I. Course Objectives

This course is intended to provide a thorough review of the death penalty as a legal practice in the United States today. The course will emphasize:
1. the historical use of capital punishment.
2. the legal process followed to impose death sentences today.
3. confinement conditions leading up to the execution itself.
4. the philosophical, political, legal, and social contexts within which the death penalty is applied.
5. the nature of the selection process used to determine which defendants get death sentences.
II. Texts

Required texts:
Lane Nelson and Burk Foster. Death Watch: A Death Penalty Anthology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.
Mary E. Williams, Editor. The Death Penalty: Opposing Viewpoints, 4th edition. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002.

Supplementary texts:
Ernest J. Gaines. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. (Also available in hardback.)
Sister Helen Prejean. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. New York: Vintage Books, 1993. (Also available in hardback and in various paperback reprints.)
Ivan Solotaroff. The Last Face You'll Ever See. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. 

III. Outline/Reading Assignments (see detailed "Course Outline")

Part I. The Death Penalty: History and Issues
Death Watch: 13, 14, 16, 5, 6, 15
Opposing Viewpoints: pp. 16-59, 61-108, 110-192

Part II. The Death Penalty: Legal Process and Execution
Death Watch: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 12, 21, 22

IV. Grading

The course grade is made up of a total of eleven 100-point grades:
1. Two major exams (each covering one part above) worth 100 points each. The exams will covereverything done in class--readings, discussion, videos, speakers, extra handouts--in that bloc of the course. 
2. A final exam made up of two separate parts worth 100 points each. One part will be an in-class essay exam and the other will be an objective (multiple choice and fill in the blanks) exam. 
3. Optional book projects, as described below, on one or more of the supplementary texts listed above. Each book project is worth 100 points.
4. Video journal. If all goes as planned, nine class sessions will feature death penalty videos of various lengths. The journal should be a brief critique of these videos--good and bad, interesting or not. It must be double-spaced, computer printed or typewritten. Discuss the videos in the order they were shown in class. Conclude with a paragraph listing your three most favorite and least favorite videos, with a brief explanation of your choices. For full credit, you must discuss at least eight of the nine videos.
5. As described in "Optional Projects" below, each student can choose one or more optional projects, worth 100 points each (no more than one from any single category). These projects all require written work in one form or another. Each paper has a different due date, as noted at the end of the syllabus. Any papers turned in late will be penalized at least a letter grade (10 points).
The course grade will be calculated using seven 100-point grades. The seven grades will be averaged according to this scale:
A = 90-100
B = 80-90
C = 70-80
D = 60-70
F = Below 60

Extra credit points. At the end of the semester, extra credit points (if earned) will be added to each student's grade. These points can be earned in several ways, as described on the "Extra Points Calculation Sheet" distributed to all students. All extra point assignments are open to all students, and some record must be kept of attendance or participation. Do not ask about individual projects that you might do that would not be open to other students.

V. Book Projects
Each student can choose to complete one or more book projects on the three supplementary texts listed above. Each project basically requires the student to read the book, complete a one-page critique form, and on a specified date late in the semester take in class a multiple choice test on the content of the book. The critique form and the test added together are worth 100 points, the same as a test grade. All the book tests and critiques will be scheduled for the same class day at the end of the semester. A student can choose to do one project, two projects, three projects, or none at all.

VI. Class Policies

1. Students are expected to attend class regularly. Roll will be taken each class day.
2. For class attendance, an excused absence is one of two types:
a. University business. Taking part in a University-sponsored event, such as a field trip, athletic event, or some other kind of scheduled activity beneficial to students.
b. Personal business. Sickness, family emergency, work, or other personal problem.
For either type of absence to be excused, the student must present the professor with written documentation signed by higher authority (coach, employer, doctor, professor, dean of students office, etc.) verifying the reason for the absence. Any absence without documentation is considered unexcused. For this class, no more than one absence can be fully excused; any beyond one will be taken into consideration in calculating the class participation grade. Excused absences must be corrected as they occur; do not wait until the end of the semester to try to correct this.
3. If you come to class, arrive on time and plan to stay for the whole period. Avoid being late for class, and do not plan to leave early, unless by prior arrangement with the professor.
4. Do your own work.
5. No make-up exams will be given except when the professor was notified of the absence by the day of the missed exam. Make-ups must be taken before exams are returned and discussed in class. No one will be allowed to take more than one make-up exam.
6. Emergency evacuation procedures. Any students who anticipate needing emergency assistance of any sort, including assistance in evacuating the building, should identify themselves to the professor.

VII. Optional Projects

You can ignore the projects listed here, or you can do one or more of them as you choose. Follow the instructions for each separate project. All papers submitted must be double-spaced, typewritten or computer printed. 
1. "Innocent People." Innocent men and women are sometimes given death sentences and occasionally even executed. This project requires you to find three defendants who were given death sentences in error (or at least are commonly said to have been "innocent"). How did these people come to be wrongfully convicted? Briefly describe the processing of each case and identify the errors that were made leading to the wrongful conviction. This report should be at least 1,500 to 2,500 words long (6 to 10 pages). A separate bibliography page of references is required.
2. "Death Penalty Film Series." Many films have been made about the death penalty, death row and the execution process. This semester eight of these films will be shown on Tuesday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. in Mouton 210. To complete this project, the student would need to view and write about six of the eight films. The paper is a comparative paper; each film should be briefly discussed and compared to the others. This paper should be at least 1,500 to 2,500 words long (6 to 10 pages). Any extra films viewed beyond the six required can be counted for the extra credit points, at one point each.
3. "Term Paper." On a topic approved by the professor no later than the class meeting of September 28, the student will write a 1,500 to 2,500 words long (6 to 10 pages) term paper. The paper must relate in some way to death penalty history, issues, legal process, or execution process. It needs to be specific, well-focused, thoroughly researched, and neatly presented, including a page of references.

VIII. Dates of Exams and Dates Papers Are Due:

September 28 Exam 1
October 12 Innocent People Paper
October 26 Term Paper
November 2 Death Penalty Film Series Paper
November 16 Exam 2
November 23 Video Journal
November 30 Book Tests and Critiques
December 7 Final Exam Parts 1 and 2