This guide will help you identify and locate sources for your writing assignments.
Library-related questions? Please email me. I am here to help.
Judy Markowitz
judym@umd.edu
Essay I
Essays must:
- Make an argument (or arguments) in the format laid out in Anatomy of an Argument
- Be between 1000 – 1200 words (excluding quotes and bibliography)
- Make use of at least 3 scholarly sources from the textbook
- Be in APA format
Due dates: Feb 26, Mar 3, Mar 10, Mar 17, Mar 24, Mar 31
1) According to the Johns Hopkins University Corona Virus Resource Center Links to an external site., the US has experienced more Covid-related deaths than any other country in the world. Moreover, research shows that misinformation (incorrect statements), and disinformation (incorrect statements with the intention to cause harm) are partly to blame for this dubious distinction. (Gabarron, et. al.) Social media platforms have taken various steps to mitigate the effects of disinformation (henceforth, “fake news”). But the problem remains, and on some platforms disinformation spreads faster than real information
Should fake news be banned or regulated by the state?
2) What policy of multiculturalism (thin multiculturalism, differentiated citizenship, or recognition) should the US adopt? After arguing for a specific policy, illustrate with one minority cultural practice that the state should allow, and one minority practice that the state should not allow, if any.
3) If the state is to treat people who identify as men and women equally, should the state focus on the sameness or differences between them?
4) Should preferential hiring (as defined by Gutman) be a means to social justice between whites and non-whites? Is it not discrimination against white candidates?
Essay II
Essays must:
- Make an argument (or arguments) in format laid out in Anatomy of an Argument
- Be between 1200 – 1400 words (excluding quotes and bibliography)
- Make use of at least 4 scholarly sources NOT from the textbook (exceptions made for canonical texts)
- Be in APA format
5) Does global justice require treating fellow citizens and foreigners the same, like how Pogge claims, or does global justice require the prioritizing the claims of fellow citizens first, along the lines of Nagel, Blake and Rawls?
6) Do human rights actually protect universal human interests, or are they an expression of specific human values?
7) Make an argument in defense of democracy. your reasoning must address the fact of voter ignorance.
8) Who should pay the adaptation and mitigation costs associated with climate change?
Due dates: Apr7, Apr 14, Apr 21, Apr 28, May 5
