Writhing an introductory paragraph for a philosophy paper
julia411Final Paper Assignment & Basic Writing Instructions—PHI 150—Buben
Please complete a 6-7 page paper on a topic determined with the help of the instructor and turn it in on SafeAssign h.
The aim of this paper is to give you a chance to present and reflect on some of the philosophical ideas that appear in the works we have discussed in this course. You may draw on ideas presented in class, the assigned texts, and/or events from your own life. Make sure any ideas you discuss are relevant to the topic and context of your discussion. The main thing is: Avoid “dead wood”—that is, avoid unnecessary words; be concise and precise.
Philosophy papers should be clear, precise, well organized, deep, insightful, original, and well written. Formulate the issue in your own words, and address it in an orderly, step-by-step way. You should support your interpretations of the texts with concrete examples and short (a phrase or sentence) quotations from the text. Make your writing reader-friendly with devices such as “There are three main characteristics of … (1) …,” or “”In my opinion there are two main problems with ….” Use plain English and clear sentences. It is generally fine to use the first person, but avoid over-use of "I think.” When necessary, define technical terms (e.g., “eudaimonia,” “atman,” “divine command theory”) or display their meaning with examples.
· 12 pt. Times New Roman font. 1-1.25 inch margins. No cover pages. Include your name, PHI 150, and your class time at the top of the first page. Insert page numbers.
· Your paper should be double-spaced.
· Please begin with a clear and well organized introductory paragraph that avoids “fluff” or “dead wood” and lays out the plan for the paper. Avoid “fluffy” summarizing conclusions.
· At least 3/4 of the paper should consist of explications of the relevant authors’ views, and the rest of your own critical ideas. If you disagree with the interpretations presented in the classroom, that is great, but you must show you fully understand these interpretations and say why you think they are wrong.
· Please inform me immediately if any part of this assignment is unclear. If you do not inform me immediately, I will assume that everything is clear and I will hold you responsible for completing this assignment as described. Failure to adhere to these guidelines strictly may result in a lower grade.
· When you quote or paraphrase any text, please provide the proper citation in a footnote the first time you cite a text and subsequently by page numbers in parentheses after the quote or paraphrase. Failure to cite your sources may be construed as plagiarism. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in an F grade for the whole course, and a report to the powers that be. If you aren’t sure about what you are doing, then check in with me. Outside research for this assignment will not be necessary. Use the texts we worked with in class. No bibliography will be necessary.
· Start your papers early. See the course syllabus for the late policy.
· Grammar and spelling mistakes will affect your grade. Have someone proofread your work before submitting it.
· Your paper will be graded on the basis of (1) mastery of the materials presented in class, (2) insight into the works discussed, (3) effective writing, and (4) originality (roughly in that order). See the grading rubric on Bblearn for more details.
Topics
For the final paper, you should create your own introductory paragraph that serves the same purpose as your chosen topic prompt for the first paper. An introductory paragraph not only introduces the topic of the paper, but it also provides a clear statement of the point that is to be made in the paper. Finally, an introductory paragraph should include a brief statement about how the paper will be organized—a table of contents, so to speak, for the paper. (I will post more thorough directions about how to write an introductory paragraph on Bblearn).
I will provide a few topics here that I would encourage you to choose from, but feel free to propose another topic more to your liking. If you have your own topic in mind, be sure to check with me to see if it is acceptable before you begin working on it.
1. Discuss what happens when you die according to Plato, Augustine, and Leibniz.
2. Consider the treatment of women in the Dhammapada, the Analects, and the Tao Te Ching.
3. Which of our assigned texts presents the most coherent account of reincarnation: Upanishads, Phaedo, or Shobogenzo?
4. Describe the samurai relationship with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
5. Which of our philosophers has the most faith in knowledge based on empirical evidence: Aristotle, Dogen, or Hume?
� Author’ name, Title, edited by/translated by Ed./trans. Name (Place of publication: Name of publisher, year of publication), page number of your quote or paraphrase.