Assignment:
Reading for Social/Personal Responsibility Paper
This assignment requires the student to read selected chapters from The Gilded Age: A History in Documents. Students will analyze and interpret these primary and secondary sources to formulate a short paper based on the social and personal responsibilities of various figures. The assignment is worth 50 points.
Social and Personal Responsibility Paper: Students will choose a selection from The Gilded Age: A History in Documents to analyze and write a 1 page paper (Formatting requirements: single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1" margins, no headings except name and paper title); Papers not meeting the stated formatting requirements will be docked 5 points). The definition of "1 page" is 1 full page (not half a page or ¾ of a page), with no words on another page. This is meant to help students learn to write in a precise and concise manner.
The paper must discuss the social and personal responsibility of those involved in the events described in the selection and how these things might apply to modern America. Social responsibility is defined as a demonstration of civic responsibility and its engagement in various larger communities. Personal responsibility is defined as an evaluation of choices and actions of others or one's own actions and relate the consequences (good and/or bad) to decision-making.
Students must discuss these issues using critical thinking and effectively communicate their views on these topics in their papers.
Readings:
The Gilded Age
By Janette Thomas Greenwood