This is the full topic for my essay:
“Sentencing can be terrifying, because it’s a
very subjective exercise – there are all these objective parameters put in
place, but in the end it’s down to what one person thinks about another.” DISCUSS whether this is an accurate description
of what judges do when they sentence offenders in criminal cases.
GUIDELINES FROM MY TUTOR:
The Objective in writing the essay
All the topics above require you to write an “argumentative essay”. That means the essay topic presents you with a question that you are asked to answer based on the readings covered in class that relate to this topic.
This is not a research essay.
It does not require you to go beyond the material on this subject covered in class and on Moodle. The objective in the essay is for you to demonstrate that:
- you have understood the material on this subject we have covered in class, including the methods and results of empirical studies
- you understand where scholars agree and where they disagree on this subject, and how ideas about this topic have developed
- based on this understanding, you can form an opinion about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the expert writings and arguments on this topic
All the topics above require you to write an “argumentative essay”. That means the essay topic presents you with a question that you are asked to answer based on the readings covered in class that relate to this topic.
If you want to include additional material that is fine but remember:
- It is not necessary to go beyond the course readings.
- You must cover the material in the course readings related to this topic even if you include additional material.
- You will not get extra points for using additional material and you will lose points for not including all the relevant material from the course.