Paper I: YOU MAY NOT USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT ALL FOR THIS PAPER.
Concepts in political theory can be hard to identify, especially when, as is often the case in ancient political thought, they are presented through images, metaphors, myths, and other representations. In the first section of this course we read four poetic texts. Among other things, each presents us with a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate uses of power.
§ Choose one poem we have read this semester so far, and identify a passage or image that represents tyranny, or the abuse of power. In a two-page paper explain how the poem makes its 'argument' about abuses of power.
In writing the paper you might consider the following questions (you don't need to answer them all, use them as starting places for your own thoughts):
how does the poem let you know that power or authority is being wielded in an illegitimate way?; what does the poem suggest are problematic uses of power, and how (if at all) are they distinguished from rightful or good uses of power?; is there an implied 'argument' for general limits on, or proper sources of, power or authority (within the world of the poem), or is the moral of the story specific to these characters?; is there an explanation (psychological, theological, or other) for why this person, or people in general, abuse power, and how such abuses might be curtailed?
DUE DATE: SEPTEMBER 20
Paper II: USE OF AI IS REQUIRED AS DESCRIBED BELOW.
A. TOPIC
One central concern in Classical political theory is the question of human excellence: what constitutes excellence for humans (the best way of life), and what community would best foster (or, least constrain) human excellence (the best regime).
§ Choose two authors we read in Section B (Plato’s ‘Apology’ through Aristotle’s Politics) of this course and write an essay (no more than 6 pages in length) in which you compare and contrast their views on the best way of life and how political communities should (if at all) create the conditions for living that life.
In your paper you might consider whether the authors agree about human nature or capacities, whether they think human excellence can, or should, be actively promoted (and by whom), and whether they think the most excellent life is (in principle or in practice) open to all.
You need not say whether you agree or disagree with the positions of the authors, but you must defend the interpretations you offer.
B. PROCESS
STEP ONE: OUTLINE
Use the topic statement above to create a prompt with which you will ask a generative AI tool to create an outline for your paper (I suggest using Microsoft's free Copilot for this). Take this outline and cut and paste it into a Google Doc. Consider this outline and how you could improve on it. Revise the outline based on your ideas for improvement. Submit your outline to Canvas and include: the prompt you created; the outline generated by the AI; your revised outline; an explanation of the changes you made.
DUE DATE: OCTOBER 11
STEP TWO: DRAFT
Starting from your revised outline, write a four page draft of your essay. Write this on your own and don't use AI. Be sure to use quotes from the assigned text to support the argument you are making. Submit this draft to Canvas by the deadline.
DUE DATE: NOVEMBER 1
STEP THREE: FEEDBACK
A. Share your draft with a peer in the class (I will assign peers). You will also give feedback on their draft.
B. Submit your draft to a generative AI (again I suggest Copilot) and ask it for suggestions for improvement.
DUE DATE: NOVEMBER 6
STEP FOUR: FINAL REVISIONS
Take the feedback you have from your peer; from me; and from the AI, and revise your paper into a final version. Submit this final version to Canvas by the deadline: include a printout of the AI feedback. When you submit your final paper, include a one page explanation of the revisions you made -- how useful was the feedback from the AI? Did you use its suggestions? Why or why not?
DUE DATE: NOVEMBER 22
Turnitin:
Papers should be submitted to Turnitin in Canvas by 5pm on the due date. The assignment will be created in Canvas, and you won't need any additional password or course id to submit the paper.
Remember that you can generate your own Originality Report to make sure there are no problems with your paper. Give yourself enough time to submit the paper, read the report, make any adjustments, and then re-submit the report before the due date. I believe that you can do this up to three times, after which Turnitin makes you wait 24 hours before resubmitting.
If you must write prose or poems the words you use should be your own, don't plagiarize or take "on loan." 'Cause there's always someone, somewhere, with a big nose, who knows, and who trips you up and laughs when you fall. Who'll trip you up and laugh when you fall. "Cemetery Gates," The Smiths
Academic misconduct involves deception to improve a grade, earn course credit, complete a degree, or create an unfair academic advantage for oneself or disadvantage to another in the academic community. All students at the University of Southern Mississippi should familiarize themselves with the Student Academic Integrity Policy to become familiar with what actions constitute academic misconduct, a violation of that policy. Southern Miss values “an approach to academics, research, and personal conduct based on integrity and civility” and the Student Academic Integrity Policy supports that University value. Forms of academic misconduct may include, but are not limited to:
· Cheating - Cheating is a broad category of academic misconduct characterized by an attempt to gain academic advantage through inappropriate means or impede the academic achievement of others.
· Plagiarism - The use of another person's or source’s words, creative works, or ideas without appropriate quotation or attribution; claiming or submitting for academic credit the work of another.
· Lying - The misrepresentation of one’s academic work, lying to an instructor to increase a grade, or lying to an instructor regarding an academic integrity violation.
· Acquiring or Distributing Information Inappropriately - The act of distributing or obtaining course assignments or examination questions or answers from sources not approved by the instructor or proctor (includes, but is not limited to, unauthorized use of the Internet, test banks associated with course text and previous student work).
· Fabrication or Falsification of Data - Any statement of untruth in any matters related to the academic experience, including but not limited to forgery; false claims of authorship; falsification of information, data, or results derived from or related to research or to laboratory experiments.
· Stealing or Defacing - The act of intentionally taking, transferring, defacing, or destroying, without right or permission, any property related to the academic mission of the University, including an attempt to impede others.
· Multiple Submissions - The submission, more than once, without authorization by any instructors involved, of substantial portions of the same work, including oral reports or work submitted for retaken courses.
· Conspiracy - The act of agreeing or planning with any person to commit any violation of the Student Academic Integrity Policy.
· Unauthorized use of artificial intelligence- See the artificial intelligence policy in this syllabus for allowable or non-allowable use of artificial intelligence.
If you commit an act of academic misconduct, sanctions ranging from resubmission of work to course failure may occur to the possibility of receiving a grade of “XF” for the course, which will be on the student’s transcript with the notation “Failure due to academic misconduct.” Should you be accused of academic misconduct, please visit the Academic Integrity Website or email integrity@usm.edu for any questions you may have about your rights and about the academic integrity process. Southern Miss provides many campus resources that are detailed in this syllabus and will be discussed by your professors; please utilize those to help you learn. At Southern Miss, we care about your personal work and learning journey.
Artificial Intelligence Syllabus Statement
Each instructor will determine the permitted use of artificial intelligence in each course to ensure that students receive the opportunity to provide work that demonstrates academic rigor, creativity, original research, and other aspects that are appropriate for their discipline. It is the responsibility of the student to review what, if any, artificial intelligence tools are permitted for use in each course.
This section of the syllabus outlines the acceptable use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in this course. Generative AI tools include types of artificial intelligence technology that are “capable of generating text, images, code or other types of content, often in response to a prompt entered by a user” (Hughes, 2023, TechRepublic).
Option 2: Permissible Use
There are specific instances in this course where you will be allowed to use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in your learning. Instructions and guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable use of AI are included in the assignment directions, including any attribution policies. Specific assignments will be noted by the instructor clearly and unambiguously that AI use is acceptable and can be used for those assignments. Any use of AI outside of acceptable uses in the course is in violation of the Student Academic Integrity Policy at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Formatting:
The paper should be typed, double-spaced in a 12-point font, and carefully edited and proofread. The essay should be very attentive to the texts and problems you are asked to address.
What style guide should you use to format your paper? The American Political Science Association has a style guide that you can use. Please consult this manual for any formatting questions. Remember two principles: 1) the purpose of citations (footnotes and endnotes) is to allow anyone reading your paper to find your sources. Provide enough information so that anyone can find the source you used. Don't sweat the small stuff. 2) Formatting is designed to help you communicate your thoughts clearly. It's the thoughts that matter. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Guides for Writing Political Theory Papers:
Many excellent guides to writing political theory papers exist on the web. Of course, come to office hours or ask in class if you have questions, but these provide a good summary of what a political theory paper should look like. Some examples are linked below:
Anna Marie Smith, Cornell University, Guidelines for Writing a Political Theory Essay
University of Washington, Writing Political Theory Papers
Mika Lavaque-Manty, University of Michigan, Some Notes on Writing Political Theory
Brooke Ackerly, Vanderbilt University, Tips for Writing a Paper in Political Theory