Your ISU is to produce a four paragraph essay (intro, 2 body, outro) that looks at a topic of international and Canadian national interests. It must reflect on the categories that we have covered in the basis of the course - Legal Foundations, Rights and Freedoms, International Law & Dispute Resolution and International Legal Issues. Each of these curriculum sections have a number of subsections that will allow you to define your topic and look at specific issues more in-depth. (See secondary handout.) They will also allow you to break up the research of your paper to ensure you are covering all potential aspects of the topic. You do not have to use all the sub-categories for each section. Utilizing the Concepts of Legal Thinking handout will help you to better outline your position on the topic and consider all angles.

Production Process

Once you have chosen a specific topic, you should produce a proposal that will outline your research and topic analysis.

ie: Creating a broad topic statement that can be honed to examine its aspects in relation to any one aspect of each of the five curriculum areas.

Broad topic: Canada's contributions to climate change.

Application of Curriculum Categories:

Foundations: Utilitarianism theory of law relating to production of what is necessary for society to be successful.

Rights & Freedoms: Rights of individuals to clean water & air vs. industrial production.

International Dispute Resolution: Canada signs multiple international climate treaties.

International Legal Issues: Carbon tax issues and international trade agreements.

Here you can see the application of each of the curriculum categories to the topic creating a further breakdown to fully examine the implication of the broader topic. No topic is a basic as it seems. The legal mind will break down the various aspects of the topic and consider how it is influenced by many different areas. Articles can be found that will help to support your opinion and points within each section.

What does it look like?

Your research essay will appear more as a research report however, you will have to take a defined position on the topic. In this way you are researching the broad topic but you are choosing an angle on which you will focus. With my above example, Canada's contributions to climate change damage the average Canadian's economic capacities. Now as I complete my research, I will focus on the effects of Canadian climate policy adversely impacting the abilities of the average Canadian to maintain their economic spending and saving power. So essentially, Canada's climate policy costs the consumer more with little gains. The reminder of the categories listed above have a more defined focus and any research I find will explore how climate actions have impacted the average consumer. Once you have found a topic you would like to research, it is not overly difficult to break down the topic into sections.

Your project will have an introduction with your main idea as the thesis and be broken into the four curriculum categories as your sections on a number of slides and the overall impact and your final opinion as your conclusion. You have to be succinct and informative, convincing your reader of the validity of your argument and your research. Include visuals or short videos where appropriate.

POSSIBLE TOPICS

1. Refugee/Immigration Laws in Canada