If you have not already submitted three papers, you must write an essay (6-8 pages) on one of the following topics. Remember that your work will be evaluated on the basis of both content and writing quality. Continue to follow the on-line paper guidelines. Be sure to cite fully all material from class readings and any other sources you choose to use. This paper is due Monday, May 21st, at 1 PM in my mailbox in the department office. Late papers without a valid, documented excuse will not be accepted and you will receive an F on the assignment. Ask the department secretary to initial the date and time the paper was submitted. After grading, papers will be left in a folder in the department office.

    1. American political thinkers have long defended small communities and civil society as the location for authentic democratic politics and the development of values and personal qualities needed to sustain a democratic republic. Theorists today see "the local" as endangered, yet they continue to identify it as vital and celebrate its possibilities. Compare, contrast, and criticize two modern theorists' views of community and local participation.

    2. The progressive state Herbert Croly envisioned was supposed to yield greater equality, a richer form of democracy, and stronger social solidarity. What went wrong? Use William A. Schambra and another recent theorist to examine the failures and contradictions of American progressive liberalism.

    3. Has Tocqueville been appropriated fairly by recent American political thinkers? Examine how two theorists in our era have used Tocqueville to critique political developments and assess critically their interpretation and application of his work. (Hint: you may want to begin by reviewing the relevant portion of Tocqueville's analysis.)

    4. Under what conditions is democracy still possible in the United States? Respond with your own argument that draws upon the writings of at least two contemporary American political thinkers.

    5. The concentration of private power in the form of the modern business corporation has been seen as a problem in American political thought for at least a century. Compare and contrast how Herbert Croly and more recent theorists (such as Robert Dahl or Daniel Kemis) have sought to tame the corporation.

    6. Lincoln proposed that the ideal of equality expressed in the Declaration of Independence be seen as a goal that the nation should aspire to fulfill even if it never fully succeeds. Do modern American political thinkers still see "all men are created equal" as a worthy aspiration to guide our national political life?