GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Papers should be focused, 500 word, response essays to one distinct idea proposed by one of the six philosophers covered in the past six weeks: Ross, Sartre, Williams, Nagel, Harman, or Foot. It does not have to (and really can’t) address everything they say, so don’t try. In your paper, you should take a critical position on the idea you’ve chosen to write about by critically engaging with the author’s arguments (i.e. his reasons) and respond to them (if they’re not true, say why; if they’re mistaken, say why; if they’re only partly right, say why; etc.). The thesis of the paper should criticize the author’s position for failing to accommodate a good point or for being wrong or unconvincing for specific reasons. Whatever you say about your chosen idea, you must provide good reasons for your position on it.
The word length is a firm target for the essay. Part of the assignment is to write a coherent essay that fits 500 words. A paper may receive full points if it is under or over by 20 words or so, but it will lose points beyond these limits. You should never add long quotes or meaningless filler sentences to reach 500 words. If you are afraid you can’t write enough, think of an idea you’ve read that you can say three distinct comments about. Each paragraph you write will be about one of those comments.
The use of outside sources is not required for this paper. Don’t make more work for yourself! You should only provide them in special cases, such as to support some empirical claim you make that isn’t obvious. If you do use an outside source, and only if you do, you will need to have a bibliography so you can cite that source accordingly. Only peer-reviewed academic sources should be cited (i.e. journal articles, but this includes both the Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyLinks to an external site. online and the Internet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyLinks to an external site.). If you do not use an outside source, you still need in-text citations including author and page number. Furthermore, in-text citations should be used for any and all quotes or paraphrasing. You may use MLA, APA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian style guides in providing a full bibliography, if needed. More here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/Links to an external site.. Please do not forget to proofread your paper before you submit it!
TOPIC SUGGESTIONS
The following are suggestions for essay topics. You may choose to write your essay on one of these or on your own idea (assuming it fits the assignment guidelines).
Jean Paul Sartre’s existentialist ideas lead to moral subjectivism. He denies this creates a problem, but his three reasons in defense of this have issues, as I will explain.
While what Bernard Williams says about the fallacy of “vulgar relativism” is true, Gilbert Harman is wrong not to take a side on the moral relativism/absolutism debate. Clearly, [relativism or absolutism] is the stronger position for the following three reasons.
Like W.D. Ross, Thomas Nagel argues that, contrary to consequential reasons, there are “agent-relative” deontological constraints that make it wrong to do things like twist a child’s arm in order to get life-saving transportation to a hospital. However, this isn’t true in all cases. In the following three cases [or following three reasons], agent-neutral, impersonal claims supersede agent-relative claims about certain acts.
Philippa Foot says that many conclusions of moral subjectivism stem from seeing that moral demands are different than what practical rationality requires, and that this is a mistake. However, she is wrong to claim that the rationality of moral action is “on a par” with the rationality of self-preservation and desire-satisfaction for the following three reasons.
FORMAT
You should format your paper as follows:
500 words
3 paragraphs (intro and conclusion paragraphs not needed and discouraged)
The first sentence of your first paragraph should make clear which idea from which philosopher you will be analyzing. The rest of that paragraph, and following paragraphs should each focus on a specific aspect about that idea or a specific reason it doesn’t work. (One paragraph per aspect about or reason to reject philosopher’s idea).
Header should include your name and the philosopher under consideration only, nothing else.
At least one short quote in every paragraph with in-text citation that includes author and page number.
12 pt. Times New Roman font only
Single spaced
Include all relevant in-text citations and a bibliography (if necessary) in the format indicated below:
Example of in-text citing from the Purdue Owl Style Guide
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
Also from the Owl:
When you cite a work that appears inside a larger source (for instance, an article in a periodical or an essay in a collection), cite the author of the internal source (i.e., the article or essay). For example, to cite Albert Einstein’s article “A Brief Outline of the Theory of Relativity,” which was published in Nature in 1921, you might write something like this:
Relativity’s theoretical foundations can be traced to earlier work by Faraday and Maxwell (Einstein 782).
Rubric
Short Essay Rubric (2)
Short Essay Rubric (2)
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAccuracy
40 pts
Full Marks
The paper reflects a high degree of understanding according to the level of depth achieved in this class, and is rather insightful. It sufficiently and accurately explains the ideas under consideration and no claims made in the student’s response require further qualification or elaboration to be understood or to be deemed accurate or plausible comments on the author’s idea.
35 pts
Good
The paper reflects a mostly reasonable degree of understanding according to the level of depth achieved in this class. It sufficiently and accurately explains the ideas under consideration and few claims made in the student’s response require further qualification or elaboration to be understood or to be deemed accurate or plausible comments on the author’s idea.
30 pts
Decent
The paper reflects some degree of understanding according to the level of depth achieved in this class. It fairly explains the ideas under consideration but a few claims made in the student’s response require further qualification or elaboration to be understood or to be deemed accurate or plausible comments on the author’s idea. They ought to have been further developed to convey an accurate understanding.
25 pts
Fair
The paper reflects some degree of understanding according to the level of depth achieved in this class, but there are mistakes. It attempts to explain the ideas under consideration but a few claims made in the student’s response require further qualification or elaboration to be understood or to be deemed accurate or plausible comments on the author’s idea. They ought to have been further developed to convey an accurate understanding. The accuracy of the responses ultimately falls short of a 30/40 in this category.
20 pts
Needs Work
The paper reflects an attempt to understanding the ideas according to the level of depth achieved in this class, but has noticeable mistakes. It attempts to explain the ideas under consideration but quite a few claims made in the student’s response require further qualification or elaboration to be understood or to be deemed accurate or plausible comments on the author’s idea. They ought to have been further developed to convey an accurate understanding. The accuracy of the responses ultimately falls short of a 25/40 in this category.
10 pts
Several Issues
The paper has too many mistakes. It attempts to explain the ideas under consideration but too many claims made in the student’s response require further qualification or elaboration to be understood or to be deemed accurate or plausible comments on the author’s idea. They ought to have been further developed to convey an accurate understanding. The accuracy of the responses ultimately falls short of a 20/40 in this category.
0 pts
No Marks
Off Topic or No Submission or not good enough for 10 points.
40 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFormat
15 pts
Full Marks
The paper follows the prescribed format regarding sentence spacing, paragraphs, font, and overall organization.
10 pts
Some Issues
The paper mostly follows the prescribed format but there might be small issues regarding sentence spacing, paragraphs, font, or overall organization.
5 pts
Issues
The paper attempts to follow the prescribed format but there might be issues regarding sentence spacing, paragraphs, font, or overall organization, more than what would qualify it for a 10/15.
0 pts
No Marks
There are too many or too serious formatting issues present.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLength
15 pts
Full Marks
Word count does not deviate by more than 20 words.
10 pts
Some Issues
Word count does not deviate by more than 50 words.
5 pts
Issues
Word count does not deviate by more than 100 words.
0 pts
No Marks
Word count deviates by more than 100 words.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeReferences
15 pts
Full Marks
One significant quote is referenced from the relevant assigned readings (not videos or other media) in each paragraph. The quote does not take up more than 10% of the total paragraph. It is clear how the quote is related to the idea or response the student is providing. In-text citations are used, and used appropriately.
10 pts
Some Issues
Quotes are referenced, although there are issues: Either the quotes do takes up more than 10% of a given paragraph, or it’s unclear how it contributes or relates to the student’s answer or to the philosopher’s idea itself. In-text citations may not always be used, or used appropriately.
5 pts
Issues
Quotes are referenced, although there are more issues than could justify a 10/15 here: Either the quotes do takes up more than 10% of a given paragraph, or it’s unclear how it contributes or relates to the student’s answer or to the philosopher’s idea itself. In-text citations are not always be used, or used appropriately.
0 pts
No Marks
No references are used, or they are not appropriate for this assignment for some reason (perhaps not a quote from the actual reading assignment, the quote is from a video, the quote is from class discussion, or something else). In-text citations are not used, or used appropriately.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting Quality
15 pts
Full Marks
Minimal or no grammatical, typographical, or other writing issues present.
10 pts
Some Issues
Some grammatical, typographical, or other writing issues present.
5 pts
Issues
Quite a few grammatical, typographical, or other writing issues present.
0 pts
No Marks
Too many grammatical, typographical, or other writing issues present.
15 pts
Total Points: 100
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