A great deal of time, thought, and effort has been put into making these instructions as fool-proof and precise as humanly possible. Please do not labor under the assumption that this paper is like anything you have written in your other classes, because I assure you – it is not. Needless to say, then, if you try to write as you have in the past or recycle a paper from another course, it’s not going to score very well. Take the time to read these guidelines closely and carefully. It would also be helpful for you to read the rubric that appears below, as it is how I will be grading your term paper. I am very happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the paper.
Without further ado, here are the guidelines:
As this is a study of the great ideas in Philosophy, you will be expected to be able to express your thoughts philosophically. This includes demonstration on your part of your understanding of the vocabulary used for philosophical inquiry and discussion, as well as the correct application of theories and concepts we’ve studied and discussed, articulated in writing at a level that can be reasonably expected of a college student.
This is not an English paper or a paper for the Social Sciences; you are not going to write narratively or descriptively, but argumentatively something that is probably quite new to you and that’s okay. This should also not be thought of nor approached as an opinion paper I am not interested in your opinions on the contentious issues you discuss, but rather, how well you understand the philosophy as applied to them.
This is the only written work required, to be written according to the guidelines that follow, and it may be turned in through Canvas at ANY TIME prior to midnight, the 26th April 2021. It is very important that you follow my guidelines precisely and write the paper to the best of your ability, as it will constitute 25% of your overall grade.
NB: You will most likely note that the instructions that follow, while carefully specified as to what your term paper should include and the steps you ought to take in writing it, are otherwise somewhat vague as to exactly what you must apply the philosopher to. This has been done intentionally to give you the maximum possible latitude in terms of adapting the assignment to fit your interests and make it more enjoyable (or at least more tolerable) to complete than it otherwise might be. You should not feel you have to stick to any one interest, field, or method in your application of these philosophies either feel free to explore a bit, and take the philosophers along with you!
Your term paper should be written exactly according to the following technical guidelines:
Only papers submitted as Word (.doc/.docx) or Adobe (.pdf) documents will be accepted and graded.
At the top right should appear your full name, the date, and your course and section numbers. That’s it – you DO NOT need to out my name, the semester, or anything other than what I’ve asked for.
Typed, double-spaced, aligned left (not justified), paragraphs indented, with 1 margins all around, and please no titles.
12 pt. Times New Roman font (i.e., the same font this page has been done in).
I am looking for good, concise, cogent argument not length I’d rather the paper be somewhat short(er) and to the point, than long and needlessly drawn out with pseudo-academic filler material gleaned from the text, internet, etc. I want to know what you know; not what the authors you read already know. That said, you probably can’t answer the prompt well in fewer than four full pages, and if you go much over six, you’re probably padding the content.
You must cite at least 1 print source in addition to your text books, journal articles, etc.
It should go without saying but bears repeating here that Wikipedia, Spark Notes, etc. are neither sound nor reliable resources for collegiate academic work, and should neither be consulted nor borrowed from.
Any and all instances of academic dishonesty, i.e., plagiarism, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately harshly at the very least it certainly will constitute a failing grade for the term paper, and may result in a failing grade for the entire semester, and/or a referral to the academic dean.
Works cited in footnotes (if you don’t know how to do this correctly, then ask it’s important to learn how to do this correctly) with author, title, publisher, edition, publication date, pages referenced, etc. DO NOT cite in parenthesis or on a works cited page. See Foolproof Footnoting.pdf
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Include quotes (properly cited and formatted) where appropriate, and absolutely no plagiarism.
Your paper is to be turned in via the course page in Canvas no hardcopies are required, nor will they be accepted. Make sure you’re familiar with the use of the assignment drop box well ahead of the due date.
Your term paper should be written with following in mind:
You are to write, using any one of the particular philosophers’ theories or concepts that you have read, been taught, or that have been discussed throughout the entire semester, a practical and applied use of their thought in the real world. Specifically, you are to summarize one philosopher’s most prominent theories, and those theories’ potential for practical application in your area of personal, professional, or academic interest.
Your term paper should take the form of:
1) Introduce your paper. We’re studying the great ideas of Philosophy, and all of our philosophers have been included for very good reasons; your introduction should indicate your understanding of the main reason(s) for your philosophers inclusion, as well as what makes them worthy of our attention.
2) Summarize the key concepts (at least one; no more than three) posited and developed by that philosopher this should include what their philosophy replaced and/or what has replaced it since, if applicable, and should show a well-rounded understanding of their work both in and of itself, as well as within the context of the overall academic study and applied practice of Philosophy.
2A) Included in your summary of their work should be topically accurate citations of and quotations from their written work that support the focus of your summary of their main ideas.
3) Discuss the possibilities of practically applying your chosen philosopher’s work to a topic within a personal, professional, or academic area of your own choosing, most often the one in which you are working in or toward currently, but it could also be an area or topic of casual interest to you.
3A) Included in your section on practical application should be at least one example of a case study or hypothetical situation in your chosen field in which the philosophers work could be applied, as well as a discussion of the means by which it would be applied, and, if applicable, resolved.
4) You should wrap up your term paper by summarizing and tying together the salient points of what you’ve presented in terms of the philosopher’s key concepts and potential for practical application. In most cases, this will be something of a rehashing of your introduction; in other words, tell me what you’re going to do, do it, then tell me what you just did this is a helpful way to stretch papers to the required length. Don’t think of it as being redundant think of it as being thorough.
This is NOT a biographical paper in fact, I will count off if you include extraneous biographical information, especially considering that it (more often than not) will have come from an online source.
Your term paper should be written from an academic perspective, and should assume that your audience (me) understands the basics of philosophical theories and you don’t need to flesh them out, but should instead focus on the meat of the philosopher their key concepts, and their relevance to you and your course of study, profession, or personal interests. To do this, you will most likely need to call on additional information that may not be available in your text may I suggest you check out the Philosophy section of our campus or local library and consult a few or several of the excellent books that are found therein?
This should be accomplished in approximately 4-6 typed pages i.e., no fewer than 4; no more than 6.
You may turn your term paper in to me at any time during the semester, up to 26th April 2021 theres no need to wait until the last minute. If you have a question about something or you’re not sure if you’ve written clearly, come see me, email me, etc. be sure you’re right before you write.
I will grade your term paper with the rubric found in Canvas under the term paper assignment.
Specifically, I will be grading A, B, C, D, and F papers according to the following areas, all of which you should familiarize yourself with before beginning your paper. If you have questions or need clarifications on any of these, then by all means, ask. The categories below are covered in more detail in the rubric found on the term paper assignment page in Canvas. Without further ado, here are the criteria I’m looking for:
Ideas Are you actually doing the assignment, and do you know what you’re writing about?
Organization & Coherence How well do you express yourself, and does it make sense?
Support Have you used your sources and citations effectively, and do they support your argument?
Style How well do you choose your words and structure your prose; is it concise, or rambling?
Mechanics Is your paper reasonably free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors?
I feel these are all appropriate expectations for written work submitted for a college class. If you follow the guidelines, don’t rush at the last minute, stay away from the internet, and proofread/spellcheck your work, you should have no trouble meeting and exceeding these guidelines. If you have questions ask!
NB: Remember, a 70 is the lowest passing grade, and you should strive to have your written work be at least at this level or above. At the same time, don’t be disappointed if you don’t earn a 100 this kind of writing is probably new to you, and I have placed stringent requirements on this in order to challenge you, and in order for you to challenge yourself you can do it!
Term Paper Grading Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Ideas
20 pts
Excels in responding to assignment. Interesting, demonstrates sophistication of thought. Cental thesis is clearly communicated, worth developing; limited enough to be manageable. Paper recognizes some complexity of its thesis: may acknowledge its contradictions, qualifications, or limits and follow out their logical implications. Understands and critically evaluates its sources, appropriately limits and defines terms.
16 pts
A solid paper, responding appropriately to assignment. Clearly states a thesis, but may have minor lapses in development. Begins to acknowledge the complexity of central idea and the possibility of other points of view. Shows careful reading of the sources, but may not evaluate them critically. Attempts to define terms, not always successfully.
12 pts
Adequate but weaker and less effective, possibly responding less well to assignment. Presents central idea in general terms, often depending on platitudes or cliches. Usually does not acknolwedge other views. Shows basic comprehension of sources, perhaps with lapses in understanding. If it defines terms, often depends on dictionary definitions.
8 pts
Does not have a clear central idea or does not respond appropriately to the assignment. Thesis may be too vague or obvious to be developed effectively. Paper may misunderstand sources.
4 pts
Does not respond to the assignment, lacks a thesis or central idea, and may neglect to use sources where necessary.
0 pts
Complete lack of effort in every respect.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Organization & Coherence
20 pts
Uses a logical structure appropriate to paper’s subject, purpose, audience, thesis and disciplinary field. Sophisticated transitional sentences often develop one idea from the previous one or identify their logical relations. It guides the reader through the chain of reasoning or progression of ideas.
16 pts
Shows a logical progression of ideas and uses fairly sophisticated transitional devices; e.g., may move from least to more important idea. Some logical links may be faulty, but each paragraph clearly relates to paper’s central idea.
12 pts
May list ideas or arrange them randomly rather than using any evident logical structure. May use transitions, but they are likely to be sequential (first, second, third) rather than logic-based. While each paragraph may relate to central idea, logic is not always clear. Paragraphs have topic sentences but may be overly general, and arrangement of sentences within paragraphs may lack coherence.
8 pts
May have random organization, lacking internal paragraph coherence and using few or inappropriate transitions. Paragraphs may lack topic sentences or main ideas, or may be too general or too specific to be effective. Paragraphs may not all relate to paper’s thesis.
4 pts
No appreciable organization; lacks transitions and coherence.
0 pts
Entirely unorganized and incoherent.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Support
20 pts
Uses evidence appropriately and effectively, providing sufficient evidence and explanation to convince.
16 pts
Begins to offer reasons to support its points, perhaps using varied kinds of evidence. Begins to interpret the evidence and explain connections between evidence and main ideas. Its examples bear some relevance.
12 pts
Often uses generalizations to support its points. May use examples, but they may be obvious or not be relevant. Often depends on unsupported opinion or personal experience, or assumes that evidence speaks for itself and needs no application to the point being disucssed. Often has lapses in logic.
8 pts
Depends on cliches or overgeneralizations for support, or offers little evidence of any kind. may be personal narrative rather than essay, or summary rather than analysis.
4 pts
Uses irrelevant details or lacks supporting evidence entirely. May be unduly brief.
0 pts
Completely irrelevant and way too short.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Style
20 pts
Chooses words for their precise meaning and uses an appropriate level of specificity. Sentence style fits paper’s audience and purpose. Sentences are varied, yet clearly structured and carefully focused, not long and rambling.
16 pts
Generally uses words accurately and effectively, but may sometimes be too general. Sentences generally clear, well structured, and focused, though some may be awkward or ineffective.
12 pts
Uses relatively vague and general words, may use some inappropriate language. Sentences structure generally correct, but sentences may be wordy, unfocused, repetitive, or confusing.
8 pts
May be too vague and abstract, or very personal and specific. Usually contains several awkward or ungrammatical sentences; sentence structure is simple or monotonous.
4 pts
Usually contains many awkward sentences, misuses words, employs inappropriate language.
0 pts
Very poorly written.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Mechanics
20 pts
Almost entirely free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
16 pts
May contain a few errors, which may annoy the reader but not impede understanding.
12 pts
Usually contains several mechanical errors, which may temporarily impede the overall understanding.
8 pts
Usually contains either many mechanical errors or a few important errors that block the reader’s understanding and ability to see connections between ideas.
4 pts
Usually contains so many mechanical errors that it is impossible for the reader to follow the thinking from sentence to sentence.
0 pts
Completely incomprehensible.
20 pts
Total Points: 100
Here’s the link to the lecture notes on Dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6wztq08tpfafyb/Introduction%20to%20Philosophy%20Notes%20-%20Revised%20January%202018.
Information that was on some of our quizzes:
philosophy Flashcards | Chegg.com
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