This paper is designed to provide you with the opportunity to refine your research, organizing, writing, and analytical skills. You are expected to address one of the following prompts. The 1000-word paper must include an exposition of the thoughts of at least three philosophers covered in the course and your thoughtful analysis.
Investigate the philosophical foundations of human rights, contrasting early “natural rights” theories with more modern interpretations. Evaluate the universality of human rights, particularly with respect to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Are social and economic rights (articles 22-29) as vital as political rights (articles 3-21), and how do they contribute to a just and equitable society?
Political Theory Essay Guidelines
The theoretical issues, rather than empirical facts presented independently, are most important. Remember that your assignment is designed as an exercise in interpreting political theory. Emphasize the theoretical aspects of your answer. Empirical material such as historical details and statistical data should support your answer where appropriate. Still, aiming primarily to demonstrate your ability to argue coherently and effectively within well-defined theoretical frameworks would be best.
Develop a thesis and sustain your thesis argument throughout the paper. Each essay should be organized as a thesis emphasizing a conceptual idea rather than a summary of the texts or a general theme. Take a position, state clearly your position, and then mobilize textual references to convince your reader that you are right and have approached the question in a fair-minded and thoughtful manner. Essays not built on a thesis summarize the text and wander from point to point.
Define your terms. Political theorists should aim to define terms with great precision. Political theorists contribute to the study of politics by shedding new light on the conceptual dimensions of critical political problems. As soon as you introduce a term into your essay, you should define it very clearly.
Put your analytical voice at the forefront throughout the essay. Emphasize your informed argument. The political theory essay is never just a research report that collects quotations and strings them together; we want evidence that you have done the appropriate reading and are thinking independently and creatively about the text.
Always remember that the essay is an academic mode of discourse. Do not use the words, phrases, and arguments you would use in other contexts, such as e-mail, your journal, conversations with friends, journalistic articles, or an address to a political rally. In political theory writing, the more you strike a thoughtful and scholarly tone, the more your reader will trust your judgment.
Use the non-expert scholar figure as your target audience. Write your paper as if you will submit it to a professor who studies politics but is not an expert on the material you are dealing with. This will remind you to use any complicated terminology sparingly, define all key terms thoroughly, and avoid taking the meaning of complex debates and issues for granted.
You should meticulously edit your paper and eliminate spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
Attach a works cited/bibliography with every source you consulted while conducting your research and writing the paper. You may use APA or MLA format. You should include the political theory textbook and at least three additional academic references.
The paper must be submitted to Turnitin.com via Canvas by the due date; no email submissions will be accepted.
The paper is due on Sunday, May 19th, at 11:59 pm. Deadlines are meant to ensure that each student receives fair and equal treatment. No late papers will be accepted.
