Your task entails crafting a 10-12 page (50 points, 25 percent of your overall grade). This paper presents an opportunity for you to weave together the central themes of the course in the context of a current political or cultural issue. You must analyze the concepts of at least two of the theorists or philosophers that we have explored throughout the course, essentially integrating their works into a contemporary dialogue.
These themes include:
Human nature and its relation to social, cultural, or political structures
Theories about the origins of social order
The concepts of liberty, justice, and/or democracy
The quest for equality
Any other theme noted by you and approved by me.
All papers should conform to the standards of conventional college-level writing, as described below. You are expected to draw solely from the sources utilized in class, with the exception of three additional sources, preferably contemporary voices, to expound upon the theme in question. The paper is to be your exploration of a current theme in light of the ideas covered in class. It is important to include the honor pledge at the bottom of your paper.
Standards for Conventional College-Level Writing
All papers should be documented using the Chicago Manual for Style Footnote Citation Method. If you need help, please consult the Writing Center staff and/or librarians.
Aim to make sure your papers are free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical problems.
A standard page of text in Microsoft Word should be formatted with 1” margins all around, using black ink and double-spacing. All paragraphs should be indented.
For consistency in this course, please use 12-point Times New Roman font.
Submit your work as Word docs or PDF’s.
Books used in the course:
1. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques (author), Cranston, Maurice (translator), A Discourse on Inequality ISBN 13: 9780140444391
2. Smith, Adam (author), The Theory of Moral Sentiment ISBN 13: 9781721142927 or 9780143105923
3. Weber, Max (author), The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism and Other Writings ISBN 13: 9780140439212
4. Marx, Karl (author); Engels, Friedrich (author); Jones, Gareth Stedman (editor/introduction), The Communist Manifesto ISBN 13: 9780140447576
5. de Tocqueville, Alexis (author), Democracy in America ISBN 13: 9780140447606
6. du Bois, W.E.B. (author), The Souls of Black Folk ISBN 13: 9781505223378
Please include at the minimum 6 quotes. Thank you so much!
