Critical Thinking Assignment
POLS 2311 Fall 25 Section_001
Assignment Title: Exploring the Principle of the Common Good and Its Tension with Individual Liberty in American Political Theory and Practice
General Information
Objective:
This assignment will build your critical thinking and research skills by exploring the tension between two core principles in American political thought: the Common Good and Individual Liberty. You will critically analyze how the balance between these principles has been interpreted and applied in various political contexts, supported by peer-reviewed sources. The goal is to deepen your understanding of this fundamental challenge in American political theory and practice. During the process, you will interact with real policy questions that exemplify the tension.
This is a Research Paper, not an Opinion Essay:
An essay often focuses on your personal argument. A research paper, however, requires you to investigate a topic by finding, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple scholarly sources to build a comprehensive and evidence-based argument. Your primary goal is to see what the research says about your topic and use that to support or challenge a central claim (your thesis).
Learning Goals
• Find and evaluate peer-reviewed scholarly sources using university library databases.
• Develop a focused, arguable thesis statement about the relationship between the common good and individual liberty.
• Use information from multiple sources to support your thesis.
• Consider actual policy issues in American governance.
• Construct a well-supported argument of approximately 1500 words.
• Use MLA style for formatting and citations correctly.
• Understand and apply principles of responsible AI use in academic work.
Assignment Structure and Deadlines
This project is broken into two parts to help you build your paper step-by-step.
Critical Thinking Assignment
POLS 2311 Fall 25 Section_001
Assignment Title: Exploring the Principle of the Common Good and Its Tension with Individual Liberty in American Political Theory and Practice
General Information
Objective:
This assignment will build your critical thinking and research skills by exploring the tension between two core principles in American political thought: the Common Good and Individual Liberty. You will critically analyze how the balance between these principles has been interpreted and applied in various political contexts, supported by peer-reviewed sources. The goal is to deepen your understanding of this fundamental challenge in American political theory and practice. During the process, you will interact with real policy questions that exemplify the tension.
This is a Research Paper, not an Opinion Essay:
An essay often focuses on your personal argument. A research paper, however, requires you to investigate a topic by finding, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple scholarly sources to build a comprehensive and evidence-based argument. Your primary goal is to see what the research says about your topic and use that to support or challenge a central claim (your thesis).
Learning Goals:
• Find and evaluate peer-reviewed scholarly sources using university library databases.
• Develop a focused, arguable thesis statement about the relationship between the common good and individual liberty.
• Use information from multiple sources to support your thesis.
• Consider actual policy issues in American governance.
• Construct a well-supported argument of approximately 1500 words.
• Use MLA style for formatting and citations correctly.
• Understand and apply principles of responsible AI use in academic work.