Writing Assignment #1: Your Personal Political Philosophy
Details Checklist
Due date: Friday 8/29
Date assigned: Monday 8/25
- At least 500 words (one and 1/2 pages, double-spaced; two pages of handwritten)
- Name, date, and block printed in upper right corner
- Typed or neatly handwritten
- Academic formatting: double-spaced, 12-point font if typed
- Carefully proofread
- Ready to be read out loud in class
Write a short essay in which you outline your current political beliefs and where they came from, similar to the assignment that David Brooks gave his college students and described in his New York Times article, Children of Polarization.
In explaining your beliefs, consider the following questions:
- If you affiliate with a political party (Republican, Democrat, Green, etc.), which one, and why?
- Are there particular political issues that you care deeply about?
- What important local, national, or world events have happened during your lifetime that may have influenced your political views?
- Are there people in your life who have influenced your political beliefs? If so, how?
- What aspects of your personal life have shaped your political beliefs (such as your family’s financial situation, your religious background, political discussions you have had, an experience with prejudice, personal values you hold, a health- or employment-related event, etc.)?
- What do you think defines your generation politically?
- How, if at all, do you think politics will change when your generation is in power?
- What events do you think shaped your parents’ generation’s political beliefs?
Although this is a formal essay, you may approach it with a narrative frame. Weave in your personal experience, beliefs, doubts, stories you’ve heard, films you’ve seen, opinions of others, or societal views. You are encouraged to raise questions, not just provide answers.
What you write for this course becomes part of its public discourse; in a class read-around, you will read an excerpt from your paper. Keep your audience in mind as you write. Be interesting and thought-provoking.
This writing assignment is a chance for you to take inventory of your current political consciousness before you embark on a year of deeper inquiry.
Posted by Justin Wells : 08/25/2008