Description
The Reflective Paper is the Signature Assignment for this course, and seeks to answer our Big Question: How do diverse philosophical perspectives challenge, support or shape students’ understanding of themselves and the society, or world, they inhabit?
The Reflective Paper provides an explanation and reflection on 3 philosophical arguments that have challenged, supported, or shaped your beliefs, values, or perspective on society.
An argument may challenge your viewpoint by presenting reasons and evidence that contradict your beliefs or values, or that does not align with your experience.
An argument may support your viewpoint by presenting reasons and evidence that you agree with, or that do align with your experience.
An argument may shape your viewpoint by presenting reasons and evidence that have changed your beliefs or values.
Each explanation should be detailed, supported by concise quotes from texts we read in class, and focus on key ideas that have challenged, supported, or shaped your beliefs, values or perspective. Each argument should show how these ideas challenge, support or shape your beliefs, values or perspectives
The Signature Assignment will address 3 topics covered in class: 1) personal identity; 2) protesting racial injustice or policing; 3) one of the following: epistemology (James, Mills, Burkhart), friendship (Aristotle, Friedman, Brake), or death (Socrates, Plato, Unamuno).
Guidelines
This is a formal paper. It should have short, concise introduction and conclusion paragraphs. The paper will be assessed using the rubric below, which focuses on two elements: 1) your explanation of the philosophers’ arguments; 2) your argument about how these arguments have challenged, supported, or shaped your beliefs, values, or perspective on society or the world.
This paper will likely be about 6 pages long (2,000 words). But you should focus on the content of the paper, not its length.
All quotes from the text should be cited formally. Philosophy typically uses Chicago Style formatting, which you can find here. This is not unimportant, but do not spend too much time worrying about it. The content of the paper is much more important!
Rubric
Criteria
A
B
C
D F
Explanation of philosophers’ arguments
Explanation is accurate, well-supported, and goes into sufficient depth and detail.
Explanation is mostly well-supported. Some minor details are missing or inaccurate.
Explanation is somewhat poorly supported. Some aspects of the argument are not explained in depth or are inaccurate.
Explanation is poorly supported. Important aspects of the argument are not explained in depth or are inaccurate.
Fails to address the 3 assigned topics.
Argument
Argument is well-supported. It is clear how and why each argument challenges, supports, or shapes your views.
Argument is mostly well-supported. Minor details are inaccurate.
Argument is somewhat poorly supported. Some aspects of the topics are not addressed in depth or are misunderstood.
It is sometimes unclear how each argument challenges, supports, or shapes your views.
Argument is poorly supported. Important aspects of the issue are not addressed in depth or are inaccurate. It is often unclear how each argument relates to your views.
Fails to address the 3 assigned topics.
Effective Communication
All quotes are appropriately cited.
Paper is clearly organized and well-written.
Paper avoids basic grammatical or mechanical errors.
Citation is sometimes missing or inaccurate.
Paper commits some basic grammatical or mechanical mistakes. Paper is somewhat poorly organized.
Citation is often missing or incomplete.
Paper commits numerous basic grammatical or mechanical errors and is often unclear.
Sample Outline
There are many ways you can organize your paper. Here is one sample:
Introduction (1 paragraph)
State what you are trying to demonstrate in this paper.
State what key ideas, philosophers and texts you will address in this paper.
Personal Identity (2 pages)
Explain a key argument about personal identity from one of the texts we read for this class. You should explain the argument as if to someone who read the text, but didn’t really understand it. Include quotes from the text, and explain what those quotes mean and why they are important. Be sure to explain how this idea fits into the philosopher’s overall viewpoint.
Give your own argument about how this idea has challenged, supported, or shaped your beliefs, values, or perspective on yourself, society, or the world.
The argument you explained may challenge your views by giving reasons for a viewpoint that you disagree with, or that does not align with your experience. Your own argument should show why you think this viewpoint is incorrect, wrong, or missing something important.
The argument you explained may support your views by giving reasons for a viewpoint that you agree with, or that aligns with your experiences. Your own argument might show how this viewpoint aligns with your experiences, or provide additional reasons to support the viewpoint.
The argument you explained may shape your views by giving reasons for you to change your beliefs, values or perspective about something. Your own argument might show how the arguments we read about changed what you believed, or shaped your values.
Protesting Racial Injustice or Police Discretion (2 pages)
Same as above, just with a different topic.
Epistemology, friendship, or death (2 pages)
Same as above, just with a different topic.
Conclusion (brief paragraph)
Briefly re-state what you have accomplished in this paper.
Readings:
https://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.8.viii.html – Chapters 1-8
Phaedo – 57-84c
James William – pgs 1-7
Mills, Charles – pgs 17-23
Alcoff – pgs 89-94 & 102-108 & 265-269 & 277-284
Martin Luther King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Mouser – How to Read a Riot
