Paper Topics for Philosophy 329


1.         Your assignment is to choose a suitable text and write a short, carefully reasoned paper explaining what that text argues, and what are the strengths and weakness of that argument. You must be sure to include your own view of what the author of your text argues. This is usually called a “critico-expository essay.” You may choose either one of the texts from you text book indicated below, or, with the instructor’s approval, you can choose your own. Your paper should conform to the usual standards of good English style, grammar, format, and spelling, and should conform to the instructions below.


2.         Length: 1500 to 2000 words, typing preferred but not required. If you write by hand, write on one side of the paper only, and skip every other line.


3.         Due Date: Complete first draft due Monday, June 24. Final draft due the Friday of finals week, July 5th (or before). VERY IMPORTANT: Turn in your original draft with your final draft!


4.         Use a clean cover sheet with only your name, class time, and paper title, leaving space for comments. Don’t provide plastic or cardboard covers.


5.         Your paper must have a clear thesis statement, which says what you are going to prove in your paper. That thesis statement must be on the first page, preferably in the first paragraph. Example: “The author succeed in showing that what is right cannot depend only on the arbitrary will of God, but he fails to show that morality does not depend on religion at all.”


6.         You must state the thesis of the text you are writing about, and summarize the main arguments for that thesis. Do not assume that your reader has read the text you are discussing. This explanation can easily take more than half your paper.


7.         Prove what you say! When explaining the positions that the text takes, give a few brief quotes or page references. Do not give long quotations. For example: “Plato not only argued that wrongdoing is harmful to the wrongdoer, he said that the wrongdoer should actually try to get himself punished, since “his soul is improved if it is justly punished.” (Plato, Gorgias, p. 43).


8.         You must comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments in the text. This includes mentioning points that he or she should have considered but did not. It might help you explain what you think is missing if you can describe a specific (real or hypothetical) example (not Oscar on the island with the sadists) that shows how the author’s ideas might be applied.


9.         You should show your knowledge of moral arguments and theories that we have studied, where appropriate. If the author already has a fairly complex argument that you are evaluating, you are not required to bring in, say, Aristotle or Kant. Mention these other view only when they help give a better evaluation of the text you have chosen to write about


10.       Stick to the point. Every paragraph of your essay should support your thesis in some way. This support could be an argument directly in favor of the thesis, or trying to answer an objection that someone might make to your point of view, or a description of an example that shows something useful, etc. Do not pad, wonder off the subject, or make long summaries or introductions.


11.       Do not flatter the instructor by agreeing with him. Make up your mind, give your reasons and stick to your guns. This strategy is not only more honest and more interesting, but it usually results in a better paper.


12.            If you choose your own text to write on, it must meet the following criteria:


            a.         It must be a text of appropriate length (not too long too short), written in the 20th or 21th century, and concern a topic in moral philosophy or the moral evaluation of a social issue. Legal opinions are o. k. if they have at least some moral argumentation.


            b.         The text need not be written by a philosopher, but it should contain significant moral arguments. Articles by journalists or religious writers sometimes meet this condition, but often do not. Articles whose main content is to lay out the position of a religious group or political organization without substantial moral argument will not quality. NO FICTION (novels, short stories, plays, poems, etc.), please.

 

            c.         Check with Weston to see that your topic meets these conditions.


            d.         Attach a Xerox copy when you turn your paper in.



Texts from our text book:



De Beauvoir, p. 51

Any text under "Sexual Behavior"

Any text under "Animals"

K. J. Warren, p. 136

Any text under "Drug Legalization"

Any text under "Offensive Speech and Behavior"

Any text under "Privacy"

M. A. Warren, p. 330


J. English, p. 341

W. Renquist, p. 382

M. Waltzer, p. 479

Any text under "Racial Equality"

Any text under "Sexual Equality"






UPCOMING DATES:


Paper first draft due:   June 24


Second Midterm:        June 27


Final Exam:                July 3 (2 hours—see Weston if you have another class with a final at 10:00).


Final Draft Due:         July 5 (close of the business day, that is, 4:30). If you do not see Weston or the secretary,                                                 shove under door, AH – 4143.