- On Tancítaro, Neva and Monterrey: Fisher, M., Taub, A. & Martínez, D. (2018). Losing faith in the state, some Mexican towns quietly break away. The New York Times.
- On Tancítaro: Fisher, M., & Taub, A. (2018). Building a mini-state with avocados and guns. The New York Times.
- On Catalonia (background): Catalonia's bid for independence from Spain explained. (2018). BBC News.
- On the possibility of Catalan secession: Beramendi, P. (2017, September 29). [Interview by Z. Laub]. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). CFR
Then answer the following questions. Your answers should be numbered.
- Briefly summarize Aristotle's conception of politics and political organization.
- Briefly summarize Weber's conception of politics and political organization.
- What are the similarities between the conceptualizations of the two authors? What are the differences?
- Which is more useful for understanding contemporary political dynamics in Mexico (Tancítaro, in particular)? Why? (NOTE: You need to address both Weber and Aristotle in your answer)
- Which is more useful for understanding contemporary political dynamics in Catalonia? Why? (NOTE: You need to address both Weber and Aristotle in your answer)
- What is the best way to determine whether Weber or Aristotle are more accurate in describing the contemporary world? (NOTE: you should not try to determine which is more useful, rather you need to explain how you could determine which is more useful)
- Include a bibliography using proper and consistent citations (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ (Links to an external site.)). Your bibliography should also include 3 additional relevant academic sources for studying Catalan secession and 3 additional relevant academic sources for studying Mexican warlordism that you could use if you were to continue to research these topics.
