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inal Assignment: Description and Instructions.
As Frances Habour writes in the conclusion of her book, "'Evaluating policy is different from analyzing it. The task of analysis", according to Habour, "is to account for different aspects of a complex system, product, process or even a person....The task of evaluation, in contrast, is to rank or judge something in a broader context. Thus, in evaluating a system, product, process, or person, we are implicitly comparing it either to others or to an idealized version" (195).
For your final assignment, you are required to both analyze and evaluate a contemporary issue, problem, or process in U.S. foreign policy. You must do so, moreover, using the moral theories and tools discussed by Frances Habour in her book, Thinking about International Ethics.
The contemporary issue, problem, or process you select is up to you. If you need assistance, however, feel free to ask me for advice and suggestions. Time permitting, I will post a list of recommended topics on my web site. Your should not, however, wait for me to do so. Instead, you should immediately begin reviewing newspapers, journals, and news magazines. Find something that interest you.
Other requirements:
| 1. |
In completing this assignment you are required to use the following three frameworks: Realist consequentialism, Utilitarianism, and liberal (or idealist) deontology. |
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Your paper must include a concise overview of the policy issue, problem or process you selected. |
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Your paper must be neatly typed, properly formatted, and reasonably free of grammatical, typographical, spelling or other writing errors. It must also be well-organized, with a separate and clearly demarcated introduction, appropriate section headings, and a conclusion. Do not give short shrift to your conclusion! I will make separate deductions--up to 20 points--for sloppily written, error-filled, and/or poorly organized papers. |
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This assignment necessarily requires that you use outside sources, if only for factual information on the topic you choose. You should not rely entirely on newspapers and magazines for information, however, Whenever possible, use government sources and other primary source material (I will have further information about this on my web site). In addition, students who need assistance finding sources can e-mail me their topics. I will not respond individually, but post my responese on my web site. |
To get a sense of how you might structure your paper, take another good look at the chapters in the Habour book. In particular, read chapter 11 carefully. This chapter provides a general framework you can use to organize your paper. Use this chapter, however, only as a guide.
Be advised (or forewarned): While the focus on this assignment is on the current book, I expect your paper to reflect what you learned over the entire quarter. The more you are able to incorporate ideas and material covered earlier in the quarter into your final assignment, the better you will do. I will have additional suggestions on how you might do this later.
YOUR FINAL PAPER WILL BE DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 22 AT 7:30 PM. PAPERS MUST BE DELIVERED TO MY OFFICE, E&T 512. DON'T BE LATE, SINCE I WILL LEAVE PROMPTLY AT 7:30!
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