Consider some of the following questions as you construct your argument: What evidence was used to convict Syed?

Consider some of the following questions as you construct your argument:
What evidence was used to convict Syed?
How reliable is eyewitness testimony?
How reliable are our memories?
Were the police and attorneys (both prosecution and defense) conducting themselves in an ethical manner?
Did race and religion play a role?
Texts
Serial podcast by Sarah Koenig (Mandatory to use)
“How Many of Your Memories Are Fake” by Erika Hayasaki
“Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on Eyewitness Accounts” by Hal Arkowitz and Scott O. Lilienfield
“Interview with Elizabeth Loftus” from PBS Frontline
Requirements
Write a creative title for your essay.
You must have a clear and focused thesis statement that argues whether or not you believe there was sufficient evidence to convict Adnan Syed of murdering Hae Min Lee and what this says about our criminal justice system.
Include clear topic sentences for each body paragraph.
Include details, examples, and quotations from the texts to develop and support your argument.
Talk about complexities, and look at the gray areas—for example, you might not be able to conclusively say that Syed is innocent, but you do not believe he should have been convicted on the evidence presented.
Use your critical voice to argue how the sufficiency/insufficiency of the evidence and make a claim about the criminal justice system
Write a strong conclusion that summarizes the entire essay, highlights the significance of your essay, and includes some reflection.
Your paper must be between 1400 and 1700 words, typed using standard MLA formatting guidelines: double spaced, 12-pt. Times New Roman font, one-inch margins all the way around, complete header, page numbers
Main Goals
Focus your essay with a strong thesis statement that makes a claim about the evidence used to convict Adnan Syed and makes a claim about what his conviction says about the American criminal justice system
Effectively summarize ideas from the texts that support your claim.
Critically analyze how the ideas presented in the readings work to support your claim about Syed’s conviction.
Create organized paragraphs that focus on one main point and divide your analysis into manageable chunks for your readers
A few Things to Remember
You should write your essay for people who are NOT in this class and are not familiar with the texts. This means you’ll need to spend some time summarizing key ideas, defining any unfamiliar terms, and choosing short supporting quotations. This includes
Explaining the murder of Hae Min Lee and the conviction of Adnan Syed
Explaining the benefits/drawbacks of eyewitness testimony and memory
Supporting your argument of your own relationships and communication with ideas from the texts

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