Philosophy Essay

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PLEASE USE THE MOST BASIC ENGLISH AND GRAMMAR, DO NOT USE OVERLY COMPLICATED VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR. THIS IS A BASIC PHILOSOPHY CLASS, DON’T USE TOO ADVANCED PHILOSOPHICAL KNOWLEDGE.

 

WHAT IS DUE?

Please choose one of the prompts and write a paper 600 to 800 words long. Upload your paper as a word document (or equivalent; no pdf). Write the prompt (number and/or text) at the top of the first page. Topic is below.

TOPIC

  1. There are different theories concerning what race is. According to some, we should actually stop using the concept of race. Do you think this would be useful or damaging? Why?

WHY?

This assignment is meant to assess your critical understanding of the contents, your capacity to reflect autonomously on them, and your capacity to formulate and defend a philosophical argument in a written text.

HOW?

A philosophical paper is structured like the defense of a thesis. This means that you must have a definite claim in your mind, state it clearly, and propose an argument in its support; in other words, you must provide reasons for your claim. The steps of your argument and the way they are connected should be clear for the reader, and the conclusion should be easily identifiable and follow logically from the argument.

TIPS

  • Address the prompt completely. If the prompt includes more than one question or aspect, your paper should address all of them.
  • State your thesis at the very beginning of your paper.
  • Make your argumentative steps explicit: announce them in the first paragraph, and then follow them thoroughly.
  • Make sure your paper shows that you studied and understood the materials.
  • Use short sentences and a straightforward style. Do not try to impress with complicated phrases or terms that are hard to explain.
  • Do not take it for granted that your reader already knows the topics that you are dealing with. Although it is your instructor and TAs that will evaluate the paper, you are expected to define explicitly the main concepts that you are using.
  • Use your own words and possibly your own examples. This demonstrates autonomy and capacity of reflection. Examples help the reader understand better what you have in mind.
  • It is a good idea to identify a possible objection to your argument and respond to it.
  • Connect the conclusion of the paper to the thesis that you stated at the beginning.
  • Plagiarism (passing off as your own the ideas or words of someone else) is not allowed in any form. Always credit your sources. Be aware that papers are automatically checked for plagiarism.

MORE TIPS

Professor Jim Pryor of New York University has developed and made available more extensive guidelines that you might find useful: http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html. Very clear, with plenty of examples, they include helpful tips regarding the different stages of writing. I recommend having a look at them. (Do not consider the paragraph on “How you’ll be graded”: you’ll be graded according to the rubric below).

QUESTIONS

  • How should I format the paper?

There are no specific requirements regarding formatting. Just write the prompt number and/or title at the beginning of the paper.

  • Should I add a title?

Not required but encouraged. It contributes to the clarity of the paper.

  • Are quotes and references required? Are they allowed?

Quotes and references are not required, but they are allowed. If you quote, you should acknowledge the author, and add the reference at the end of the paper, in a separate paragraph titled “References”.

  • If I add references, how should I format them?

References should include author and title. If you have them, also add: year of publication; book title (for book chapters) or name of the journal (for journal articles); place of publication and publisher (for books or book chapters) or journal issue and pages (for journal articles). If you do not have the full reference it’s ok, just include author and title.

  • Can I add references to the course videos and slides?

Yes. You can refer to them as (minilecture #…), or (guest video on…), or the like, and add the reference at the end of the paper, in the “References” paragraph.

  • Can I add references outside the course readings?

Yes. However, your paper should not focus mainly on them.

  • Are footnotes allowed?

Yes, but keep in mind that footnotes are secondary additions. If you use them, do not use them to explain major points.

  • Does the word count include the prompt, references (if any) and footnotes (if any)?

No.

 
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