Mr. Bala= zs &= nbsp; LG300 &= nbsp; As= signment- Paper due 9/14 (Monday)

Like all scientists, political scienti= sts try to develop models and theories. A strong theory or model should highly predictive. Moreover it should be able to be replicated. In the social sci= ences replication can be difficult because society is always changing and evolving. Political philosoph= ers try to develop theories and ideas that help to explain and “improve” society. You’ve studied four; Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Their respective theories are in l= arge part based upon generalizations and assumptions about human behavior.

Strong theories should be cross-cultu= ral and universal. A good theory = is not anecdotal, applicable to only one or a few situations.

I. Read the below selections and then in an essay respond to the questions ask= ed below.

Below are four (4) different examples = of young people living in the U.S. or outside of the US. They are stereotypes, which means = that they don’t characterize the entire population but they are based off socio-economic information and give you a glimpse of life in four places in= the world.

1. = Nevaeh is an 17 yr old Caucasian girl living in “exurban” (not rural, but not quite suburban) are in Kansas. Her parents are fundamentalist Christians who’ve chosen to home school her. She is the middle child of five. H= er parents fervently believe that the Bible is the literal word of God, as a result they didn’t want their daughter taught about Darwin and the Theory of Evolution. The lo= cal school has a few Hispanic students (children of migrant workers) but everyo= ne else is caucasion. Many others in their community are= also quite religious and there are few people who are not Christian (and Protest= ant) in the community. The local C= hurch is often the site of community activities. Their community is very safe, pe= ople generally don’t lock their doors and while divorce and premarital pregnancy are not uncommon, the people in the community are generally helpf= ul of one another. Moreover whil= e some people are better off than others, the differences in income and wealth are generally not huge. Most peop= le in the community have a high school education, but few people are college educated.

2. = Malik is a 16 yr old African-American boy living in N= ewark, New Jersey. He lives in public housing, a group of 6, 20 story buildings. His mother grew up there as well, she became pregnant with Ma= lik at 15. He has 1 full brother = and 2 half-sisters. He’s met = his father but, his father hasn’t lived with his mother and they were nev= er married. His father has a cri= minal record. Many of Malik’s friends have similar families. = Despite efforts by the police and community to stop gang warfare, ma= ny young males join them. More t= han ¼ of the male population 20-35 is at any point in time involved with= the criminal justice system. Crim= e is common and the leading cause of death of a young male is homicide. Nonetheless police officers are co= mmon in the community though most people don’t trust them. There’s an unwritten code of= silence and police officer s (both white and black) have been known to have brutali= zed suspects. Malik goes to HS, but most people don’t graduate from HS and few people go = to college. More than 25% of you= ng males in the community are unemployed.&nbs= p; 70% of the students at Malik’s sch= ool are African-American and 30% are Hispanic.

3. = Osama is an 15 yr old boy living outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was named for= Osama Bin Laden before the 9/11 bombings, lots of other boys were given the name after 9/11. His parents have = sent him to a Madrassa to learn the Koran. He has older sisters who despite w= anting to go to school are not allowed, his younger sister was married off last ye= ar in an arranged marriage. Ther= e is a formal government in Kabul (the capitol), but it has little effect in this = part of the country where tribal leaders still seem to have the most power. There were recently elections, but= the Taliban (a political group) actually cut off the thumbs of people who voted= . In this society a woman who is rap= ed is expected to kill herself and thieves have their hands cut off. Most people eat bread and lentils = for meals and live in homes without indoor plumbing. Few are wealthy and few people hav= e an education beyond the 9^th grade.= Warfare has been a continual part of their society since the Russians invaded in 1979. More than on= ce his parents lived in refugee camps.

4. = Christina is a 16 yr. living in Copenhagen, Denmark.= She’s in HS and hopes to go to college. Her parents are not married but they’ve lived together since before she was born, she is an only child. They consider themselv= es Christian but Christina has never been in a chur= ch and knows little about Christianity, though the family does celebrate Christmas. Both her parents w= ork for the government. Christina= loves American music, TV and movies. Though she’s only 16 she already has a pierced nose and a tattoo. She’d like to l= ive in America some day for its “freedom” but worries about the crime. She intends to go to college, she’ll live at home. The cost of college is minimal because the government subsidizes it, likewise the government provides medical care and if Christina chooses to h= ave a child someday, the government will pay her a stipend so she doesn’t need to work. A pair of Levi’s cost about 40% more in Copenhagen than in the United States. Most people have one car that is a= bout the size of a smart car. Chri= stina rides her bike to most places or takes public transportation. When she works 40% of her pay goes= for taxes. When she buys somethin= g in the store the sales tax is 20%. The difference between those wealthy and poor is much less than in American society.

Assignment-

1. =

a. = Try to step in the shoes of each of the young people here and describe what you think might be their view of freedom, protection, leadership and government.

b. Which of the political philosophers that you’ve studied do you think each would most agree and explain= how you came to your conclusion. Which individual’s life seems most consistent with Machiavelli's theory of power, who seems to be an advocate for Roussea= u's idea of a social contract? Wh= at is the evidence of a Hobbesian world? Is the government that governs lea= st best (Locke)?

2. = What is your view of the nature of = man(woman)? Do you believe that people are innately go= od? Evil? Are people easily manipulated? How much does one’s environment effe= ct one’s view of the world and to what extent can education people? Which political philosopher do you= agree with and why? Which do you think is most incorrect? If you can, give a real life examp= le that you experienced that you believe may have lead you to your answers.

The paper should be a minimum of 2 pages and no longer than 3 pages. It is expected that your paper is typed/word processed, double spaced, no larger than 12 point font and w/1 i= nch margins.

You will be graded upon the following criteria:

Grammar and Spelling - Do the verb tenses match? Did you not only use the spellcheck tool, but also review the spelling yourself? <= /p>

Structure and Transitions - Do you have an introductory paragraph to allow the reader= to understand what to expect in the paper? Does one thought lead to another on= e in a well structured and organized manner.&nb= sp; Did you use transition words to help the reader follow the informati= on?

Facts and Analysis - Did you use relevant and accurate facts to support your analysis? Is the analysis clear and specific?

Conclusion - Do you make a clear conclusion and are your conclusions supported by the analysis?

Writers generally recommend that after writing a paper wait until the next day to review it. It is = also wise to allow someone else to read your paper before submitting it.

This paper will count as a Test grade for the first quarter.