your paper.

The Human Rights Watch organization has written this report, which talks about the difficulties faced by patients in major cancer hospitals across India. Released in October 2009, this 102-page report takes an investigative look into the pain treatment situation in these hospitals. The report identifies three key obstacles to improving the availability of pain treatment and palliative care, including restrictive drug regulations and the failure to train doctors about pain treatment methods. Visitors will find that the report is divided into several major sections including “Palliative Care and Pain Treatment in India” and “The Plight of Patients”. Additionally, interested parties can also view the appendices attached to the report. An online slide show and a video feature round out the site.

[JURIST] Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri [official profile] vetoed legislation [text, PDF] on Tuesday that would have allowed domestic partners, including those in same-sex relationships, to claim the body of their partner and to make funeral arrangements. Neither domestic partnerships or civil unions are recognized in Rhode Island, and the bill would have required that a same-sex partner produce documentation establishing the nature of the relationship, such as proof of a joint bank account, mortgage, or car registration, and that the relationship had lasted for a year or longer. In his letter to lawmakers [text, PDF] explaining the veto, Carcieri said:

This bill represents a disturbing trend over the past few years of the incremental erosion of the principles surrounding traditional marriage, which is not the preferred way to approach this issue. If the General Assembly believes it would like to address the issue of domestic partnership, it should place the issue on the ballot and let the people of State of Rhode Island decide.

The sponsors of the bill, Senator Rhonda Perry and Representative David Segal [official profiles] have promised to push for an override [AP report] of the veto in the state legislature, where Democrats hold enough seats to make that possible.

The veto of the burial rights bill comes amid a larger battle in Rhode Island over same-sex marriage, which, according to a Brown University poll [press release], has the approval of 60 percent of registered voters in the state. Rhode Island and Maine remain the only two states in New England that do not recognize same-sex marriage. Advocates for same-sex couples have been met with mixed results over the last few years. Legislation to legalize same-sex marriage was vetoed in Maine [JURIST report] last week, but similar legislation was successful in New Hampshire and Vermont [JURIST reports] earlier this year. Legislation to the same end was passed [JURIST report] by the New York State Assembly in May, but has since stalled in the state senate. In April, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned [JURIST report] that state’s ban on same-sex marriage, following the supreme courts of Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts [JURIST reports]. Last November, California voters approved Proposition 8 [JURIST report], making California the first state to outlaw same-sex marriage after legalizing it.