Legals Essay Help!

[phungies]

Hellloooo AN community! In preparation for the HSC, I'm trying to memorise paragraphs for my options essay and fit them to the question on the day. Its a little risky yes... but I was wondering if anyone could help me understand how to make linking statements to the theme and challenges since those are what the questions are primarily based upon! E.g. If the question was to ask about issues of non-compliance and compliance, how would you start it off?

[phungies]

Ah! Just another quick questiooonnn. For every paragraph, do we always have to have AT LEAST one legislation, case and media report?

[Karlamineeeee]

What do you mean about 'linking sentences'? As in trying to link to the question in the introduction, in body paragraphs, or just in general, throughout your essay?

And it should definitely be your goal to have at least one LCM per paragraph to support your claim and analysis!

[phungies]

Hmm.. I don't really know how to explain it, like... how do I make thesis statements for my options essays. Does that kind of make sense? Since the essays are going to be based on the themes and challenges, I want to have sentences memorised so that I can use them on the day. But the problem for me is that I don't know where to start off, like how can I address that specific question.

For instance, If the question for world order was something like 'Evaluate the influence of changing values and ethical standards in promoting peace and resolving conflict between nation states', how do I write a "thesis statement" for that?

Sorry if it sounds like a stupid question ):

[Karlamineeeee]

It's not a stupid question at all!! All questions are great questions if they help you or someone!

There was a post some years ago that described how to write a legal studies thesis: https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=164897.0

Before writing anything, I'd mentally organise what evidence/body paragraphs I would write and set my stance. This would help influence my thesis --> are values and ethical standards effective/ineffective in promoting peace and resolving conflict? In which ways (via international, domestic/regional or media responses, etc) are such values/standards effective? In your thesis, you could definitely say that it peace and conflict resolution is promoted to a varied extent, and within your body paragraphs to analyse and make a judgement individually on what extent.

For your world order question, possible body paragraphs/evidence would be to look at how:
     * The changing values/standards influenced the creation of the UN, the need for world order and other international treaties (bilateral/multilateral) --> international responses
     * The changing values/standards are influencing domestic/regional responses (law reform, ratification of conventions/treaties/other international documents, the AFP assisting Jakarta (as an example of attempts to promote peace and resolving conflict regionally)) --> regional responses/Australia's involvement domestically
     * The changing values/standards in media (e.g. Forbes' article about the ICC needing 12 years and $1 million to convict Thomas Lubanga Dyilo --> this would influence public opinion on the ICC's effectiveness, any media reports/protests that are for/against certain actions by nation states) and if such influential reports have made an impact on future decisions of the state (e.g. Brexit is what you could definitely use for an example of media and values/standards of society!)
     * The changing values/standards in NGOs (the need for ICRC's development in promoting peace and resolving conflict safely --> conduct of hostilities)

If you were to try and memorise a thesis statement for each theme/challenge, I would try and connect each theme/challenge to a chapter/topic in your textbook (e.g. influence of values/standards in relation to the R2P doctrine) and make a judgement on how effective that theme and challenge is in relation to the connected topic/chapter. If you want to write about multiple different topics (e.g. R2P, conduct of hostilities, the nuclear threat, etc) (and they have varying effects) in one essay rather than focusing on one, then you can say in your thesis that it's effective to a varied extent rather than siding solely with one level of effectiveness.

I hope that spiel made sense; that's all I can think of off the top of my head, and I hope this helps!! Good luck!!

[phungies]

Thank you so much! You're an absolute legend