Socialism and Marxism are often discussed in purely economic terms within academics. Even so socialism and Marxism continue to grow in popularity not merely as an economic theory but a worldview. This course will address the broad philosophical claims of these viewpoints which intersect with many fields and spheres of life by focusing on the philosophical and ethical claims of these systems.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. The student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Discussion threads must be 500–600 words in length and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 1 other classmate’s thread. The student should try to respond to a classmate who has not received a reply yet. The reply must be at least 400–500 words in length. (CLO: A, B, C, D; FLSO: CT 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)

Socialism and Free Enterprise Assignment

Each student will write a 1800–2000 word paper in current Turabian format that further develops the insights and arguments of the student’s second and third Discussions into a single, carefully articulated work. This paper is not required to utilize any sources outside of those that were used in the class (the two textbooks and the videos), but use of additional resources is permitted and encouraged. At the minimum the paper should utilize the resources from the class. (CLO: B, D; FLSO: CT 2, 3, 4, 5)

Quiz: Ethical Reflection

This assignment is a quiz. It is not timed. It is less intense and is intended to encourage thoughtful introspection for one’s life and the course. Grades for this quiz are not based on right or wrong answers, but based on your ability to explain your reflections on the ethical systems covered in this course. Each question should be covered in a minimum of 200 words (CLO: B, D; FLSO: CT 5)

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned Module(s): Week(s). Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10 true/false or multiple-choice questions, and have a 30-minute time limit. (CLO: A, C; FLSO: CT 1, 5)