Answer one question from Part A and one from part B. Each of your two answers should take about 2 1/2 pages. The whole assignment should be no more than five pages total.
Your answers should draw upon class readings, discussions, and items that I have posted on the course blog. Where appropriate, you should also use outside sources.
There is no single right answer to any of these questions. The point of this exercise is to show that you have thought carefully about course content.
Part A:
1. Saul Alinsky comes to you in a dream. "I died in 1972," he says. "I don't believe in the afterlife, but here I am anyway. The publisher wants a brief afterword, which I cannot write because I am dead. So write the afterword for me. Name something in the past 51 years that would require me to revise my analysis. (It could be in politics, culture, or technology.) Explain, with specific reference what I wrote when I was alive."
2. Evaluate one of the following essays in light of class discussions and materials. Does the author miss anything important? What would a critic of the article's viewpoint say? Do you agree or disagree?
Part B:
1. In light of your own circumstances, and all other things being equal, would you prefer to spend the rest of your life in Texas or California? (You must pick. "Neither" is not an option.) Explain your criteria, and give specific reasons why one state meets those criteria better than the other.
2. Texas and California will have gubernatorial elections in 2026. Pick one state or the other, and explain how a candidate of the minority party could become competitive. That is, how could a Democrat mount a serious race in Texas? Or how could a Republican put on a serious race in California? (You need not identify a specific candidate, although it might help.)
I will not be able to read drafts.
- Assignments should be typed, double-spaced, and no more than five pages long in total. Use 12-point type and one-inch margins.
- Cite your sources with endnotes, which should be in standard Turabian format. The author's first name goes first.
- Endnote pages do not count against the page limit.
- Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you.
- Do not use ChatGPT or any other generative AI. Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism. It will result in a referral to the Academic Standards Committee. You do not want to start your college career this way. Important note: in many cases, generative AI will give you wrong answers.
- Return assignments via email or the class Sakai dropbox by NOON on Wednesday, December 13. Please submit them as Word documents, not pdfs or Google docs. I reserve the right to dock papers one gradepoint for one day’s lateness and a full grade for two or more days’ lateness. Early submissions are most welcome.
