Question

One result of the criticisms directed at Putnam’s decline thesis is to create space for a new conception or new conceptions of citizenship. Is there a new conception of citizenship or are there new conceptions of citizenship? What is it/are they? If there are new conceptions, are they essentially the same, or distinct ones?  Why is it/are they new?  What is, in your judgment, the most compelling criticism that the new conception, or the new conceptions of citizenship, level/s at Putnam’s decline thesis?  Be sure to answer all parts of the essay question.

Schedule

• Submission deadlines
  • Answer: Thursday, March 2, by 11:59 pm

Requirements

Required Readings (Any other literature is prohibited)

1. Dietlind Stolle & Marc Hooghe, “Review Article: Inaccurate, Exceptional, One-Sided or Irrelevant? The Debate about the Alleged Decline of Social Capital and Civic Engagement in Western Societies,” The British Journal of Political Science, Vol. 35 (2004), pp. 149-167.
2. Russell J. Dalton, “Citizenship Norms and the Expansion of Political Participation,” Political Studies, 56 (2008), pp. 76-94.
3. Elizabeth Theiss-Morse and John R. Hibbing, “Citizenship and Civic Engagement,” Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 8 (2005), pp. 227-249.

Length & Organization

• Answer: minimum of 450 words – maximum 500 words. Be sure to post word count on the top of your answer. Be Sure to divide your answer to distinct paragraphs.

Quality

• Answer
  • Your answer should be based on, and only on, the required reading. The use of any other literature and sources is prohibited.
  • The answer must present a clear, well-organized argument with evidence based on the REQUIRED READINGS. 
  • Be sure to divide your answer to distinctive paragraphs.

How shall I assess your Answer (& Responses)? I shall evaluate it according to    the quality of the content of your analysis;

1. the thoroughness, quality of support, and relevance of your treatment of the question. 
2. the thorough use use of the primary source; 
3. the clarity of your writing – including spelling and grammar;
4. the organization of your discussion (including all the requirements under “Length, etc”). Be sure to divide your answer into proper paragraphs.

Academic dishonesty 

If you quote, you must use quotation marks and cite the specific page of the quotation. Failure to do both or either will result in an automatic grade of ‘0’. 

Fresh water is vital resource. Can nanotechnology be used to help solve this?  Is it possible to use new technologies to find new sources such as icebergs as a source of freshwater? What obstacles – technological, social, environmental & political – do you foresee for such endeavors?