Insightful Essays on Society and Philosophy

1 page minimum per question, please turn in at least 4 full pages (maximum 8) – Sources can be from the syllabus, notes from class, credible outside sources – Cite sources using parenthetical citations, no need for a Works Cited page – Each question is worth 25 points: clarity – 5, inclusion of class materials – 10, philosophical analysis – 10 2. Choose a group of immigrants to the United States of America. What were the main reasons for leaving their home country and coming here? When did (or are) they come? What were they looking for and what did they find? Were they treated well, poorly, or both? What are the current conditions in their home country? In what way(s) is the US government responsible for people that immigrate? What are a citizens’ obligations to the country /society/community? Do those obligations change depending on the citizens’ experience(s)? Be specific, use examples, use and cite your sources. (minimum 1 page) 3. What is race and what is ethnicity? How are they similar and how are they different? Why, for example, is Hispanic considered an ethnicity while Black is considered a race? What is the point good or bad – of using categorizations like these? Are they helpful, harmful, or both? Could we do without them or are they necessary at this point? Be specific, use examples, use and cite your sources. (minimum 1 page) 4. What is freedom? What is autonomy? How are they related and how are they different? What is their relationship to personal and communal responsibility? Are we responsible for the freedom of others? How free are we, really? For example, are basic freedoms actually guaranteed? Why or why not? If so, how? Is autonomy guaranteed? Are we free to inhibit the freedoms of others? Be specific, use examples, use and cite your sources. (minimum 1 page) Extra Credit: up to 5 points each 1. What does the turtle represent in Dancing on our Turtle’s Back? What are we dancing on it? 2. What is the prison-industrial complex? 3. Name two types of privilege that you personally experience. What advantages come with this privilege, and could these advantages be used for the powers of good? 4. What is a good person (philosophically)?

 

 

Philosophy (1)