What are the dangers of these movements individually

Purpose: This essay will test your ability to write under a strict and often stressed time limit. You will have a limited amount of time to gather, sort, and use information in order to write a critical two to three page response to a presentation. This essay is designed to mimic the way in which writing often needs to be completed on the job, in spirit if not in format.

Like the midterm and the final, this assignment focuses on an area of writing where students are often week, and in this case, two areas: political science and philosophy.

Instruction: In recent years, we have seen a rise in authoritarian and populist movements globally, fueled by a collective sense of individualism. These are movements that lead, politically, towards fascism. You will be presented with the historical and current evidence for the rise of these movements and what it means globally and at home. Then, you need to respond.

Here are some questions to guide your response:

What are the dangers of these movements individually?

What are the dangers of these movements as they work together?

Can democracy be preserved in the wake of these movements?

You may use any, all, or none of these questions in your response.

You are also free to argue that this is not dangerous at all (if you like).

Make an argument about what these movements and philosophies mean in our national and global political climate, back it with whatever evidence you can muster.

You may use your phones to look up more evidence.

One more time: you do not need to agree with the information presented to you, you should not pander to what I think, and you should focus on writing your argument, using the techniques we have been working on all semester.

Grading: I am well aware that this assignment will cause some of you to freeze up and choke, so this will be graded lightly. Put forth the effort, deliver a minimum of two, well-thought out, revised, MLA pages, and you will earn 9 of 10 points. The last point is for those who go above and beyond what this essay is asking for. Screwing up for this is fine; not trying will result in a failing grade, or, possibly, a zero.

Submit your finished paper as an attachment on Blackboard, or turn in a hand-written paper by the end of the class.