Assignment due in class on November 8*

*Since part of the value of the text preparation assignment to help you prepare the reading assignment for a particular class, it may only be submitted in class on the day it is due.  If you have to miss that day's class, please contact the instructor to make alternate arrangements.

This assignment is based on: Carl Schmitt, Political Theology, chapter 3 (with knowledge of chapter 1 in the background):

In well-written paragraphs, a total of 600-750 words, please address the following two questions:

1. According to Schmitt, how is the rejection of the "exception" in political or legal theory analogous to the theological rejection of the miracle?

2. What observations does Schmitt make about historic "rationalism" and "scientific thinking," and what is their connection to his theory of sovereignty (theory of the state)?

As was the case for the Text Summary assignment, your observations in the Text Preparation assignment should be backed up with references that allow your reader to see what they are based on; for this purpose, please use parenthetical page references - for an example of these, see Harvey, Writing with Sources, p. 51, under "MLA Basic Rules." 

Please indicate the total word count at the end of your assignment.

Note: Since this is your first reading of this text, and since we have not yet discussed it in class, you needn't aim for definitive answers but preliminary, thoughtful responses based on close attention to the text.  Your fuller understanding will develop in the course of our class meetings, and with successive re-readings.

Please type and double-space your answer, use 1-inch margins, and number and staple the pages you hand in.