Module/Week 8 — Directions in Scholarly Research

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Understand the colonial origins of American government.
• Identify philosophical trends and political exigencies affecting U.S. constitutional design.
• Compare key principles and arguments expressed by Federalists and Antifederalists during the constitutional ratification period.
• Critique early constitutional crises and questions of the American republic, including the paradox of slavery, the role of the judiciary, and value of a national bank.
• Evaluate the impact of Judeo-Christian democratic principles on American concepts of civil rights and liberties.
• Assess the influence of biblical principles of statesmanship (e.g. justice, prudence, wisdom and virtue) on the beliefs, arguments and actions of the U.S. Founding Fathers.

Reading & Study

2 Articles  (See attached)

Article Review Instructions

Scholarly work related to the American Founding may be found within a variety of academic disciplines, including history, political science, religion, literature, public policy and law. Select and review a classic or contemporary scholarly work related to the colonial origins of American public policy and/or revolutionary statesmanship. Include in your review a discussion of how the work relates to Carey’s (2003/2004) typology of scholarship on the America political tradition (i.e. whether it reflects a particular scholarly paradigm). Please use quotations sparingly; your review should summarize and paraphrase from the original work, providing limited quotations. Required page length is 4-5 pages, excluding title and Reference pages. Please include the following:

• The article’s title and purpose
• The author(s) of the article and a brief summary of his/her/their qualifications
• The article’s hypothesis/research question(s), theoretical assumptions, and research methodology
• A summary and careful evaluation of the article’s findings and conclusions
• The place and contribution of the article within the larger body of literature on the topic