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=**//Is Marcus Bru //****//tu //****//s guilty of the murder of his friend, Gaius Julius Caesar? Or were his actions justified? //**=

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This is the very issue that you will be arguing before the Supreme Court of Rome. In a few weeks Room 108 will be transformed into Rome's highest court, with the Honorable Judge Nienaber presiding. =====

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In this project you will be assigned parties to represent in the case of //The Republic of Rome VS. Marcus Brutus.// You will be required to research and argue this case before Judge Nienaber and a jury of Brutus' peers. Your argument will take the form of a closing statement, in which you will argue the guilt or innocence of Marcus Brutus. In order to effectively make your case, you will need to know not only the facts of the case //(The Tragedy of Julius Caesar),// but also the history of this bloody conflict, including Caesar's alleged ambitious ways. This project will require outside research on the history of the Roman Republic in the days of Caesar and Brutus, as well as interpretations of the words and actions of these individuals from Shakespeare's play. =====

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Your opposing counsel will be a member of another English 10 CP class (bells 3-5). You will conduct debates on the merits of your case via //the class Spruz network.// From these debates, you will be required to develop your closing statement. =====

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= = =**Minimum Project Requirements: **=


 * =====5 **//__IN__//** __DEPTH __ discussions with opposing counsel via class network. These discussions must present not only relevant and specific facts from the play, but also from your historical research. =====
 * =====Preliminary Draft of Closing Statement entered in your class network. Draft must contain **//__at least 5 detailed paragraphs__//**: 1) Introductory paragraph outlining the overall theme of your case - thesis statement; 2) //at least// 3 paragraphs which include **//__detailed__//** supporting evidence for your case - 1 piece of evidence with explanation per paragraph; and 3) a closing paragraph which ties all the evidence together and solidifies your case. =====
 * =====Peer editing of opposing counsel's statement following guidelines to be provided; plus an additional peer revision of your choice. =====
 * =====Works Cited page containing **//__at__//** **//__least three __//****//__(3) sources __//**: 2 book sources for each electronic source. =====
 * =====<span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium','sans-serif';">Final Draft of Closing Statement, typed, double-spaced at a 12-point font with 1-inch margins. Please no decorative fonts – use something easy to read. =====
 * =====<span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium','sans-serif';">Oral recitation of your Closing Statement before the court. Be sure to use your voice as a persuasive tool to effectively deliver your statement. Suggestions for oral interpretation to be provided (TBD). =====

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Medium','sans-serif';">Remember that the above represent the minimum requirements for this project, the completion of which will earn you a minimum average grade of 70%. You can improve this grade by going above and beyond these minimum expectations. **=====