ASSIGNMENT:
Students will compose an original philosophical essay using the arguments, theories and philosophical understanding they have acquired throughout the course. The essay will include a well-developed thesis and several lines of supporting as well as antithetical evidence.
Purpose:
The purpose of this critical reflection essay assignment is to apply philosophical reflection to explain an ethical argument, position, or theory.
Audience: Your instructor, or other third party reviewer/evaluator
Directions:
Compose an original, philosophical essay (750 words minimum).
Select a topic from the assigned options below.
Clearly employ a line of philosophical reflection applied to the issue raised by the topic and expound upon your position employing philosophical arguments to support your thesis.
You are expected to use the arguments, theories, and philosophical understandings that you acquired in this course explore theories across cultures and traditions recognizing the diverse conceptions of human nature in your paper.
ASSIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS:
Minimum 3-4 pages (750 words) typed in Times New Roman 12-pt font, double-spaced with 1” margins. The Works Cited (MLA)/References (APA) page is not included in the assigned page length.
MLA / APA style format and documentation for parenthetical citations and Works Cited / References page.
Minimum of three (3) academically appropriate resources in addition to assigned primary source(s) – so, 4 sources total
Utilize suggested philosophy databases below to locate appropriate sources:
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – https://iep.utm.edu/
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – https://plato.stanford.edu/
Utilize suggested CCBC library guides for correct MLA/APA formatting guidelines:
MLA 8 format: https://libraryguides.ccbcmd.edu/Citations/mla8
APA 7 format: https://libraryguides.ccbcmd.edu/Citations/apa7
Instructors and Librarians are happy to help with proper resource citation.
Grading:
This assignment will account for 20% of the total course grade.
See attached rubric for details about how your essay will be graded.
Submission Guidelines:
· This assignment must be submitted electronically to your instructor via the CCBC online learning system. Submissions must be attached as a Word document file and not in PDF format.
· Assignments must be correctly titled and identified as directed.
· Electronic submissions must be made with the student’s ID number (900 or 901#) as the file name through the CCBC learning system. Student and instructor names should not appear on electronic submissions.
STEPS FOR COMPLETION:
Part 1:
Select a topic from this list.
What is the value of Ethics and what does it mean to be Ethical?
What is the Social Contract Theory and how is it relevant today?
What is Virtue Ethics, and how can it be applied to everyday circumstances?
Compare and contrast Deontological and Teleological Ethics, and provide examples of each.
Compare and contrast ethical decision making from personal decision-making.
Explain how the movement of Care Ethics challenges traditional approaches to moral philosophy.
Identify a social or political conflict, and present two ethical theories as possible solutions.
Explain two competing theories in Ethics and argue your position regarding both.
Part 2:
Develop a thesis statement.
Develop a clear philosophical position on the topic you select.
· Be certain to include in your discussion ethical applications and theories across cultures and traditions recognizing the diverse conceptions of human nature.
· Your essay must refer to and cite at least three (3) of the philosophers or philosophical theories covered in this course.
· Cite the appropriate academic sources/references that you have used in the class to construct your thesis and supporting argument.
Part 3:
Develop clear arguments for your thesis.
Use your sources to include at least of 3 levels of analyses as follows:
The primary source(s)/theory(s) as identified in the course reading selections;
The source(s) that supports your perspective;
The source(s) antithetical or opposite to your perspective or the primary source.
Part 4:
Summarize the results of your analysis of the original topic/problem.
In your summary, be certain to describe the importance and/or relevance of distinguishing between unsupported opinions and justified ethical claims.
Refer back to all of the arguments that have been previously discussed being certain to incorporate applications and theories across cultures and traditions recognizing the diverse conceptions of human nature
Avoid branching into new areas of inquiry within this summary.
