Class for December 6 is cancelled. Just prepare for the final class as described below.
Also, I will not hold office hours on December 7 or December 14. These are the only expected changes to my schedule.
On the last night of class, we will have our "final exam" which is actually a discussion/debate similar to those we've been doing all semester. The focus is on the short story by Susan Glaspell, "A Jury of Her Peers." To succeed, you must read, print, and bring this short story to class. The link is given a few posts before this one. Your arguments will not be strong unless you can quote passages from the text in support, so expect a low grade if you have no text to work with. The link is found in the post a few below this one.
There will be several questions debated. For each question, you must prepare to argue both sides. Only once class begins will I tell you which side you will defend. Of course, this is standard practice since any good argument always includes consideration of what the other side will say and how to rebut it.
This assignment is worth 20 points in total. It will proceed in three rounds (three questions). For each question, an extra 10 points go to members of the winning team (if they contribute at all to the discussion). Each student will participate as an arguer in two of the three questions, but will sit out as a "juror" on one question. The jurors are the ones who decide which team wins each round. Teams will be assembled randomly for each question.
Here are the questions once more:
1. From a moral (not a legal viewpoint), did Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do the right thing by hiding the evidence against Minnie? This question does not ask whether they would face legal repercussions for their actions (of course, they would). Rather, it is a question about morality. Argue whether or not you feel they should be punished for their actions, regardless of what the law actually is.
2. Assume for this question only that it is proven that Minnie did indeed strangle her husband to death. By today's legal standards (and you may want to do some research in preparation as to what those standards are) could Minnie avoid a guilty conviction regardless? By what arguments?
3. At the time this story was written, it was illegal for a woman to serve on a jury. Does this story build a case in favor of allowing women to serve on a jury, or does it build case against it? As part of answering this question, examine what the story seems to be saying about the differences in essential nature between men and women (the ways in which each is "better" or "worse" than the other). You should also do some research into what the phrase "jury of one's peers" means exactly, what is controversial about it, and what is significant about naming the story "A Jury of Her Peers."
