Overview
Introduction and Format
For the first essay exam, students are required to answer two essay questions which are provided below. Each essay answer should be 4 or 5 pages double-spaced. In total the paper should have up to 10 pages. Students should use the traditional 8.5 x 11 paper margins with 12pt font using Microsoft Word as the word processor for writing these essays. Citations of sources should be included as author-date style, which means that in the body of the text, students should include their references right after the relevant information has been presented as follows: (last name of author, date of publication and page numbers) all in parentheses. The example would be as follows (Chang 2015, 65-67).
At the end of your essay, there should be a bibliography that lists the complete information for all your citations in alphabetical order by the last name of author, such as: Hickel, Jason. 2017. The Divide: Global Inequality from the Conquest to Free Markets. New York: W.W. Norton. We will deduct five points for poor or incomplete citations.
Make sure you have a paper that is well-written, well-organized, and well-supported with references to chapters, books or articles used in class. At least a full letter grade will be deducted if there is sloppiness of grammar and/or organization that results in lack of clarity. Also, when you submit your paper, it will be subject to a plagiarism check using the Turnitin program, which is included in Canvas. We also prohibit the use of AI software as a tool to write your essay. Make sure you cite all your sources and put anything you take directly from a source in quotation marks, and that this represents your original, creative work. Plagiarism runs the risk of failing the course and facing disciplinary action from the University.
Essay Questions
1. What are the two key characteristics of social science theories? What are the levels of analysis used by neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxist theories to understand capitalism? In the final paragraph or two, conclude with an assessment of the importance of this theoretical debate for ordinary citizens.
2. Using course readings, discussions, the documentary film Inside Job, and Cox lecture notes, what aspects of “financialization” contributed to the global economic crisis of 2008? Why would a Keynesian theorist consider this a "financial crisis?” Why would a Marxist theorist consider this a "capitalist crisis?" Conclude with a final paragraph or two that reflects on the significance of this debate or, if you prefer, what is missing from this debate.