The goal of this page is to provide students and teachers with ‘classroom-ready’ comprehension exercises that can help them to take the abstract/theoretical aspects of the Key Thinkers and Key Concepts and see how they can potentially see their ‘footprint’ in the modern world. In some instances, the link should be fairly obvious and direct, but for others, the goal of the article might be to provide a useful ‘counter-narrative’ to some of the key thinker ideas – i.e. to help the students to engage with the ‘Alternative or Comparative Perspectives’ that are so important in the Essay Marking Scheme.

Each of these articles could become a part of a case study to support your engagement with generic essay titles, or might just be used in class as relevant homework assignments. One great way for students to engage with this process would be to complete the questions that accompany each article, but could this could be usefully supplemented by completing a TLDR sheet for each text. That way, you can begin to broaden your repertoire of critically examined case studies to use in the final exam. I hope they’re of use…

HOBBES: MS Word Version: https://polsocpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/hobbes-leviathan-johnson-covid-19-article.docx

Hobbes Leviathan Johnson Covid 19 ArticleDownload

LOCKE: MS Word Version: https://polsocpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/john-locke-covid-19-article-nbc-news-july-2020.docx

John Locke Covid-19 Article NBC News July 2020Download

NOZICK: MS Word Version: https://polsocpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/rand-paul-september-11-article-wapo.docx

Nozick – Rand Paul September 11 Article WaPoDownload

LYNCH: MS Word Version: https://polsocpodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/lynch-class-and-wealth-in-education-article-30th-sept-2020.docx

Lynch Class and Wealth in Education Article 30th Sept 2020Download

FREIRE: (2 Articles – One supporting, one contrasting)

Freire ‘Counterpoint’ – Michaela Schools – The Strictest School in Britain

Michael Sandel – Why admission to college should be decided by lottery

WALBY : (Structures of Patriarchy (Patriarchal State): MS Word Version

Why do so few Irish women get jobs as government ministers – RTE Brainstorm article

PDF: Why do so few Irish women get jobs as government ministers – RTE Brainstorm article

SHIVA: (Indian Farmer Protests)

Indian Farmer Protests Feb 2021 – MS Word

Indian Farmer Protests Feb 2021 – PDF

MCDONAGH:

McDonagh on Covid

DATA: A comprehension that outlines some of the historical ways in which data has been manipulated, thanks to RTÉ’s ‘BrainStorm’