Your assignment is to compare and contrast two of the arguments related to Schrecker’s book: J. Edgar Hoover’s testimony to Congress (Document 3) and Sidney Hook’s “Cold War Liberal View of the Communist Threat” (Online Document) AND to critically analyze them in the context of your assigned readings in the rest of the Schrecker book and the assigned online documents.
Where do they specifically overlap and differ in the arguments they present?
What are the weaknesses of BOTH arguments?
How do the additional documents in Schrecker and online provide context and weaken/bolster either argument?
Online:
McCarthyism Documents: Hook, Testimonies
It’s important for you to understand that both of these authors exaggerate the threat of the Communist Party/Movement in America during the Cold War, but they do so to different extremes and through different methods (i.e., Hook’s distinction between heresy and conspiracy which you must explain).
This assignment is not just asking you to summarize two arguments. You must draw out specific points where these authors differ in their arguments (and both authors DO differ over the level of threat communism posed, and how to deal with that threat.) You must also bring in examples (with page number cites) from throughout the book, not just the two authors.
Compare and Contrast Checklist:
Have you opened with an introduction that lays out what this review essay seeks to accomplish?
Is there a good hook that catches the interest of the reader of your paper from the very beginning?
Have you fully explained the two author’s positions through your compare and contrast analysis?
Have you used specific examples to illustrate their arguments? (And have you brought in examples from throughout the book?)
Have you cited those examples with page numbers?
Have you analyzed what the specific differences of these authors are? (Comparing is easy; make sure you also contrast!)
Do you have a conclusion that sums up the paper?
Have you proofread your paper for grammatical and spelling errors?
Length and Format
Your essay should be:
at least 3 FULL PAGES and NO LONGER than 4 pages.
double spaced with 1″ margins (including top and bottom)
Times New Roman 12
Don’t fill the heading of your first page with a lot of unnecessary junk. The only four things you need to put (single spaced) are your name, your section number, the date, and the title of the paper. (Anything more than that will be deleted when I grade your paper.)
Content Format: How to Write This Paper
Over the years I have noticed two problems that students have in writing this paper. First, a student writes a paper that has an intro, summarizes each author, and then has a conclusion. These papers do not pass because they do not fulfill the assignment of comparing and contrasting the arguments. Problem number two is when a student summarizes each author separately, draws out some similarities and differences in a separate paragraph or two, and then concludes. These papers have the potential to pass, but not with a grade higher than a C because of the repetition in their analysis; that is, after summarizing each author separately, the student repeats the arguments again when comparing and contrasting.
So here is your required format: DO NOT summarize the authors separately from a compare and contrast analysis. Instead, organize your paper thematically in a point-counterpoint format. Determine what are the main points that the authors are arguing over and explain how (or even whether) they differ. For instance, both Hoover and Hook see the Communist Party as a threat (conspiracy), but they disagree over whether “communism” (a set of beliefs) is a threat. This is the crux of Hook’s argument (conspiracy vs. heresy) and the basis of his criticism against Hoover. Look for other issues that they both discuss (i.e., Lenin’s writings), and organize your paper into these issues in which you explain how each author differs. In this way, you are drawing out specific points from their debate, laying them side by side, and showing their contrasting positions.
For the INTRODUCTION, don’t forget that the specific assignment is to compare and contrast these authors. This requires you to bring the names and articles of these authors into your introduction.
Using Quotes and Plagiarism
I DO want you to use lots of examples from Schrecker and the documents [AND CITE THOSE EXAMPLES WITH A PAGE NUMBER in parentheses like this: (p#)], but I DO NOT want you to use any quotes!!! All examples should be substantially paraphrased in your own words. And don’t take anything from Wikipedia or other online resources (and I will find out). If you are just lifting sentences out of these documents (or any online resources) without paraphrasing them, you will receive an “F” on your paper for plagiarism, and possibly an “F” in the class for gross infractions of this rule. Don’t test me on this.
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