All students will write two 2-3 page Applied Political Theory Essays on a contemporary political problem, challenge, or issue facing American politics, government, and/or political culture that you relate to one of our course readings. Please note that these are not merely informal opinion pieces about your own personal viewpoints. They should be grounded in and build on ideas posed in the readings and discussed in class, and they should reflect reasoned and systematic analysis. The essay must be linked to at least one relevant text from our assigned course readings and include at least one relevant piece of textual analysis/evidence.
Format: The essays should 2-3 pages in length (double-spaced), with 12 point font and 1-inch margins. Your name and title should take up no more than two lines.
Due Date: The essays are due by the beginning of class on Monday, February 28 and Wednesday, April 20. Both essays should be submitted through Moodle.
Note: For the second op-ed essay you cannot write on somebody that you wrote on for your first op-ed essay. You must write on a different thinker each time.
Three Options:
1) Op-ed Essay: In this applied political theory essay, students should focus on one of the ideological traditions we have examined as a lens or framework for thinking about, evaluating, criticizing, and problematizing historical or contemporary issues, events, or problems. More specifically, use one of the works weve read to provide a novel understanding and analysis of a contemporary (or historical) political issue. For example: What do Roger Williams or Anne Hutchinson tell us about religious liberty today? Or, how might the writings of Phillis Wheatley or David Walker speaker to contemporary racial politics?
2) Rewrite the Classics: In this option, students should choose a specific work that we have encountered in class and attempt to rewrite it more contemporary language and in response to contemporary political problems. In the online example, Christopher Lebron has rewritten Frederick Douglasss Fourth of July speech to ask, What to the Black American, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day? There are several possibilities. Have fun!
3) Short Analytic Essay: In this type of essay, students should focus on analyzing a chosen text and making an argument about its importance for understanding key concepts in American political thought. You can analyze a particular theme from one of our readings. This could include several different approaches such as (although you are not limited to these approaches) your appraisal or critique of a particular political concept or an evaluation of a specific tradition of American political thinking. Examples: Does Paines call for independence fit into the liberal or republican tradition? Does Madisons vision of the Constitution promote or undermine democracy?
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