Question: Some scholars study the past using the “rational actor model,” which maintains that humans act according to the rational pursuit of economic or political gain.  Other scholars have challenged this model by insisting that emotions, not rationality, exert a more powerful force on human behavior.  When analyzing the cases of women’s suffrage and prohibition, which model do you find more compelling?

Tips:
1. This is obviously not an either/or question, so be sure to present evidence for both sides of this debate and carefully explain why you find one side or the other more compelling overall.

2. In developing your argument, be sure to draw on numerous examples and brief quotations from the two chapters we read on these topics.  There is no need for outside research.  In gathering your evidence, be sure to consider both supporters of prohibition and women’s suffrage as well as the critics.  You may also consider context provided by class lectures.

3. Potentially relevant emotions include love, hate, fear, desire, anxiety, and fear of humiliation (or any other emotion you can locate in the readings).

4. There is no need for a formal bibliography.  Use the parenthetical citation method described in the syllabus with McClellan as the “author.”  For instance: (McClellan, 243).

5. See the syllabus for more instructions and tips on writing papers in this class.