Many of this semesters readings involve narratives–and moral arguments– concerning all or many aspects of these five (interrelated) topics:
1) Our ethical responsibilities to our fellow men and women–and to ourselves;
2) The nature of justice;
3) The tension between the law and the administration of justice;
4) Ideas about the moral law and the expansion of human rights;
5) The purpose of education.
You must write an essay response about one (1) of these five topics of your choice. Whatever topic you choose, your essay must explore the topic through the examples of three (3) authors spanning the semester, drawn from the following list:
The philosopher Plato (The Apology Euthyphro, and/or Crito; The Allegory of the Cave, from The Republic),
The father of modern political theory and political science, Machiavelli (the assigned extracts from The Prince),
The director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter Reginald Rose [counting as one] (12 Angry Men),
The moralist, satirist, and Anglican clergyman Jonathan Swift (“A Modest Proposal”),
The Abolitionist and Womens Rights Advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Declaration of Sentiments, The Solitude of Self),
The great Orator, Abolitionist and Advocate of Human Rights Frederick Douglass (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, and/or “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July’?),
The 20th Century civil rights leader, moralist and Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (“Letter from Birmingham Jail”), and/or
The feminist and Xicanisma scholar Ana Castillo (In the Beginning there was Eva.)
In other words, this essay question asks you to present your in-depth understanding of a recurrent moral/ethical/political preoccupation across the three authors you select.
Frame your discussion with a brief statement about your approach to the topic. Examine the perspectives and explain the reasoning of the authors you select with regard to your choice of topic. Identify where the authors’ views concur or differ, and be sure to point out whether (or not) you see important complementarities among them.

Of course it can be useful to reference more than three authors–but keep your focus on no more than three.
Your essay should be written as an interpretive argument–you’re presenting your understanding of the issue as seen through the works. The evidence in your reasoning must incorporate references to the texts, which you should be able to cite (or paraphrase) accurately. (Be aware that quotations may be necessarybut they are excluded from the minimum word count.)
In sum: In a 500-750-word essay, select one recurrent preoccupation within the works you read this semester, and synthesize the views of three authors on that topic. Be as clear and precise as possible.
Your response will be evaluated for your insights and understanding of the topic and the authors you citebut not judged for the quality of your prose.