Core 102
The Idea of Democracy
Roger Williams University
CORE.102.01 LLC: 11:00 - 11:50 MWF, GHH 208
CORE.102.11 ELI: 12:00 - 12:50 MWF, GHH 208
Fall Semester, 2014
What echoes of ideas from Thomas Hobbes’ The Social Contract and John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Charity seem to have influenced modern ideas of government and human relations with one another, such as those found in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child? What form do these “echoes” take, and do they suggest that some of the ideas of modern Democracy are influenced by the thinking of these men and others like them? 1.The Introduction will include a relatively brief summary the theories and ideas of each author, including your ideas about their views of basic “human nature” and their ideas about society and its purpose which seem to come from those views. It will also identify your objectives: in other words, which specific points you plan to discuss in the body of your paper.2.The Body will discuss the specific points you presented in your introduction, tying them to specific articles in the UDHR and the CRC. What kind of relationships to you see, and what “rights” seem to relate to Hobbesian or Winthropian ideas? Note: Don't expect the wording to be exact, or even close. These are "echoes" we're trying to hear. 3.The Conclusion will summarize your observations in such a way that the reader can see that you’ve done what you promised to do in the introduction. It will also allow you to make your own observations on the topic: For example, what do you think about the current balance between Hobbes and Winthrop in the societies of today–whether in the United States or abroad? Is it about right, or should the ideas of one be emphasized a bit more? 