COURSE ASSIGNMENTS, GRADE RUBRICS & WEIGHT PERCENTAGES:
ASSIGNMENT 1.................................................................................................................................................30% of Total Course Grade
(ELOs emphasized in this assignment are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8)
Students Are Provided Two Options for Completing Assignment One
OPTION A: WRITTEN ESSAY (A minimum of 8-pages and maximum of 10-pages, 1.5 spaced, Times New Roman, 11-Point Font). Students who select this option will write an individually-authored paper that addresses the question posed.
Essay Rubric:
a) Essay Meets Minimum Page Requirement, Adheres to Required Formatting, & is Completed and Submitted On-Time
(20% of essay paper grade)
b) Essay is Well-Organized & Addresses The Question Substantively: Essay reflects depth of understanding of course concepts and includes
a clear introduction that carefully lays out how the essay will proceed logically in a manner that directly addresses the question posed.
(40% of essay paper grade)
d) Essay is well-written, paragraphs are well-structured, sentences are clear and the entire paper is polished.
This means that paper reads well and exhibits good grammar, proper spelling and punctuation and includes smooth transitions between
major thoughts and points (40% of essay paper grade)
Or, instead students can opt to complete:
OPTION B: A Group-Produced Pre-Recorded Video Presentation (Submitted in a Closed Youtube Format): Students selecting this option MUST complete a group-produced 15 minute to 20 minutes video presentation that addresses the question that is posed. Groups must be comprised of a minimum of three people and maximum of four people and must exhibit very high production quality.
Video Rubric:
a) Video Meets Minimum Time Requirement & Completed By Due Date (20% of video presentation grade)
b) Material Presented in the Video is Substantive in that directly addresses the question posed with precision and depth.
The material presented in the video reflects that the students have done the readings as assigned and that they have gained
a solid understaffing of what they read by providing thoughtful and meaningful commentary. (40% of video presentation grade)
d) Video Reflects High Production Quality. Video Presentations must reflect considerable time and effort on the part of
all of the group members working collaboratively as a coordinated team. The material is presented in an engaging and accessible format
(40% of video presentation grade)
ASSIGNMENT 2..............................................................................................................................................30% Of Total Course Grade
(ELOs emphasized in this assignment are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8)
Students Are Provided Two Options for Completing Assignment Two
OPTION A: WRITTEN ESSAY (minimum of 8-pages and maximum of 10-pages (Times New Roman, 11-Point Font). Students who select this option will write an individually-authored paper that addresses the question posed.
Essay Rubric:
a) Essay Meets Minimum Page Requirement, Adheres to Required Formatting, & is Completed and Submitted On-Time
(20% of essay paper grade)
b) Essay is Well-Organized & Addresses The Question Substantively: Essay reflects depth of understanding of course concepts and includes
a clear introduction that carefully lays out how the essay will proceed logically in a manner that directly addresses the question posed.
(40% of essay paper grade)
d) Essay is well-written, paragraphs are well-structured, sentences are clear and the entire paper is polished.
This means that paper reads well and exhibits good grammar, proper spelling and punctuation and includes smooth transitions between
major thoughts and points (40% of essay paper grade)
Or, instead students can opt to complete:
OPTION B: A Group-Produced Pre-Recorded Video Presentation (Submitted in a Closed Youtube Format): Students selecting this option MUST complete a group-produced 15 minute to 20 minutes video presentation that addresses the question that is posed. Groups must be comprised of a minimum of three people and maximum of four people and must exhibit very high production quality.
Video Rubric:
a) Video Meets Minimum Time Requirement & Completed By Due Date (20% of video presentation grade)
b) Material Presented in the Video is Substantive in that directly addresses the question posed with precision and depth.
The material presented in the video reflects that the students have done the readings as assigned and that they have gained
a solid understaffing of what they read by providing thoughtful and meaningful commentary. (40% of video presentation grade)
d) Video Reflects High Production Quality. Video Presentations must reflect considerable time and effort on the part of
all of the group members working collaboratively as a coordinated team. The material is presented in an engaging and accessible format
(40% of video presentation grade)
ASSIGNMENT 3................................................................................................................................................40% Of Total Course Grade
(ELOs emphasized in this assignment are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8)
Students Are Provided Two Options for Completing Assignment Three
OPTION A: WRITTEN ESSAY (minimum of 15-pages and maximum of 20-pages (Times New Roman, 11-Point Font). Students who select this option will write an individually-authored paper that addresses the question posed.
Essay Rubric:
a) Essay Meets Minimum Page Requirement, Adheres to Required Formatting, & is Completed and Submitted On-Time
(20% of essay paper grade)
b) Essay is Well-Organized & Addresses The Question Substantively: Essay reflects depth of understanding of course concepts and includes
a clear introduction that carefully lays out how the essay will proceed logically in a manner that directly addresses the question posed.
(40% of essay paper grade)
d) Essay is well-written, paragraphs are well-structured, sentences are clear and the entire paper is polished.
This means that paper reads well and exhibits good grammar, proper spelling and punctuation and includes smooth transitions between
major thoughts and points (40% of essay paper grade)
Or, instead students can complete:
OPTION B: Participate in a Two-Hour On-Campus Seminar at SUU By Dr. Ryan Yonk, November 16, 2026 from 4:00ppm-6:00pm. In this special face-to-face seminar (Room TBD), students will discuss pre-selected readings that will be assigned from The Hardwood Reader used in this class on political and economic theory. Please note that there will be NO online option for this option of Assignment 3.
This special seminar discussion will be led by Dr. Ryan Yonk from AIER (American Institute for Economic Research). Extensive and deep participation will be expected of all participants if they are to receive full credit for this experience. All students who wish to receive full credit in lieu of the final essay MUST attend the full two-hour special session- NO EXCEPTIONS- PLEASE DON'T EVEN ASK! A dinner will follow immediately at a local Cedar City restaurant hosted by AIER for all class attendees who participate and attend this full two hour special seminar.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS
The questions for the three essay papers and group video presentations appear below:
ASSIGNMENT 1:
Aristotle and Plato possess very different views of politics and who should rule. Identify 5 key areas of politics where they disagree. Provide evidence from the readings to support your arguments.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Adam Smith, and Jean Jaques Rousseau hold very distinct but related notions the state of nature and, relatedly views on the social contract and role of "the state" in society. Compare and contrast them. Having done this, compare and contrast the views of Thomas Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, and M.K. Gandhi on how those who are oppressed should respond to unjust rule. Provide evidence from the readings to support your arguments.
ASSIGNMENT 3:
Political theories are ideas that we hold in hour heads about how the world works. As we explored in this course through the writings of some of history's most prolific thinkers, politics, economics, and justice are inextricably connected. For this last essay, you are to write on the following:
1) discuss some of the the core characteristics that distinguish classical liberalism, capitalism, Marxism and neoliberalism as distinct ideologies. In other words, how are they distinct?
2) discuss some of the characteristics that classical liberalism, capitalism, Marxism and neoliberalism share in common. In other words, how are they related?
3) in conclusion, discuss how the emerging area known as humanomics usefully synthesizes concepts from these distinct areas of political theory.
OR
Participate & attend s a two-hour special seminar held on November 16, 2026 from 4:00ppm-6:00pm held at SUU'(Room TBD) related to readings in the Hardwood readers used in this course. ll students who wish to receive full credit in lieu of the final essay MUST attend the full two-hour special session- NO EXCEPTIONS- PLEASE DON'T EVEN ASK! The dinner afterward is completely voluntary.