SHORT ANALYTICAL PAPER GUIDELINES

General Requirements

You will write three short analytical papers for this course (the first is due on October 4th). Each paper
will be on a specific set of readings. For instance, the first paper will derive from the early readings on
the political theorists. Each paper must show not only a solid understanding of the readings but also
exhibit an ability to see analytical connections between ideas, concepts, and thinkers. Ideally, the papers
will also show a facility for seeing relationships between the readings and contemporary events and ideas.
The following are possible paper topics for the first set of readings:

• Comparison of the ideas of Plato and Aristotle on democracy and the potential for human beings
  to rule themselves.

• Examination of Plato’s ideas on democracy and their application to today’s American democracy
  or democracies around the world.

• Analysis of Hobbes’ views on human nature and the need for strong monarchical rule and
  comparison to modern day domestic or world politics.

• Critique of Rousseau’s ideas of government and an assessment of their applicability today.

  These are only a few of the many possible topics for the first paper. Notice that you may pick only one
  theorist to address, although you may want to compare two or more of them. (Similarly, your second and
  third paper will focus on chapters in our text. You may choose one particular chapter on which to focus
  or, where applicable, discuss more than one chapter.) However many theorists (or, later, chapters) you
  choose, it should be clear from the paper that you have not only read the texts carefully, but have spent
  significant time considering the subtlety and sophistication of the ideas. Although an analytical—rather
  than a research—paper, the expectations for the paper in terms of form and substance are nonetheless
  high. See the opposite side of this sheet for a discussion of “standards” expected for papers.

  Specifics

  Each paper should be roughly 6 pages in length, double-spaced. (No egregious font/spacing
  manipulations, please.) You do not need to consult any sources outside of our class readings. However, if
  you do quote or reference our class readings, provide a citation so I know to what source you are
  referring. Naturally, if you use sources outside of our class readings, you MUST provide citations.
  Otherwise, plagiarism will be a potential problem (see below for more on plagiarism).

  When you cite particular sources, you should follow the APSA style, i.e., in-text citations with a
  bibliography for all sources used or consulted. See the following link on Towson’s website for guidance:
  http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/help-guides/apsa-citation-style-guide. 

  books are:

  Thucydides’ History of Peloponnesian War

  Plato’s Republic

  Aristotle’s Politics

  Hobbes’ Leviathan

  Locke’s Second Treatise

  Rousseau’s Social Contract

  Mill’s On Liberty