In your second essay you should find at least two scholarly sources that take positions (not merely provide context) on a topic related to our course theme and respond to these sources with an argument of your own. In other words, these critical articles or books should have been peer reviewed by experts in their respective fields. Like the first essay, your objective is to carefully summarize and analyze the conversation under consideration by your scholars/critics and add your own argument. When adding your voice, you should keep in mind what you think is at stake in this conversation and your part in it (So what? Who cares?). When looking for a topic, I recommend looking back at the “big questions” that arise in our (online) class discussions (What are human beings capable of? What are their limitations? Do we have free will—and, by extension, should we be held responsible for our actions? What is the relationship of knowledge to self-determination? (When) does one’s free will encroach on the rights of others? Is it possible to endure cruelty without becoming cruel? Does education mold us in the image of the state? Does modern America still believe in theological determinism? Why do humans create hierarchies? Is the concept of repentance relevant to politics? Do psychiatric medicines curb free will? The possibilities for topics are vast!)This paper may build upon Process Paper #1 or a reading response, but it should not simply replicate the same concerns or copy and paste the same prose. Make sure you take your idea in a new direction so that this essay’s difference/particular identity is clear.Finally, you may use more than two sources for the paper; any “extra” sources do not have to be scholarly. Part of my assessment of this paper will be how well your chosen sources seem to be working together, and with you, to provide a conversation and to present your insightful contribution to it.
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