philosophy

  

1. What is one      philosophical theory or philosopher’s views that you have found particularly      interesting so far during the course? Explain the view and why you find it      interesting. Be specific and demonstrate good use of the      text. You can find something interesting without actually agreeing      with it. For example, you could talk about Aristotle’s virtue ethics,      or Descartes’ dualism, or Sartre’s existentialism. Choose someone who’s      clearly a philosopher (since the text does occasionally mention other      people). You want to choose a theory or philosopher that the text      discusses in sufficient detail. Remember, the text should be your only      source.
2. What is another philosophical      theory or philosopher’s views that you have found interesting so far      during the course? 
3. What does philosophy      have to do with the real world? Be specific and demonstrate good use      of the text. Give examples; you may want to give examples from you own      personal life. However, don’t let your examples take over; remember that      you’re still trying to demonstrate your understanding of some of the      relevant concepts from the text.

TermPaper Instructions

Overview

Please answer ALL OF the following 3 questions, devoting 300-500 words to each question, for a total of 900-1500 words in 1 document. Papers of less than 800 words will not be accepted, and better papers will typically be over 1200 words. Do not shortchange any of the 3 questions (which are numbered, below).  You do not need a separate intro or concluding paragraph; if you use them, don’t count them as part of your word count. Organize your thoughts into paragraphs; you may want to use more than one paragraph per question.  You must demonstrate good use of the text. Use quotations from the text, but do so sparingly; I want to see how well you can explain things in your own words.  Your paper should consist of no more than 10% quotations. You can use personal examples, but don’t let them take over; this is particularly a temptation in the last section. Make sure that throughout the paper, you are demonstrating your clear understanding of the text, and your critical thinking skills. Although you’ll be sharing some aspects of your opinion regarding the material, keep it firmly rooted in analysis of the concepts and arguments in the text. Sometimes students only spend a couple sentences explaining what the text says, and then spend the rest of the section just sharing their own views on religion or whatever the subject is; that’s not really the focus of the essay.

Sources and Academic Honesty

Outside sources are not permitted.  This is not a research paper; instead, it is your demonstration of what you’re getting out of the text, as well as your opinions. I don’t want to see how well you can paraphrase Wikipedia, etc. Assignments using outside sources (other than the text) will be returned with a grade of zero. Reusing assignments from previous courses is not allowed and is considered self-plagiarism. If you have taken this course with me previously, you can email me for permission to re-use or edit the paper you previously submitted to me, so long as plagiarism was not involved.

The 3 sections of your paper

Your paper should answer these 3 questions in separate paragraphs. You may use more than 1 section per paragraph if you like. You do not need intro or concluding paragraphs.

1. What is one philosophical theory or philosopher’s views that you have found particularly interesting so far during the course? Explain the view and why you find it interesting. Be specific and demonstrate good use of the text. You can find something interesting without actually agreeing with it. For example, you could talk about Aristotle’s virtue ethics, or Descartes’ dualism, or Sartre’s existentialism. Choose someone who’s clearly a philosopher (since the text does occasionally mention other people). You want to choose a theory or philosopher that the text discusses in sufficient detail. Remember, the text should be your only source.

2. What is another philosophical theory or philosopher’s views that you have found interesting so far during the course? 

3. What does philosophy have to do with the real world? Be specific and demonstrate good use of the text. Give examples; you may want to give examples from you own personal life. However, don’t let your examples take over; remember that you’re still trying to demonstrate your understanding of some of the relevant concepts from the text.

Other details such as formatting, document file type, etc.

The word count should not include restating the prompt (although I prefer that you don’t restate the prompts), or any long quotes. If you are using Word, you can select a portion of the paper with your cursor to see the word count for that section, or Word should show you the word count for the entire document in the bottom left when you’re in edit view.

Formatting: Submit as a nicely formatted paper, single spaced. I prefer 12 pt Arial font with 1″ margins.  PROOFREAD!  Include your name, date, and the word count at the top. No MLA or APA style. 1 prefer that you don’t include the prompt or number the paragraphs; it should look like a normal essay. You can put (p. 232) after quotes (obviously with the appropriate page number.) No title page or works cited page.

Your essay must be submitted in , docx or .rtf format. No PDF files. You can accomplish this using any word processor by going up to file, then save as, then select either , docx or .rtf and type in your last name as part of the document name.  Please submit your paper as a single document.  After you find the local file on your computer, you’ll have to hit attach to actually attach it. It must be an attachment; do not paste into the comments box. If you submit any file type other than , docx, or .rtf, the grade will be zero and you will not be able to resubmit. You’re responsible for making sure to use one of the accepted file formats. Do not use special characters such as & in your file name, or the document may not be openable. PDF files are not accepted.

If you try to submit your paper and eCampus is down, email me a temporary copy (to stop the late clock ticking) and then post it when eCampus comes back up.

Academic Honesty, Plagiarism, and Cheating

In this course, any instance of academic dishonesty would typically earn an automatic failing grade for the course. In minor instances of plagiarism, it may earn a 0 for the assignment, or a 0 for the assignment and a whole grade reduction of the final course grade (such as C to B). Cheating and flagrant or repeated plagiarism can also result in academic suspension or other institutional sanctions. Flagrant plagiarism includes using an essay for sale or free essays site, having someone else write your essay, or turning in someone else’s paper as your own. If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, see the information on academic honesty in the syllabus, or ask me for clarification.

Grading

You will be graded on content, depth, and quality of writing.  Content includes how well you explain the views, your use of specific examples as evidence, how well you demonstrate your understanding of the text, and how well you apply what you are learning.  All things being equal, an essay that goes into more depth is likely to earn a higher score than a paper that goes into less depth (within the limits).  The minimum effort will not yield the maximum grade. Quality of writing, which counts for about 10% of your grade, includes spelling, grammar, sentence structure, transitions, and the smooth and logical flow of ideas.  Part of the 10% is also following directions regarding formatting, etc.

30% of grade = answer to question 1

30% of grade = answer to question 2

30% of grade = answer to question 3

10% of grade = quality of writing, as well as following formatting instructions

Don’t spend extra time on question 1 and then cut short your answer to question 2 and/or 3 (or vice versa), since each question is weighted equally.

You don’t need intro and/or concluding paragraphs. If you add them anyway, don’t let it take away from the time you spend on questions 1, 2, and 3. Use strong opening and closing sentences, in lieu of having intro and concluding paragraphs.