The Short Writing Prompt

The body of the essay can be divided neatly into three parts, each needing a paragraph of moderate length:

(1) Why did American universities adopt affirmative action admissions policies in the 1960s and 1970s? What was the justification for these policies? (That is, what was the argument in favor of affirmative action policies?)

(2) Why did plaintiffs like Allan Bakke challenge these policies in the 1970s? What was the legal reasoning behind their challenges? (That is, what was the argument against affirmative action policies?)

(3) How did the Court rule on the issue of affirmative action in Bakke? What were the various factions on the Court arguing for? What was the Court's reasoning? And do you think that the Court reached the right answer in Bakke or not? (Why or why not?)

The essay should also include a brief introduction and a brief conclusion.