Paper 3: Comparing Max Weber
Your task is to write a two to three page paper comparing Weber’s analysis of one of the aspects of society below with the analysis offered by either Smith or Marx. (Do not discuss both Smith and Marx: only choose one.)
• Choose one of the themes below, and use it as the title of your paper.
• Your task is to explain how their different premises or starting points lead them to
divergent conclusions.
– Do not evaluate the two writers or argue that one is better than the other.
– Do not express your own opinion.
– Do not simply list a series of differences between the writers: show how their differences
stem from their premises.
• You should give equal weight to Weber and Smith/Marx, writing around the same amount
on each writer in each paragraph.
• Within each paragraph, you should discuss Smith/Marx before discussing Weber (as Weber is
usually responding to the earlier writers).
• You may reuse parts of your own earlier papers to discuss Smith/Marx, but you should be sure
to edit them so they fit this task.
• Use the outlines provided on the Powerpoint slides to help you:
– In your introduction, define and briefly discuss the term you are writing about, explaining that Weber and Smith/Marx both discuss this theme but differ in their accounts. Identify the basic reason for this difference, before outlining your paper as a whole.
– In your first body paragraph, explain the difference between Weber’s and Smith’s or Marx’s basic premise and method.
– Then move step-by-step to show how this foundational difference leads them first to disagree on how this theme is manifest at the level of the individual or of daily life; second, how this leads them to diverge further on the effects of this on broader social structures; third, what this means for their overall verdict on modern society,
– Remember to connect every step of the argument back to their basic premises.
• In the past, students have typically found questions marker with an *asterisk to be more difficult, but you will not be given extra credit for attempting a harder task.
1. Class.
2. IndividualAction.
3. *Power&Authority. 4. *Economy&Society. 5. *Religion.
6. *Socialchange.
