Material Standards Assignment | Standards

The question you will be addressing in this essay is one that touches on every issue we have discussed in this course:

In our communities and around the world, many people struggle to achieve material standards of living that meet their needs, expectations, and desires. Some look to capitalism as a source of hope. Meanwhile, others see capitalism as a morally objectionable system that exploits workers and ignores the neediest citizens. Which of these views is correct? Is capitalism the solution to the needs of the many? Is it an immoral system that calls for replacement?

How to Structure Your Paper

Please respond to this question in a 5-part essay following the structure outlined below:

In the first part of your essay, introduce your topic and the main thesis that you will be defending. In this part of your essay it would also be a good idea to explain what “capitalism” means in the context of your essay. You may even want to include a full paragraph explaining what capitalism is. Jerry Gaus’s explanation of capitalism, from module 8, may prove useful for this purpose.

In the second part of your essay, articulate the strongest case you can for the claim that capitalism is the best system yet discovered for creating prosperity for the general public. Your argument should make explicit reference to authors and ideas we have discussed in this course, and you should enable your readers to see what features of capitalism are considered most valuable by its defenders.

In the third part of your essay, articulate the strongest criticism you can against the attractiveness of capitalism. Again, your argument should make explicit reference to authors and ideas we have discussed in this course, and you should enable your readers to see what features of capitalism are considered most objectionable by its critics.

In the fourth part of your essay, give the answer to the prompt that you personally find compelling. In laying out your answer, make sure to explain how your view relates to those you discussed in the earlier parts of your essay. Since your view will necessarily conflict with one of the perspectives you have presented, you should take special care to explain what you think is wrong with the positions that are incompatible with your view.

In the fifth part of your essay, conclude the essay.

***References: You should also properly cite and reference the sources for your paper.***

Inline citations: Include an inline citation (Author, p. #) for any ideas from course materials or outside sources that you use or mention in your essay.

Works Cited page: Include a works cited page (as a separate page) at the end of your essay. This should include references for any of the course materials you have cited and for any outside materials you have used and cited. (For the Works Cited page you may use any standard bibliographic format, e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)

You should compose your paper in Microsoft Word. Please make sure that the file is in .docx format, since D2L does not always play nicely with other file types.

Also, note that, although your essay will have 5 sections, it won’t necessarily have only 5paragraphs. For each of the sections of the essay, you may have more than 1 paragraph in which you develop the relevant arguments and ideas.