Imagine that Julius Caesar had not been assassinated but had been put on trial, charged with abusing his power. Choose the role of the prosecutor or the defense attorney and write your closing argument to try to convince the jury of Caesar’s guilt or innocence. Use specific evidence (examples, details, quotes) from Suetonius’s Life of Julius Caesar, the textbook, and class notes to support your argument. While making your argument, note one piece of evidence that your opponent might try to use to make his case. After building this counter argument, undermine it to show that your opponent does not have a strong case. Your speech should be 1-2 pages typed, doubled spaced using Times New Roman 12-point font.
Sources to use:
Roman historian Suetonius’s Life of Julius Caesar (cite by either mentioning the author’s name in the sentence or by putting it and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence)
Word: Suetonius – Life of Julius Caesar.docx
PDF: Suetonius – Life of Julius Caesar.pdf
Citation example 1: According to Suetonius, Julius Caesar reduced debts for Roman citizens.
Citation example 2: Many people thought Julius Caesar was acting like a king when he had a statue of himself made and placed it in an area near the statues of Rome’s former kings (Suetonius, 2).
Class notes (do not need to be cited)
Textbook (cite by using the chapter number or author’s name and chapter number in parentheses at the end of the sentence).
Course Textbook
Citation example 1: According to the textbook, Caesar joined the First Triumvirate because he wanted to gain glory and riches from the spoils of war by leading armies to conqueror parts of western Europe (Chapter 8).
Citation example 2: After taking the powers of dictator for life, Caesar rewarded his soldiers with some of the land he had conquered (Brooks, Chapter 8).
Do NOT use internet sources for this project. This assignment is to be completed individually. If you need assistance, you may contact the instructor, use the writing center or work with a history tutor in the Student Success Center.
Assessment Items (and advice):
Thesis: create a clear and sophisticated statement for your argument in the opening paragraph
Evidence: provide multiple pieces of specific, historical evidence from ALL three sources of class materials (lecture notes, textbook, and primary source document) to support your points
Argument: demonstrate critical thinking skills by explaining your position clearly and convincingly and by indicating why an alternative position is not as strong
Citations: use quotation marks around quoted material, but limit quotations in favor of strong paraphrases; cite information taken from the textbook and documents
Mechanics of writing: organize your thoughts in a clear and logical manner; strive for proper spelling and grammar as much as possible
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