social science

The results of the 2016 and 2018 national elections raise significant questions about the future of America’s political parties and the viability of America’s electoral processes. In an essay, describe the roles that political parties and candidate characteristics play in mobilizing electoral participation in contemporary U.S. elections and analyze how individual characteristics of voters (such as socioeconomic status), political socialization, electoral laws, and electoral practices influence voting likelihood. Where possible use examples from recent national campaigns for national office discussed in the assigned text and in the lectures/video supplements. In essays of 4 to 6 pages (1,000 to 1,500 words), please answer the following questions by the due dates indicated. I expect you to write your essay based on the readings from the assigned text, on class forums, and on lectures and other video materials presented on the web site. I do not expect you to supplement these class-based sources with outside research.Each essay should provide appropriate citations to your sources. If this is the assigned text, you should use parenthetical endnoting with specific page references (e.g. Ginsberg, et. al. 2019: 41). If you are citing a lecture, you should provide the lecture number provided in the Canvas site. Citations to class forums should list the author’s name and the date of the post.

1. Leo Tolstoy says that when he started to study the meaning of life he found that “force was force, matter was matter, will was will, infinity was infinity, nothing was nothing, —and nothing else could come from it.” What did he mean by this? Explain the context and the significance of this sentence.Sherry Turkle and Carr analyze and question the different ways in which the personal computer and our mobile computing devices are influencing and changing our behavior. Their critique focuses not only on our relationships but also on our own sense of self. The ideas of these contemporary thinkers can be related to Pascal and Kierkegaard’s ideas. Explain the arguments of these contemporary thinkers and how their ideas overlap with the thoughts of the older thinkers.Quoting Bertrand Russell’s gloomy depiction of our place in the universe, Pojman reveals what he sees as the main problem with Bertrand Russell’s position. Bertrand Russell does not hide his own gloomy view but he thinks that he has a way to escape this gloominess. Explain his solution.

Find an article in your local newspaper about a local policy issue that affects you. For example, an article concerning your county’s decision to privatize your trash collection service. Summarize the article and explain how this issue affects you. Is the article neutral? Why or why not? How might you influence this policy in the future? Articles may not be more than one month old. Writing Requirements (APA format) Length: 3 full pages (not including title page or references page) 1-inch margins Double spaced 12-point Times New Roman font Title page References page

Prompt: Several thinkers presented in this course have either advocated for, or led, various forms of government, while most of them have had some commentary the merits and perils of several forms of government. Aristotle, on the other hand, takes the position that most forms of government can be good, bad, or somewhere in between based on the execution of that particular government. There does, however, seem to be a theme that emerges among the ancient and medieval thinkers: a negative view of democracy. What, in your analysis, is the best form of government and are the ancients correct in their fears about democracy? Requirements: – Double spaced – APA Format – Must cite directly from the required readings at least once or twice (will list them below) – Must be 12pt. font – Must be Times New Roman Required Readings: -Plato, Republic ISBN: 9780192833709 -Plato, Symposium ISBN: 9780140449273 -Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics ISBN: 9780199213610 -Aristotle, Politics ISBN: 9780199538737 -St. Augustine, City of God ISBN: 9780140448948 -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations ISBN 9780140449334

1. Which parties were the biggest losers and gainers in seats in the 2017 election? 2. Did the CDU and its sister party CSU win a simple majority (50% +1) of the 709 seat? Explain. 3. What were the only two possible combinations of parties which could form a government with a majority in the Bundestag? What names are given to each possible coalition? 4. Why is it important for German political parties to obtain at least 5% of the national vote or win in at least 3 constituency districts? 5. From the wikipedia article under subheading Results, identify which parties did better winning seats on the party list rather than the constituency seats? 6. From the answers to question 5, suggest reasons why some parties did better on the party list seats. (Hint: use what you learned about the rules of the single-member district system and proportional representation systems from the lecture.)

This is a compressed and precise writing assignment to gauge your ability to transpose theory into cultural analysis. The goal is a one-page single-spaced essay to begin with a thesis and end with a conclusion. Define Freud’s notion of the double and describe how it relates to the concept of the double outlined in Jen Boyle’s essay: Chapter 1, Freud’s Uncanny Double: A Theoretical Study of the Portrayal of Doubles. Film is a double of the real world and reflects reality but as a simulation. Use my essay to explore how Freud’s concept of the Uncanny has been used to create Science Fiction characters like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and/or Doctor Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Describe how the film uses Fembots in the film Ex Machina also conform to Uncanny images of human beings like Ava that are able to seduce Caleb and lure him to his destruction. Bonus Challenge: all the Fembots in the film are played by actresses, does that mean the film is cheating in terms of the Turing Test? If it’s not about the Turing Test, what is the real subject of the film?

Discrimination, Stratification and Inequality Outcomes • Analyze the different social stratifications • Explain sexual and racial discrimination • Critique gender and age inequalities and their impacts on society • Analyze poverty and its effects on society Assignment Overview For this assignment, you will create three blog posts, designed to inform your audience about specific issues associated with discrimination, stratification, and social inequality.

• Analyze the history of politics, globalization, and the effects of transformation of economic systems • Examine the role of family in socialization • Examine diversity in U.S. families and study trends in marriages, remarriages, and divorce • Examine educational issues including the factors that affect the educational system in the United States • Analyze religion in the United States and other world religions Assignment Overview For this assignment, you will create blog posts, designed to inform your audience about public issues associated with the chosen topics

To answer these topics completely, it takes a minimum of 2 pages – 8-10 paragraphs. Use the topic questions and the scoring rubric to see if your draft responds fully to all parts of the question. A complete, thoughtful answer is more important than word count. Topic B: Describe the theory of knowledge called skepticism. Consider the skeptic’s charge that we can never be confident about the reliability of our normal sources of knowledge (perceptions, memory, introspection, and reasoning.) Describe why and how, for each of the 4 sources mentioned, the source is unreliable. Use examples to show your understanding. If a source of knowledge is unreliable, it means these sources can trick us into believing falsehoods. Does it follow from the fact that we are sometimes mistaken when we rely on these sources that we are always mistaken? In other words, once we admit is possible that we are mistaken, does that mean that we need to admit that we might never be correct? How would you respond to the skeptic?

Write a brief essay on a classical sociologist that interests you; discuss the sociologist’s contributions to the field of sociology. You can only use academic resources. Writing assignment must be double spaced with 1″ margins 12 pt font, Times New Roman, and must include a title and reference page.