Political Science 301, Fall 2011 Take Home Essay: Greeks Due Monday, 10/10 in class This assignment

t requires you to write an analytic essay on a central argument. Convey a good knowledge of the text or texts you select; part of what you are doing is showing the reader you have a strong understanding of the readings. One of the most important aspects of your paper is your thesis statement. Make sure you have a clear thesis statement describing your argument at the outset of your paper. Note that your argument might change or become more complex as you write. Make sure that you update the thesis statement in the intro paragraph and throughout the paper as your argument shifts and evolves. The thesis should not be a surprise found in the last paragraph. In addition to the argument, consider one counter-argument. Many people put the counter-argument in the third to last or second to last paragraph, but you can introduce it earlier if you want. The counter-argument is an alternative argument, for instance, if you are arguing in favor of the utility of social contract metaphors, your counter argument would focus on limits or problems. The reader needs to know why the counter-argument is plausible and appealing, also why the argument is stronger than the counter-argument. Ideally, each body paragraph touches on or develops the thesis in some way. One option is to link the main idea in the paragraph to the thesis in the last sentence of the paragraph. Turning to the thesis is a nice way to transition from one paragraph to the next. Unpack the quotes you include, make sure the reader is clear on how YOU are reading the quote. Do not end a paragraph with a quote. One temptation is to summarize the argument presented by the author in the reading you are engaging rather than present an original thesis. Avoid this; instead, your knowledge of the argument or arguments presented in the reading is a jumping-off place for you to begin building your original argument. Your original argument should structure and drive the paper; refer to the authors argument as needed. Present an interpretation of this material that is interesting to you. The best papers effectively mix intellectual passion: originality, excitement, and personal relevance with academic discipline: clarity, organization, attention to the texts, balance, and careful analysis. Goals for the essay: Convey a nuanced understanding and mastery of the texts Advance a thoughtful argument or thesis Explore one counter-argument Use analysis of direct quotations to help you develop your argument Organize the presentation of your ideas with care Avoid clichs; rather, strive for an intelligent, complex analysis

Paper Specifications: Provide citation information. Use Chicago/ turabian or MLA in-text style Double space, one-inch margins all around, 12 pt font Include page numbers 6 pages (please do not exceed) 25% of final grade Bring a hard copy to class Questions Pick One. 1. Pericles and Athena on Athenian institutions Both Pericles Funeral Oration and Athenas speeches in The Furies feature rhetorical arguments in favor of a set of institutions. Pericles argues in favor of Athenian political and cultural institutions and Athena argues in favor of new legal and religious institutions (new cult of the furies). Which is the more powerful tool for generating acceptance of and loyalty to institutions, the institutions themselves or the way the arguments supporting the institutions are presented to the citizens? USE THE TEXT to develop and illustrate your stance. On the two obvious thesis choices: If you argue that the qualities of the institutions matter more, your counter argument will be that rhetoric matters more. If you argue that rhetoric matters more, your counter argument will be that the quality of the institutions matters more. Or, you can take your thesis in a different direction but you need an argument and a counter argument. Remember, use the text and make clear why you hold the position you do. 2. Happy versus tragic endings The third play in the Oresteia cycle, The Furies ends happily while the third play the Oedipus cycle, Antigone ends tragically. What are the political lessons we learn from each play? Does the play with the tragic ending ultimately offer a more profound political lesson or is the play with the happy ending more profound and educative? USE THE TEXT to develop and illustrate your stance. On the two obvious thesis choices: If you argue that Antigone is more profound and we learn more, your counter argument will be that The Furies is more profound and we learn more. If you argue that The Furies is more profound and we learn more, your counter argument will be that Antigone is more profound and we learn more. Or, you can take your thesis in a different direction but you need an argument and a counter argument. Remember, use the text, and make clear what we learn from each play and why it is profound.