Q Analyzing Language Paper The goal of this paper is to analyze how language is used in the legal system and to apply ideas that we have learned in this class to a particular legal case. You may focus on police interrogations or courtroom interactions. 1. Choose a criminal or a civic case. You can pick a real case or a case from a movie or television show. a. If you choose a real case, be sure it is one that you are able to watch videos of the trial on youtube. Some options are: the OJ Simpson trial, the William Kennedy trial or the George Zimmerman trial.. b. If you want to pick a civic case, you can choose a TV court shows like Judge Judy, Judy Mathas, The People’s Court. You can also find these shows on television or on Youtube. c. If you want to pick a fictional trial, here are some options: Law & Order, Suits, The Practice d. If you want to pick a movie, some options are: 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Verdict, Presumed Innocent, Primal Fear, A Time to Kill These are only suggestions. You can also find another legal case that is not listed here. If you are not sure if the one you want to focus on is ok, just email me and ask. 2. Transcribe a 3-4 minute segment of the trial (or police interrogation). A transcription is a word-by-word record of what is said. 3. Analyze the transcription. What kinds of questions are used; what are the strategies used; are there any misunderstandings? 4. Refer to at least one reading we have done in the course and apply the reading to the case you are studying 5. Write a 5-6 paper* including the following: a. Introduce the trial or police interrogation (provide the background) b. Transcription analysis c. Your thoughts, opinions about what you read/saw about the language in this particular case d. Final concluding thoughts *Your 3-4 minute transcription should be attached to your paper, and does not count for the paper length requirement. Assessment Yes No Unclear Does the paper include a transcription? Does the paper analyze the language used in the transcript? Does the paper include a thesis (a sentence or two telling the reader what the paper is about)? Does the paper provide a background to the case being discussed? Does the paper use at least one reading from the course to analyze the language use? Does the paper show attention to language? (Is the vocabulary and grammar appropriate?) Is the paper 5-6 pages long?