Welcome to your essay on the Communist Manifesto!
According to Marx and Engels, how were the Bourgeoisie able to rise to power, and more importantly, maintain that position of power? What role does the Communist Party have in relation to the Proletariat? Draw on specific examples from the book to support your argument. Use quotes sparingly and keep them short. Also cite with a page number every example you use.
As discussed in your textbook (and in lecture), ideology is more or less a coherent system of political thinking that helps us to interpret the world around us. Your assignment is to imagine that you are an author writing a Marxist newsletter. Using a Marxist interpretation, how will you explain ONE of the following issues to your readers?
| Free trade and the World Trade Organization |
| The War in Iraq |
| The Government Response to Hurricane Katrina and Plans for Reconstruction |
| The Bush Tax Cuts (past and/or proposed) |
How to do Part II: Whichever topic you choose, you are going to need to do some extensive Internet research to find out specifics. So, for example, if you choose Mr. Bush's Tax Cuts, tell me specifically which tax cuts you are referring to, what their effect was, offer a chronology of the cuts if relevant, who supports these cuts, etc. Your grade is going to depend on how intimately familiar you have become with these topics through your research.
The
Basics (or
"Tips for Writing a Good Essay")
Essentially you are writing two separate papers here, so don't worry if you can't find a way to make them flow. Part I is to show me that you have read and understood Marx, while Part II is to see how well you can apply Marx's theory to "real life" situations. Since Part II is as much a creative exercise as it is an intellectual one, don't be afraid to really get into the role of the Marxist Radical crucifying the bourgeoisie and warning of the revolution to come (but back up your rhetoric with facts!)
Introduction for Part II: Every paper has an intro that introduces the reader to what the paper is about. The best way to get a reader's attention is to have a good "hook" right at the start - a compelling fact, statistic, or anecdote or account relevant to the topic at hand; something that encapsulates the essence of what your paper is about.
Thesis (part of the introduction): Every paper has a thesis that says in one sentence what your paper intends to argue. Having a thesis that holds your essay together is vital, otherwise, it is just a number of disparate paragraphs that make no sense and seemingly have no purpose. But forming a thesis can be difficult (even for college professors!) So ask yourself a question first:
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What is so bad about the World Trade Organization? |
|
What is the real reason that the U.S. is fighting in Iraq? |
|
Why was the government response to Hurricane Katrina so slow and who will really benefit from the Reconstruction of New Orleans? |
The answer to your question is your thesis - which you will state in your first paragraph. Every paragraph that comes after that should in some way support your thesis.
Body: Within the body of the paper, you will support your thesis (position) with specific examples (evidence). Remember that each paragraph has a topic sentence (a mini-thesis) that states what the paragraph will discuss. When you are ready to discuss a different point, start a new paragraph. (A general rule is that paragraphs are 4-5 sentences.)
Conclusion: Your final paragraph should summarize your main points in the essay. Never bring in new evidence in a conclusion. But like an introduction, you can end with some sort of historical anecdote or account that sums up the paper and leaves the reader to ponder the powerful argument you have made.
Sources and Citations: You must cite specific examples from your research. But don't fill your paper with a lot of quotes (this is the lazy way to write a paper). Rather than use long quotes, paraphrase the quote in your own words and cite the source. When using a quote, keep it short! On a separate page give me a bibliography (I don't care what format you use as long as you are consistent). Remember that you MUST use a citation when offering evidence. Citations can be footnotes, endnotes, or indication of author in parentheses that correspond to your bibliography.
Plagiarism - Please do not attempt to plagiarize this paper. It is very easy for me to discover online by Googling suspicious sentences - and YOU WILL RECEIVE AN "F" FOR THE COURSE. Plagiarism is intellectual theft. Lifting sentences without quotation marks is considered plagiarism, as are paraphrased quotes without a cite.
Page Length: This report should be no more than 5 pages (plus a bibliography) and double-spaced with 1" margins. PROOFREAD and "spell check" your work as spelling and grammatical errors will affect the overall presentation of your essay - and thus your overall grade. A paper that is filled with grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors will NOT pass.
DUE DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 - IN CLASS (E-MAILED PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.)
Late policy: Papers are marked down 1/3 of a grade each day (including Saturday and Sunday) that they are late. Late papers are defined as those which reach me after class on the due date (i.e., a paper turned in after class is 1 day late).
Points: 250