Argumentative Philosophy

Students are required to write an argumentative philosophy paper that has the following structure:

1. Issue/Thesis/Methodology [~500 words] : State clearly and precisely what the issue is you propose to discuss. Include a clear thesis statement (e.g., “In this paper, I argue that…”) expressing what the paper will seek to accomplish and include a statement of the methodology you will use to accomplish this. Each of these—i.e., thesis statement and methodological statement(s)—can be done in one or two clear sentences each.

2. Positions on the Issue [~500-1000 words]: Summarize the leading positions (not fewer than two, not more than four) taken on the issue. You may exclude here the position that you will argue for in the next section of your paper so that you include here only positions other than your own that you wish to summarize and describe as carefully as you can.

3. Support for Your Position [~1000-1500 words]: State and give support for the position you favor. Describe the position you favor on the issue as carefully and precisely as you can here and provide the strongest argumentative support possible. 

4. Objections to Your Position [~500-1000 words]: Explain why the position you favor, along with its argumentation as you’ve explained it, is able to address two of the strongest objections that might be raised against it. So, state two objections (one at a time), and then answer each objection with the strongest response you can give.

Term papers should include all four of the sections outlined above. The format of the term paper should also include the following elements: 

· 1.5 spacing, one-inch margins, size 12 font in Times New Roman, a title page, a bibliography page, and Chicago/Turabian citations with footnotes. A helpful link for this methodology: [ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/turabian/turabian-notes-and-bibliography-citation-quick-guide.htmlLinks to an external site. ]

· The term paper cannot be more than 4,000 words and  cannot utilize any outside sources beyond the course textbooks without instructor approval. It should be 10-16 pages long, 10 pages is fine.

· You must write on ONE of the following four topics:

· When, if ever, is it morally permissible to obtain an abortion?

· When, if ever, is it morally permissible to forgo life-sustaining treatments?

· When, if ever, is it morally permissible for a physician to assist with a suicide?

· How should physicians approach their vocations: through the Provider of Services Model or through the Way of Medicine?