You will be required to read Robert Heilbroner’s The Worldly Philosophers [buy here] and write a response paper of 6-8 pages to chapters 3-8 (Times New Roman, 12 points, standard margins, 1 and 1/2 spacing, no cover page). This book is supposed to be a light reading and introduce you to the life and ideas of some of the main thinkers that have influenced the economic discipline, and to a great extent the world that we live in today.

For your paper you will have to review one idea from chapters 3 to 8 (i.e. one idea per chapter for a total of six). You will have to put the idea into its social and political context, explain its importance, and how it relates to economic theory today.

Your paper is DUE on March 23rd, and is worth 10% of your final grade. I would encourage your to start working on it early.

Each paper will receive up to 10 points based on the following criteria:

Length (0-2 pts)

2 = at least 6 pages.

1 = at least 4 pages.

Summary (how well you summarized the relevant ideas: 0-2 pts)

2 = a perfect summary. You captured what was essential to the reading with the fewest number of words possible.

1 = irrelevant details were included, or the essence of the reading was neglected.

0 = the summary needs a complete overhaul.

Discussion (organization and understanding: 0-3 pts)

3 = excellent discussion; enjoyable to read and helpful.

2 = coherent, adequate discussion, possibly with minor problems of organization or understanding.

1 = organizational problems make the discussion difficult to follow, or else it is evident that you’ve seriously misunderstood the reading.

0 = (speaks for itself, alas)

Grammar/Spelling/Mechanics (for your paper as a whole: 0-3)

3 = flawless writing, with neither typos nor misspellings.

2 = one to three errors.

1 = four or more errors.

0 = you need to pay closer attention to what you write, or consult Hacker, or perhaps both of these.