Advice for writing term papers for upper-division Philosophy classes
When going through the following process for writing a term paper, keep in mind that the paper
assigned is fairly short. It is 2000 words (about 7-8 pages double spaced with 1″ margins) with a 150
word abstract (where this 150 words is not included in the 2000 words of the paper). Because it is fairly
short, the paper should have a fairly specific thesis that allows you to go into a bit of depth with respect
to an issue.
Use this thesis:
Thesis : The study of people’s preferences regarding trolley-type problems provides policymakers with valuable insights for establishing ethical rules in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles.
Objection to thesis: Policymakers must exercise caution in translating people’s preferences regarding trolley-type problems into rigid ethical guidelines, recognizing the complexity and contextuality of real-world ethical dilemmas.
GOAL (for a 2000 word term paper, 8 or so pages with 4 sections):
I. Introduction including your thesis (your argumentative claim), and background information (definitions, explanation of why the thesis is
interesting); this section is 1-2 pages.
II. Reasons in favor of your thesis. This is your case for your thesis being correct; this section is approximately 3 pages.
III. Objections to your thesis. If your thesis is an argumentative claim (which, of course, it should be) there will always be objections. Carefully
explain one to (at most) three serious ones. This section is approximately 2 pages.
IV. Replies to objections. Do your best with this section. If you end up feeling like the result is a draw, that’s fine. It probably is. This section is
approximately 1 page.
I also uploaded some files 2 of them are the soures that are needed and one one is a process guidline.
