Compare and contrast liberal feminism with radical feminism

Please choose one essay topic to write a 1,500 words essay. It should not be on the same topic of your mid-term exam. You need to use at least THREE academic sources and it should include the discussion of relevant examples. You should use the Harvard, Chicago or footnoting reference systems (no APA). Don’t forget to include references to page numbers. Do not use Wikipedia, the class slides, dictionaries, or other unreliable sources in your essay. The library is well stocked with books on any of these topics and there is also an electronic library where you can access academic journal. Please answer the question directly.

1. ‘Power is dispersed across society’. Comment this sentence considering debates between pluralist thinkers, Neo-Marxists, Elite Theorists and Neo-Pluralists.

2. In what ways is power exercised and manifest?

3. Which factors led scholars to conclude that ideologies do not matter anymore?

4. What is an ideology?

5. Does it still make sense to talk about left and right?

6. Compare and contrast classical liberalism and social liberalism.

7. ‘Individualism is the core concept of liberalism’. Discuss this statement.

8. Compare and contrast democratic socialism and social democracy.

9. Was the Third Way social-democratic?

10. Why is social democracy in crisis?

11. Examine the points of agreement and disagreement between socialists and liberals.

12. ‘Any attempt to justify government on rational grounds will only lead to unsolvable arguments about the expediency and legitimacy of any government’. Comment on this quote by Conservative philosopher Joseph de Maistre.

13. Which factors explain the gradualism in the practice of socialist ideology?

14. Why are Conservatives so resistant to change?

15. Is nationalism an ideology?

16. Is conservatism an ideology?

17. Which value is more important for socialists: Equality or Fraternity? Why?

18. Is fascism a totalitarian ideology?

19. Is fascism a form of nationalism?

20. American conservatism differs in many ways from traditional conservatism. Explain those differences.

21. ‘The personal is the political’. Explain this feminist axiom.

22. Compare and contrast liberal feminism with radical feminism.

23. Critically assess Marx’s theory of historical evolution.

24. Explain the differences between ‘environmentalism’ and ‘ecologism’ in Green ideologies.

25. To what extent, if any, have Green ideologies been successful at influencing contemporary politics?

26. To what extent was the Soviet experience a faithful application of Marxist theories?

27. What is the moral basis of an anarchist society?

28. Is anarchism a synonym of disorder?

29. In what ways, if any, is socialism (following the Second International) different from Marxism Communism?

30. Which factors explain the rise of populism in Europe and the United States?

31. Is populism a threat to democracy?

32. Is populism an ideology?

Structure of the Essay:

First paragraph – In the first paragraph you must answer the essay question and you should present your argument. You should also explain how you are going to demonstrate it. A typical formula is: ‘This essay argues that the House of Commons became a dignified part of the constitution. By this I mean…. I will demonstrate this argument by analysing the dominant role of the executive in controlling the legislative process” or ‘Equality is a core concept of socialism because…’.

Body of the Essay – In the body of the essay you examine the literature that deals with your topic. You will explain and analyse the different theories, arguments and evidence that support your argument, but you also need to acknowledge, explain and analyse challenges or criticisms to your argument. In other words, you need to examine the arguments “pro” and “anti” and assess how solid, plausible or weak they are.

Conclusion – in the conclusion you will reassert your argument again and you will briefly reappraise the different theories, arguments and evidence that you’ve examined. Recognize the limitations of your argument and point, if possible, to a future area of investigation.

General Tips

· Your essay should have 1,5000 words

· Your essay should have at least THREE academic sources (academic books and journal articles)

· Do not use definitions from dictionaries. In the social sciences, concepts are normally contested therefore you need to acknowledge the existence of conceptual debates

· Make sure that you answer the question. This means that you need to present an argument. In the introduction you introduce your argument (not the topic).

· Get into the core arguments of your essay as early as possible.

· Use definitions to key concepts to a minimum and only in the introduction, though never in the first one or two sentences of the essay.

· An argument is not the same as an opinion. An argument needs to be justified and demonstrated with examples and evidence.

· Do not use Wikipedia as a reference source

· Be careful with online sources: they’re not all reliable

· You also need to examine the different ideas and arguments that support and challenge your own. Normally these arguments are based on some evidence, so you will need to say something about it too.

· Make sure you use relevant examples: explain them and show how they’re relevant to your point

· Avoid colloquial language and use formal written English.

· Make sure your sentences make sense

· Write correctly: clean and clear sentences; no spelling mistakes

· Use academic concepts whenever it is adequate

· Include a list of the references used in your essay.

· Use either the Chicago or the Oxford reference guides.

· Submit your essay through SafeAssign.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism occurs when someone disguises or misrepresents the authorship of work and claims it as his or her own. It can occur in various forms:

(i) Presenting part or whole of another student’s essay as one’s own. DON’T DO IT

(ii) Copying phrases, sentences or passages from a published source (usually an article, book or web-site) without acknowledging this by quotation and a reference. You need to INSERT QUOTATION MARKS AND REFERENCES WHEN USING OTHER PEOPLE’S WORDS

(iii) Presenting in your own words an idea, argument or interpretation from another source, without indicating the source by means of a reference. Thus, you need to INSERT REFERENCES WHEN USING OTHERPEOPLE’S IDEAS

(iv) Citing data, evidence or other forms of information you have retrieved from a source without referencing that source. ALL DATA MUST BE REFERENCED.

How to avoid plagiarism. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to get into the habit of distinguishing your own work from that of other people. We assume that unreferenced work is your own, so make sure that phrases and sentences that are not your own are in quotation marks and given precise references (including PAGE NUMBERS), and that ideas and arguments that are not your own are properly referenced. In cases of concepts or facts which are widely used or known this may not be necessary, for example “the United Kingdom is a European country”. To avoid accidental plagiarism, ensure the notes you use to prepare your essay clearly identify quotations and have full references.