Using the concepts of the "original position" and "veil of ignorance" from the Rawls readings on reserve, decide which one of our 18 Advanced Capitalist Democracies you would "choose" to be born into if you could make such a choice.  In other words, I want you to consider what would be a "just" society and which or our 18 ACDs best approximates this ideal.  You can base your decision on institutional, economic, social, or other political considerations, or a combination thereof.  You can choose any one of the 18 countries, but the point is that you need to justify your choice.

            We haven't spent alot of time looking at any particular country, so this is where you'll have to do a little research.

            The paper should be no more than two pages long, NOT single spaced, and with normal-sized margins.  If you don't know what "parsimony" means, look it up.

            I want to see the title at the beginning of the essay, but please list your name on the last (3rd) page, which you can also use to list any references you use.

            The biggest problem with papers at the undergrad level is structure.  Don't just ramble away for two pages- introduce your topic, make your point, back it up, conclude.  That's all there is to it.

            Laziness and/or slopiness totally bug me on papers (as opposed to tests, where I know time is short).  Excessive typos and misspellings will affect your grade.  Have a friend, parent, significant other, or somebody else read it before you turn it in 'cause they'll often find mistakes you missed.

            What I really want to see is that you put some thought into this.  I don't care what you say as long it looks like you thought about the concepts from class, used Rawls' ideas as sort of a guiding concept, and then reached an intelligent, rational, logical conclusion which is supported by whatever facts you choose to use.  I don't even care if you get a little creative and stray slightly from the assigned topic (disagree with Ralwls conception of justice, pick no countries, or one outside of the 18 ACDs) but you need to be carefull doing this, meaning make a well-substantiated point.  If you're conclusion is unsupported by the facts or inconsistent with your arguments, it will be a problem.  I've gotta read 133 of these- the best thing you can do is NOT bore me.

            As you've already noticed, I'm not a great speaker.  Fortunately, given what I do for a living, I do write well.  In other words, if you need some assistance, come see me.  I'd be happy to help.