2 essay questions are bellow, after the instructions

Regarding the essay(s):
How much you write is up to you. As a general guideline, however, I think you would need to write at least 3 pages per question to provide a minimally adequate answer. However, be careful about writing too much, i.e., “throwing in the kitchen sink.” As a strategy, write only what you know. Do not throw in concepts for the sake of including them if you cannot tie them into your response in a way that demonstrates an adequate understanding of the material. Rambling, disconnected tangents are something you want to avoid. In this case, “less is more”: don’t tip your hand by showing me you don’t understand what you’re writing. True, you will have points deducted for not including concepts that are central to answering the question, but you’ll have more points deducted if you try to pass off bs as understanding. For what it’s worth, here’s how I approach essays: 1) Identify the concepts central to answering the question. 2) Clearly define those concepts in my own words. Using quotes for definitions doesn’t mean that I understand the concept. (I realize that many of the concepts we discuss are abstruse so you might need to use the “original” definition. However, that definition should be a starting point, not an end point.) 3) Weave the concepts together to tell a story that answers the question posed. Personally, I don’t often use outlines when I write, but you may find it helpful to come up with one so that you can best “order” your story (when/where to introduce concepts).

I assume that students will use the text to write their answers. Thus, be sure to use quotations and citations where appropriate. Page numbers will suffice for citations so long as the course text is the only book you use. If you use other books then you will need to indicate sources as well as page numbers. Quote the PRIMARY SOURCES or original text embedded in the secondary source. DO NOT QUOTE ME OR THE POWERPOINT SLIDES! You should be able to decipher what I wrote from what the theorists wrote within the secondary source. Do not make this mistake – it suggests you are not reading carefully. Avoid relying too heavily on quoting and paraphrasing for your response, otherwise you will not be able to adequately convey what YOU think. As we discussed previously, avoid writing in an informal, conversational style. I expect your responses to be free from ALL grammatical and spelling errors. Such errors will result in a lower grade.

I ask that your responses reflect only your own insights. In other words, do not discuss the essay questions with other students. I realize that I cannot police this matter, however, personal integrity is a trait that I take extremely seriously and I would hope that you do as well.

Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, 12pt font. Submit your work on the Canvas course page. I will not accept essays via email. Remember, spelling and grammar will be factored into your grade.

Essay questions:

1 – explain the following passage (from the German Ideology) as it relates to Marx’s general theoretical perspective–historical materialism. After explaining the meaning of the passage, discuss how Marx connects that meaning to his understanding of classes and to class struggle as the primary mover of history. Be sure to include a discussion of key concepts that are relevant to addressing the passage.
“As individuals express their life so they are. What they are, therefore coincides with their production, both with what they produce and how they produce. The nature of individuals thus depends on the material conditions determining their production…. Men are the producers of their conceptions, ideas etc.–real, active men, as they are conditioned by a definite development of their productive forces and of the intercourse corresponding to these… Consciousness can never be anything else than conscious existence, and the existence of men is their actual life-process.”
2 – explain the following passage (from The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism) as it relates to Weber’s analysis of the development of capitalism. According to Weber, what were the elements of this-worldly Protestantism that led him to make this claim. Or, to state it a little differently, how did the “Puritan outlook” lead to “the development of a rational bourgeois economic life”? Be sure to include a discussion of key concepts that are relevant to addressing the passage.
“As far as the influence of the [ascetic] Puritan outlook extended, under all circumstances–and this is, of course, much more important than the mere encouragement of capital accumulation–it favored the development of a rational bourgeois economic life; it was the most important, and above all the only consistent influence in the development of that life. It stood at the cradle of the modern economic man.”