The Final Essay in this course will give you the opportunity to explore a social justice issue using the ethical theories and political philosophy you have learned. The structure of the Final Essay in the course is straightforward. Everything you need to know about the requirements for the final essay is explained in the Full Description (and repeated each step), including a list of readings available in the library on the most popular subjects chosen by students. At the end of Week 4 you will submit a proposal that outlines the social justice issue you want to investigate, why this issue interests you, and how the course resources will help you. In Week 6 you will submit answers to a list of questions about the structure of your essay, so your instructor knows you’re on the right path and can help you achieve success. In week 8 you will submit your final essay. If you are at all confused about the requirements of the essay outlined below, it is highly recommended that you reach out to your instructor with your questions before the paper is due.
The purpose of this Final Essay assignment is threefold:
To give you experience researching an important social justice issue
To give you experience synthesizing important political theories and philosophies
To give you experience communicating in writing your critical reflection on a social justice issue
Technical Requirements of the Final Essay
2,000 -2,500 words (8-10 pages)
Works Cited (1-2 pages)
Microsoft .docx (not .pdf or .pages)
12 pt. Times New Roman Font, Double Spaced, 1†left and right margins
Works Cited must be in MLA format: http://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/mla_tutorial.cfm
Works Cited must include books, articles and chapters (no book reviews) from the UMGC library collection (see list of library resources below). https://sites.umgc.edu/library/index.cfm#ebooks
Works Cited books and articles from the UMGC library must include the Permalink URL. https://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/linking.cfm#general
Proposal. Due at the end of Week 4. Two parts: (a) and (b)
(a) Choose a social justice issue to research.
PLEASE NOTE: The UMGC library has limited resources to research contemporary social justice issues, so it is vital that you choose among those topics that can be accomplished using the UMGC library resources that are available. [You are not allowed to write an essay using websites that you “googledâ€] So, we have put together a list of relevant secondary sources for the most popular social justice topics that are available at the library. The following list of subjects and reading resources will get you started researching your social justice issue. Remember: Your Works Cited must include e-books and articles (no book reviews) from the UMGC library. If you do not know how to use the UMGC library, please go to the library tutorials at https://libguides.umgc.edu/research-tutorial
(b) Write a proposal to submit:
Your submitted proposal (Microsoft .docx) needs to contain the following:
Summarize the Social Justice Issue you plan to investigate.
Explain why this issue interests you. What personal experience do you have, if any, with this issue, and how does this personal experience shape your ethical views on this issue.
Explain your initial ethical views on this issue that you hope to argue in your essay. PLEASE NOTE: you are writing an argumentative essay, so you must argue for some ethical position (see guidelines below on your thesis statement)
What ethical theories and/or political philosopher that you learned in the course will you use in your final essay. For instance, Utilitarianism, Rights Theory, Distributive Justice. John Rawls. Why?
List of UMGC Library Resources by Social Justice Subject
1. Racial Justice Issues
d. Racial Profiling
Resources to use
1.) Boonin, David, Should Race Matter?: Unusual Answers to the Usual Questions. Cambridge University Press (2011).
2.) Behnke, Alison Marie, Racial Profling: Everyay Inequality. Twenty-First Century Books (2017)
3.) Johnson, Devon et al. Deadly Injustice: Trayvon Martin, Race, and the Criminal Justice System. NYU Press (2015)
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