Descartes’ Discourse on the Method (Part IV)., Assignment 1: Essay

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Week 4 Assignment 1 - Submit Here

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Assignment 1: Essay

Due Week 4 and worth 100 points

Chooseone (1) of the three (3) reading selections from the list of topicchoices below. The focus is on brief but important primary sourcematerial written by major authors. Read the selections  as identifiedwith each topic below. Write a three to four (3-4) paragraph essay (250words minimum) which analyzes the “surprise ending” of the readingselection. 

Topic Choices

• Reading selection fromDescartes’ Discourse on the Method (Part IV). Descartes begins with a proof of one basic conclusion and ends with a proof of something muchgrander. Remember to focus on the surprise and point of realization, notthe details of the philosophical argument. Read Part IV of theDiscourse on the Method located at http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/descartes1637.pdf (then scroll down to Part 4, pp. 14-18). This is only four or five (4 or 5) pages of the larger work.
• Readingselection of Swift’s A Modest Proposal. It is essential to recognizethe genre of this work, as discussed in our class text, which you shouldconsult and cite. Swift promotes a radical solution, but subtle optionsare mentioned. You are looking for surprise and a point of realization.Read and focus on A Modest Proposal located at http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/swift/modest.html. 
• Two(2) reading selections from Voltaire’s Candide. Consider how thesereadings start and end in terms of the action and the beliefs. You arelooking for surprise and a point of realization. These selections can befound on pp. 840-841 in the textbook. In addition, consult the classtext at pp. 824-825.

For the reading selection you choose:

1. Clearlystate in your own words the “surprise ending” in the reading youselected. Clearly identify the point in the reading when you realizedthat there were elements in the reading that surprised you. Not all ofthe surprises come at the end.
2. Evaluate how successful theauthor was in convincing you to accept the validity of the “surpriseending” that was different from what you expected. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Betyped, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), withone-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APAStyle format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.(Note: Students can find APA style materials located in the AdditionalResources section of their Student Center within their course shell forreference)
• Include a cover page containing the title of theassignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title,and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included inthe required assignment page length.
• Use the source(s)identified above for the topic you choose, focusing on the main primarysource of that author. You may use additional sources also if they areof good academic quality for college papers (Wikipedia and similarwebsites do not qualify). Use proper APA style in-text citing and also amatching APA style References list at the end.  

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain how key social, cultural, and artistic contributions contribute to historical changes.
• Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context. 
• Examinethe influences of intellectual, religious, political, andsocio-economic forces on social, cultural, and artistic expressions. 
• Identify major historical developments in world cultures from the Renaissance to the contemporary period. 
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in the study of world cultures.
• Write clearly and concisely about world cultures using proper writing mechanics.

Gradingfor this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organizationof the paper, and language and writing skills, using the followingrubric found here.