This final essay exam serves multiple purposes. First, it is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how well you understand the main arguments are presented by Mary Anne Warren and Don Marquis regarding the moral permissibility of abortion. Second, this is a chance for you to learn how to write a philosophical essay. Finally, and most importantly, this is an opportunity to learn more about your own beliefs.
Real-world skills:
• You will demonstrate that you are able to understand an ethical issue from different perspectives.
• You will show you understand multiple ways an answer to an ethical question can be determined.
• You will be fair in your representation of an opposing point of view.
• You will provide reasons for the reader to accept your point of view.
(Use the following link to download this essay prompt: PHIL 1107 Final Essay Prompt) (https://sscc.instructure.com/courses/9545/files/1319233?verifier=N7dAj5UjJDU8MxkOx1IKMVE5SuczoAcX2yCWdX8k&wrap=1)
How to Prepare
• Review the materials and activities that relate to the essay topic.
◦ You should read the papers by Warren and Marquis at least 3-5 times each.
▪ Gather all the notes you have taken on these papers.
◦ Review the modules on argumentation and the abortion debate, including any videos, podcasts, Checkpoints and/or Discussions on the abortion debate, any related Announcements, and any relevant feedback you have received.
• Review the Argument Reconstruction assignments you completed for Warren and Marquis.
◦ You should be able to use the work you did on these assignments in your essay.
• Plan your essay writing schedule.
◦ You are only required to turn in the outline and the final draft. You should look at your calendar to make sure you have time set aside to work on this.
◦ Create your own schedule with deadlines:
▪ When will you have the outline finished?
▪ When will you have a first draft finished (you will not turn this in)?
▪ Who will read your first draft? Friend? family member? classmate?
▪ When will you have time to revise your work?
The Essay Exam Question
This exam is to write an essay answering the following question:
Between Marquis or Warren, who makes the stronger case regarding the moral permissibility of abortion?
Approved Essay Format
• Introduce your paper topic: Your essay should begin with an introduction that consists of a couple opening sentences, followed by a clear argument. The conclusion of your argument will be the thesis of your essay.
• Roadmap: Either at the end of the introductory paragraph, or in a short paragraph just after the introduction, you should tell the reader how your essay is organized. This is called the “roadmap” of your essay.
• Provide a deep discussion of the philosopher (Marquis or Warren) who makes the strongest case for their position. In this section, you should demonstrate your understanding of the main argument of the philosopher you believe make the strongest case.
◦ First, in your own words, carefully walk the reader through this (the “stronger”) philosopher’s argument.
▪ Focus on the points you wrote about in the “Arguments in Your Own Words” assignment on the philosopher you discussing in this section.
▪ Do not use any quotes in this section, I want to hear only your voice here.
◦ Next, discuss why you think this philosopher makes the strongest case by:
▪ Giving examples of your own that support the philosopher’s points, or
▪ Providing evidence that supports the philosophers claims, or
▪ Showing how the philosopher’s points align with common-sense.
• Consider – and respond to – a potential objection to your argument. In this section, you should the philosopher who opposes your position. You will use this philosopher’s arguments to put pressure on your claims and the claims of the philosopher you discussed above. You should also respond to this objection.
◦ First, in your own words, carefully walk the reader through this opposing philosopher’s argument.
▪ Focus on the points you wrote about in the “Arguments in Your Own Words” assignment on the philosopher your discussing in this section.
▪ Do not use any quotes in this section, I want to hear only your voice here.
◦ Next, discuss how this philosopher would object to your argument by:
▪ Identifying a controversial or poorly supported claim made by you or the other philosopher, or
▪ Showing how this philosopher would disagree with some reasoning found in the above arguments.
◦ Finally, defend yourself and the “stronger” philosopher against this objection.
▪ While agreeing that the objection is worth consideration, give a response to that objection. Explain how you and/or the “stronger” philosopher would reply to the objection made by this philosopher.
• Conclude your paper. Your conclusion should achieve two things:
◦ First, you should remind the reader of your original intention: to argue which philosopher makes the strongest case for their position.
▪ Do this by recounting the argument you provided in your introduction.
◦ Second, in a few closing sentences, I would like you to reflect on how studying these arguments has affected your perspective on the morality of abortion. Please consider one or more of the following questions:
▪ In a sentence or two, what is the fundamental difference of beliefs between you and someone who you disagree with, regarding abortion?
▪ What’s did you learn about the opposing position that left you feeling more compassionate toward those that hold those beliefs?
▪ Please feel free to include anything else noteworthy you have learned while writing this paper?
General Instructions
• Please be sure to follow the essay structure presented above. If you want to structure your essay differently, please contact me for approval. If you stray from an approved structure, you risk losing points.
• This is an open-book, open-notes, short-essay exam; you may discuss the question with your classmates, but you may not collaborate on crafting the language of the essay. You may not copy or paraphrase each other’s written answers.
• This essay must be written in your own words. The use of AI – including Grammarly – to craft the language of your essay is not permitted.
• Your paper should be typed in 12pt Times New Roman font, and double-spaced.
• Length: The paper must be no less than three pages long and no more than four pages long.
• Grammatical errors will be penalized severely.
• Be sure to submit your paper as a .doc or .docx file.
• Plagiarism will result in an F for the entire essay project (outline and essay exam). Any unoriginal work must be cited using MLA style of citation. If your paper requires citations, it will also require a “Works Cited” page. Use the Purdue Owl for guidance with MLA style (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html).
• Grammatical errors will be penalized severely.
• No Late Papers Accepted
Grading
Your essay will be graded on: (1) how well you argue your position, (2) how well you structure your paper,
and (3) how well you demonstrate your knowledge of the material. It is not easy to do all of these well in the same essay, so give yourself plenty of time to make revisions. See the rubric below for a look at how I will grade your essay exam.
