FIRST PAPER (DUE MARCH 1ST) On Wednesday, March 1st you will turn in a hard copy
FIRST PAPER (DUE MARCH 1ST)
On Wednesday, March 1st you will turn in a hard copy of a typed, three to five page paper (double spaced, reasonably sized font and margins with page numbers) in which you will list the THREE (3) provisions of the Constitution (including the amendments) that you believe are the LEAST democratic provisions and explain why you believe those three provisions to be the least democratic. To fully explain your reasoning you will need to:
Define what you mean by “democracy.”
AND
Quote each provision of the Constitution you are discussing
AND
Separately explain for EACH provision you name why that provision does not measure up to the definition of democracy that you have provided. As part of that explanation need to explain whether the provision is wholly undemocratic or merely partially undemocratic, that is, you will need to explain whether it is completely at odds with the definition you have provided or if it fits certain elements of the definition but not others.
PLEASE NOTE: the Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times, and some of those amendments have rendered other parts of the Constitution null and void, e.g., Article I, section three’s provision that the senators of a state “chosen by the legislature thereof” has been negated by the Seventeenth Amendment. For this paper you should pick provisions that are CURRENTLY in force.
I would expect that papers would have a layout of this sort:
An introduction
The definition of democracy you have chosen to work with
The first provision of the Constitution you have chosen and your explanation of why it does not fit, either wholly or partially, your definition
The second provision of the Constitution you have chosen and your explanation of why it does not fit, either wholly or partially, your definition
The third provision of the Constitution you have chosen and your explanation of why it does not fit, either wholly or partially, your definition
A conclusion
Since you will be obtaining your definition of democracy from an outside source, you must cite your source AND provide a works cited page. You will, of course, also have to fully cite the provisions of the Constitution you use, e.g., “Article I, section 5,” and then on the works cited say The Constitution of the United States.
Your grade will depend on how well you explain your reasoning. There is no right or wrong answer for this; reasonable people can honestly come to different conclusions. Given this, your grade will depend on you demonstrating that you are being reasonable in your conclusions, that is, when I have read your paper, I should be able to at least say, “Well, I’m not sure I agree with them, but I can see how a reasonable person can believe that.”
In order for you to demonstrate you have a reasonable argument you must provide a definition of democracy and then explain why the provision of the Constitution does not measure up to the definition you have provided. Explain your reasoning thoroughly.
People often forget to do this because to their mind things just seems obvious, so why bother to point out something that’s so obvious? Here’s the thing, though: just as your reader (me) may not define “democracy” the same way you do – which is why you need to explicitly define “democracy”– they may not think the same way you do, so what is obvious to you may not be obvious to them.
I admit it: I am not telepathic. That means that when you assert something you can’t be sure that I will understand what you are thinking unless you explain it to me. For the best results, assume I’m a little slow, but not stupid; if you take me by the hand and carefully walk me through your reasoning, I will be able to follow along.
Again, the paper is due on March 1, 2023. I will be happy to discuss this paper with you and look over rough drafts any time up to and including February 27th, though I advise you start to work on it before then.
FIRST PAPER (DUE MARCH 1ST)
On Wednesday, March 1st you will turn in a hard copy of a typed, three to five page paper (double spaced, reasonably sized font and margins with page numbers) in which you will list the THREE (3) provisions of the Constitution (including the amendments) that you believe are the LEAST democratic provisions and explain why you believe those three provisions to be the least democratic. To fully explain your reasoning you will need to:
Define what you mean by “democracy.”
AND
Quote each provision of the Constitution you are discussing
AND
Separately explain for EACH provision you name why that provision does not measure up to the definition of democracy that you have provided. As part of that explanation need to explain whether the provision is wholly undemocratic or merely partially undemocratic, that is, you will need to explain whether it is completely at odds with the definition you have provided or if it fits certain elements of the definition but not others.
PLEASE NOTE: the Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times, and some of those amendments have rendered other parts of the Constitution null and void, e.g., Article I, section three’s provision that the senators of a state “chosen by the legislature thereof” has been negated by the Seventeenth Amendment. For this paper you should pick provisions that are CURRENTLY in force.
I would expect that papers would have a layout of this sort:
An introduction
The definition of democracy you have chosen to work with
The first provision of the Constitution you have chosen and your explanation of why it does not fit, either wholly or partially, your definition
The second provision of the Constitution you have chosen and your explanation of why it does not fit, either wholly or partially, your definition
The third provision of the Constitution you have chosen and your explanation of why it does not fit, either wholly or partially, your definition
A conclusion
Since you will be obtaining your definition of democracy from an outside source, you must cite your source AND provide a works cited page. You will, of course, also have to fully cite the provisions of the Constitution you use, e.g., “Article I, section 5,” and then on the works cited say The Constitution of the United States.
Your grade will depend on how well you explain your reasoning. There is no right or wrong answer for this; reasonable people can honestly come to different conclusions. Given this, your grade will depend on you demonstrating that you are being reasonable in your conclusions, that is, when I have read your paper, I should be able to at least say, “Well, I’m not sure I agree with them, but I can see how a reasonable person can believe that.”
In order for you to demonstrate you have a reasonable argument you must provide a definition of democracy and then explain why the provision of the Constitution does not measure up to the definition you have provided. Explain your reasoning thoroughly.
People often forget to do this because to their mind things just seems obvious, so why bother to point out something that’s so obvious? Here’s the thing, though: just as your reader (me) may not define “democracy” the same way you do – which is why you need to explicitly define “democracy”– they may not think the same way you do, so what is obvious to you may not be obvious to them.
I admit it: I am not telepathic. That means that when you assert something you can’t be sure that I will understand what you are thinking unless you explain it to me. For the best results, assume I’m a little slow, but not stupid; if you take me by the hand and carefully walk me through your reasoning, I will be able to follow along.
Again, the paper is due on March 1, 2023. I will be happy to discuss this paper with you and look over rough drafts any time up to and including February 27th, though I advise you start to work on it before then.