Some quick notes.
1. Discussion of early outline drafts. The outlines are due September 27. So why do we want to discuss early drafts of outlines last Thursday, September 14, and next Thursday, September 21? This is for your benefit.
(a) The better your outline can be in focus ("writing with a purpose"), organization and flow, placement of examples and detail, etc., the easier and more efficient your research and writing will be, and the better will be the quality of your final product.SO: Please e-mail me by next Tuesday [September 20] a copy of whatever shape your outline is in by then. I'll put them up on our Web site so you can look at them before class, and we can put them on the screen at the front of the room during class. (Ultimately they'll be taken down. We'll only have posted the latest version of outlines, first final drafts, final final drafts, etc., as the semester progresses. So don't worry about that.)(b) Moreover, we want to have as much group participation and contribution to every paper as possible. This is a cooperative and collaborative exercise, not a competition. Everyone's grade goes up, and the professional return to everyone increases, the better is the group project. Some classes' Web sites get many more hits than others; I believe this is a function of the quality and utility of the papers.
2. Web site suggestions. Consistent with this collaborative approach, share with us Web sites that you find to be of special interest or relevance. This is not an additional assignment; it's just a byproduct of the research and writing you're doing anyway. Mostly these will, of course, deal with your own topic. But if you come upon an especially good site relevant to someone else's topic send it along too. You can send these to me by e-mail if you wish.
3. "Bibliography" of Web sites. I have started our categorized, annotated bibliography of Web sites. Web sites that you provide will be credited to you there (probably by initials). It's pretty sketchy at this point, but I plan on adding to it from day to day. You might want to give it a look. Feel free to use any of these documents/sites you find useful and relevant for your paper. But, of course, the primary credit you get for that portion of the grade reflecting the thoroughness of your research on your paper will be for the material you find on your own.
You will find it as a link ("The Fall 2000 ELP Bibliography") from our main seminar Web page <http://www.uiowa.edu/~cyberlaw/elp00/>.
Nick