Quote From the Limits of Police Reform

1. Choose a quote: Find a passage that strikes your imagination. You are trying to find something that provokes a reaction in you. There are no set criteria for how to make this selection. But see if you find yourself strongly attracted to or repelled by the idea(s) expressed in the chosen passage.

2. Understand your attraction: Make sure you understand the source of your attraction or repulsion to the idea(s) expressed in your chosen quote. Why are you attracted or repulsed? Is it:

3. That the idea presupposes something that is totally wrong or morally pernicious? Make sure that what strikes you isn’t a mere error of fact. But you may be struck that thinkers who have gained historical renown would say something you think is clearly false—you might then try to figure out why they said what they said, assuming that they were neither ignorant, nor intentionally trying to deceive their readers.

That the claim strikes you as obviously true? It can be hard to express why you are strongly in favor of an obvious truth unless you can also explain what might prevent it from being obvious to others. A better choice for a quote would be one where you think it is obviously true, but yet you think, or know, that many others would disagree.

That the claim is eerily prescient?—many writers make wide and far-reaching claims about human nature & human history. You may be struck by how well (or how poorly) their analyses connect up to events decades or centuries after their death.

That the claim is paradoxical or confusing? A good choice for a quote is a seemingly obvious claim that contains a contradiction, or a seemingly contradictory claim that contains an obvious truth.

4: Include the quote in your response.

5: Interpret the quote: In a minimum of 1 or 2 sentences you should explain the main idea (or ideas) your chosen quote expresses. This will call upon you to describe the meaning of the quote in your own words. Analogies and examples can be helpful in this regard. You also want to be attentive to how the language the author(s) use may differ from our current or common-sense usage.

6: Illuminate the quote: Explain why you picked this quote. What about the passage seems important enough to elicit a response at all? What is the social, political, or personal meaning behind the quote that makes this quote important to you? What modern or traditional problem does this quote relate to? Illuminate the quote by guiding the reader to understand the overall pattern of thoughts that led you to find the quote worth discussing.

7: Submit it to Canvas: Submit your response to the discussion thread on this week’s Canvas module. The response should be between 400 - 500 words total. The grade will be based on how well you interpret the quote (articulate its meaning), how well you show your understanding of the quote (i.e. how well are you able to assess the intellectual features expressed in its meaning), and how well you illuminate the quote (i.e. how well are you able to express the relevance of the quote for you, so that other potential readers are able sympathize with or, adopt your point of view).