PHIL 2306: Introduction to Ethics
Essay #3: Reflection Paper
I. Description
The third and final Essay for this course will focus on writing a personal reflection of your
experience in this PHIL 2306: Introduction to Ethics course. Reflecting is an important aspect
about learning to organize a working schedule, meeting academic-related deadlines, and overall
improve our efficiency as students. In this paper you will write a reflection about your
development and growth throughout the course, focusing on:
a) Reflecting about your first impressions of the course.
b) Reflecting about the work you have done in this course.
c) Reflect, that if you could take this exact same class again, what would you do differently.
d) Reflect of the significance of Ethics both in your personal life, academic life, professional
life, and in the sociopolitical environment/context.
II. Instructions
Write a 1,000-word (minimum) reflection paper (roughly three and a half double-spaced pages).
Write this paper dedicated to someone who will be taking the course for the first time. MLA
format, header, creative title, double-spaced. Submit through Blackboard as a word document or
PDF file. Mind the due date and time, Blackboard closes on the last day of finals week, and late
work will not be accepted.
What will be taken into consideration for the grading?
Content, extent, thoroughness, coherence, significance, relevance, and connections between
ideas and responses. Tell a story with your essay, make it enjoyable to read, include serious
reflections, use the questions below to get you started but do not limit yourself to those questions
only, and, equally important, make it fun.
III. Reflection Guide
Use the sections below to structure your paper. The questions in each section are only there to
help you think, this is your paper, and these are your very own reflections and experiences with
the course.
1. Write an introduction.
a. In 5 sentences, say what your paper will be talking about (suggestion: write the
introduction after you have written the body of the paper).
2. Thinking about your first impressions of the course.
a. At the beginning of the course: Did you know what Ethics is? Or had any idea at
all?
b. What were your first impressions on the content of the readings? Did you find
them interesting? Obscure? Hard to figure out?
c. Thinking of other aspects about the course … add anything you would want to say,
it is your paper.
3. Thinking about the work you have done in this course.
a. How hard do you think you have worked in this course?
b. What assignments do you think were the most helpful? Why?
c. What assignments do you think helped you the least? Why?
d. Add any thoughts you have about your own work and the type of assignments you
spent time completing in this course. What did you learn?
4. Think, that if you could take this exact same class again, of what would you do
differently.
a. This section has in mind the idea that, for instance:
i. Sometimes we procrastinate the whole week and finally we log in on the
due date and try and do all the work then. If you are this kind of student,
how well did this approach work for you?
ii. Sometimes, we try to get the work done early in the week, we hurry up
and then we realize we are not understanding the material or perhaps it
worked rather well. If you did this, how did it help you or benefit you?
b. In any case, this is your paper reflect about:
i. studying habits
ii. about the assignments you turned in late
iii. about whether you googled answers when the instructor said you should
not do it
iv. how much time you actually dedicated per day or per week to studying
the material or working on the weekly assignments, etc.
v. and anything else you think important to reflect on.
c. What is your lowest scoring assignment?
i. What does the instructor’s feedback say?
ii. What could you have done better?
5. Think of the significance of Ethics both in your personal life, professional,
academic and/or in the socio-political environment.
a. What has this course taught you? Do you think you have learned anything relevant
in relation to the four areas mentioned in this question? What is it?
b. Do you think ethics is more important on the personal level, on a professional
environment, academic, or in the socio-political environment?
6. If you were to recommend someone to study Ethics or at least to tell them the
importance of studying Ethics, what would you tell them?
a. Provide your own definition of Ethics, what you have come to learn and
understand what it is and what it is not. (no textbook or google definitions)
b. Write this last part as if you were explaining it to someone else.
c. Why is Ethics important?
d. Do you think it is important?
e. What do people need to know about Ethics, even if they were not to study the field
at all.
f. Why
