Your first task is to identify the thesis of the essay you are
analyzing. You should be able to isolate a sentence or two that explicitly
declares the thesis or aim of the essay. Then, you will be reading for the most
important information relevant to the thesis. The thesis, thus, becomes a
“principle of inclusion,” that is, the thesis becomes the principle in relation
to which you determine what material is relevant to your purposes and what
material can be ignored.
Because this is a philosophical analysis of a philosophic essay
you must avoid the following:
Personal
attacks on the author; do not question the author’s motives
Complaining
about the author’s writing style or choice of words
Suggesting
that the author is confused or unclear
Avoid
all fallacies and biases that have been studied in class
Introduction
1.
In the first paragraph identify the article and describe the
problem or topic the essay addresses.
2.
In the second paragraph articulate what your own analysis will
address and what it is you intend to accomplish. This replaces the standard
thesis statement: you should inform your reader of what you intend to do and
provide a map of your analysis. Failure to provide a sufficient map is
one of the most often reasons students lose points.
3.
State precisely which aspect(s) of the article your analysis will
address and precisely what you intend to accomplish. This must not be a vague
statement like “I will evaluate the author’s views…” or “I will show where I
agree and where I disagree….”. Rather, it must be a very specific and concise
statement of the case you intend to make, and the basic considerations you
intend to employ in making it. (You will probably find it impossible to write
this section before your analysis has gone through the rough draft phase.)
· Your
Introduction is worth up to 10 points.
Summary
1.
The first part of your summary should articulate the thesis of the
essay you are analyzing. You should always remind yourself that you are writing
this essay for someone who has not read the essay you are analyzing. The only way
you will be able to explain well the essay you are analyzing is if you first
state the essay’s thesis clearly.
2.
You should then summarize those aspects of the article that are
relevant to the thesis. You should not attempt to summarize each argument made
in the essay. Your task is to select the material that is most relevant for
your purpose. Each point that you summarize should be developed within its own
one or two paragraphs.
3.
Your summary must represent the author’s views in the best
possible way. You do not want to misrepresent the author’s views, or to
represent them in such a way that you can then easily destroy them. Avoid the
“straw man” fallacy.
4.
The summary should not simply
elaborate on the sequence of the author’s ideas.
That is, you should not write a summary that simply does this: “The author
begins by discussing . . . . Then she goes on to discuss . . . .” Your
challenge is to present your summary in a way that draws the relevant parts of
the author’s essay together in a way that prepares for your assessment of it.
· Your
summary is worth up to 15 points.
Assessment
1.
Your assessment should be
organized according to your summary. This means that your assessment,
like your summary, should reflect those parts of the essay that you have
selected; these parts should have been identified by your “map.” This is an
area that many students lose points. Be sure you understand it; be sure you
execute it.
2.
Your assessment is your opportunity to develop your own position
regarding the thesis and key points of the essay you have summarized. You may
explain any parts of the essay that you find insightful or challenging. You may
raise an objection against the author’s thesis or against some of the reasons
the author uses to substantiate his or her thesis; you may develop why you
agree or disagree with the author’s position.
3.
Your assessment should include a judgment about whether or not the
essay you have analyzed resolves the problem with which you are dealing, or
whether it fails to resolve the problem.
Your assessment is worth up to 15 points.
Conclusion
In your conclusion, restate – although not verbatim – your theme
or themes. Bring together the main themes of your essay and point to a broader
application or assessment. The conclusion should be at least two
paragraphs.
· Your
conclusion is worth up to 10 points.
Format
My essay
is double spaced.
My
margins are set at 1 inch all the way around (including the first page)
My essay
is written in Times New Roman font
My essay
is written in 12- point font
My essay
has a page number on each page
My essay
does not contain my name or any other identifying information
My essay
does not use the words “feel” or “believe”
My
essay’s paragraphs are approximately 4 to 6 sentences long
My essay
does not contain any direct quotations from class lectures
My essay
contains at least 3 direct citations from the original article
My essay
cites the 3 direct citations exactly as noted above
My
essay’s introduction contains my essay’s map
My
essay’s introduction precisely follows the above guidelines
My
essay’s summary precisely follows the above guidelines
My
essay’s assessment precisely follows the above guidelines
My
essay’s conclusion precisely follows the above guidelines
My
essay’s format precisely follows the above formatting points
My essay
is devoid of any obvious grammatical and syntactical errors
The format is worth up to 10 points.
Style
Your essay should be free of spelling, grammatical, and structural
errors. It is important to understand that any essay that begins with such
errors is likely to be judged by your reader (and hence by your instructor) as
an inferior piece of work. In general, spelling errors and grammatical errors,
run-on and convoluted sentence structure, and long paragraphs with multiple
topics make it very difficult to credit quality of thought. Always write with
the aim of making it as easy as possible for the reader to understand and
evaluate what you are saying.
· I
would highly recommend that you take advantage of the “Writing Center” on
campus. The service is free; it makes a real difference.
· Your
“style” is worth up to 10 points.
Total Points: Your essay is worth up to 70
points.
Final Thought
·
I would highly recommend that you then have someone read your
essay. If the University is offering a writing service over the internet (and
most do) then you should use it. If not, then ask someone to read it,
preferably someone unfamiliar with the content. You want your reader to experience
your writing, not to critique your ideas. A reader often encounters grammatical
and syntactical errors that a writer overlooks. Do not depend upon your
computer!
Plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence
· DO
NOT type your name on your essay. I prefer to read your essays without any
identifying information.
Each of you will submit your essay to your university’s online
system. It will perform a “plagiarism” and “artificial intelligence” assessment
of your essay.
If your “plagiarism” number is above “10,” your essay will be
deducted 10 percentage points. For each increment of 5, above that “10,” an
additional 5 percentage points will be deducted from your final grade on your
essay.
If your essay receives any AI number, then you will receive a
failing grade on the essay.
