Mid term

Page 1

PHIL 1301 – Introduction to Philosophy (San Jacinto)

Professor Joshua Ellery, J.D., M.A.

Term Paper Assignment

Due Date: You must upload a copy of your paper via the course Blackboard site no later than

11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 8, 2021. Unless excused by me, late papers will be penalized one

(1) full letter grade for every day late past the due date. Papers more than two (2) days late will not

be accepted.

Weight/Value: 40% of your total course grade. See attached Grading Rubric.

Guidelines: Your term paper must follow the following guidelines:

 Total paper length must be at least 2,500 total words in length (approximately eight (8) to nine (9) double-spaced pages plus title page and works cited page). Papers failing to meet

this requirement will be heavily penalized. See attached Grading Rubric for more details.

 You must insert the final "word count" on the bottom of the works cited page. Instructions for adding the "word count" field to your term paper will be given in class. Instructions can

also be found here: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-insert-word-count-in-word

 Your paper must be typed, double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch (1”) margins on all sides.

 Your paper should include a title page at the beginning of the paper, as well as a separate works cited page located at the end of the paper. Your title page should be fully descriptive

and include (at minimum) the paper title, course name, semester and year, instructor name,

student name, and date. Your works cited page should adhere to MLA Style (discussed

further below).

 Each page of your paper (except the title page) should include a page number located in either the upper or lower margin. Do not include a table of contents.

 In writing your paper, you must clearly articulate a central thesis that responds to the paper topic you have chosen. Then, you must develop and execute that thesis. If you have any

questions about this requirement, please ask me for help.

 In writing your paper, you must use and properly cite any relevant primary course text(s), as well as at least two (2) additional outside sources. Your outside sources should be

scholarly in nature (e.g., article from a peer-reviewed journal; not Wikipedia or SparkNotes).

If you only use the minimum two (2) outside sources, both MUST be scholarly in nature. If

you use more than two (2) outside sources, most (but not all) should be scholarly in nature.

If you have any questions about outside sources, please ask me for help.

 If your paper fails to cite any sources, you will receive an automatic "0."

 You may find the following online research sources helpful: o Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – https://plato.stanford.edu/ (good background

reading on topics and philosophers)

o www.philpapers.org (a very extensive database of published philosophy articles) o The JSTOR database at your school's library.

Page 2

 Use MLA Style Guide when citing your primary and outside sources. Please note that MLA Style differs depending on whether you are giving an in-text citation or a citation on a works

cited page. The following link contains a helpful free guide on MLA Style and several

citation examples: https://library.hccs.edu/mla-guide

Plagiarism: You are expected to strictly adhere to the college's policy on plagiarism. If you have

any questions regarding what constitutes plagiarism, please contact me so that I can address your

question. Any student submitting plagiarized work will receive an automatic zero ("0") for

the assignment.

Writing and Style Tips: There are many ways to write a very good philosophy term paper. We

will discuss several of these approaches during my Writing Workshop lecture. In addition, you

should also follow these general writing and style tips:

 You should re-read the relevant text several times before you start writing. You should research and find an informative outside academic source to help bolster your paper. You

should outline your paper before you begin writing. You should revise and re-write your

paper at least once after writing your first draft. You must be sure to cite properly any direct

quotes or paraphrased passages – to do otherwise constitutes plagiarism.

 Your paper should have a short introductory paragraph and thesis that explains to the reader what your paper will set out to accomplish. Do not give a lengthy introduction and avoid

protracted background/historical narrative. Indicate the task you will undertake and then

immediately get down to business.

 Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation throughout your paper. Write in a clear and readable style. Use short, direct language rather than complicated sentences or fancy words.

If you are in need of a reference, I highly suggest reading Strunk and White’s The Elements

of Style.

 Never write in run-on sentences, they are distracting, sometimes confusing, and almost always can be written as separate full sentences, however fragments are just as bad. Do not

use them. Unless you are a professor trying to make a point. Emphatically.

 Avoid using contractions in your writing (e.g., “do not” instead of “don’t”).

 Use transition words and “signposts” to guide the reader through your paper (e.g., “First, I will discuss…” and “However, many counter-arguments to this position exist.”).

 Use the present tense, except when describing historical events. Even though he is dead, “Descartes argues that the mind is distinct from the body…” (not “argued”)

 You should use your computer’s spell checking feature, but you should not rely on it entirely. Read your paper out loud at least once. Watch out for tricky words:

o Properly use “cannot” (one word) not “can not” o Do not confuse “then” with “than” o “quote” can only be a verb; “quotation” is the noun o “accept” means allow; “except” means excluding o “effect” is usually a noun; “affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence or

produce an effect”

o “it’s” means “it is” (“It’s raining outside.”) while “its” is possessive (“This magnet has lost its magnetic powers.”) Other examples include “you’re” vs. “your” and

“they’re” vs. “their.”

Page 3

 Avoid using the passive voice, especially phrases such as “It is believed…” or “It is argued that…”

 Quotation marks go outside commas and periods (e.g., Socrates argues that piety cannot mean simply “…what all the gods love.”)

 In your paper, be clear when you are citing or paraphrasing someone else’s work or text versus when you are presenting your own ideas or arguments. You should use “I” freely

when doing the latter.

 Finally, think of writing as teaching someone about a really interesting idea you want to them to understand. Maintain a tone and level of discourse appropriate for the subject, but

think of your audience as a good friend or spouse whom you hope to enlighten and perhaps

convince. In fact, it can be helpful to have someone else read your paper and tell you where

it is not clear enough or needs more explanation.

Term Paper Topics: Choose one (1) of the topics below and write a fully developed term paper

that adheres to the above guidelines.

1. In The Republic, Plato explores several important themes (e.g., justice, power, human nature, etc.) Choose one (1) of the above themes (or another approved by me) and fully

articulate Plato's position on that theme. Use two (2) or (3) distinct arguments/concepts

from The Republic to support your thesis. Do you agree or disagree with Plato's position

with respect to your chosen theme? Why or why not? (Note: If you choose this topic, I

would highly recommend you speak with me beforehand.)

2. In his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Rousseau uses the traits of "perfectibility" and "free will" to help describe different aspects of human nature. What does Rousseau mean by

perfectibility? How does Rousseau define free will? Does Rousseau think that perfectibility

and free will are positive attributes for us to have, or does he think they are negative

attributes (or a little bit of both)? Explain fully. Finally, explain whether you agree with

Rousseau's position or not.

3. Mary Wollstonecraft artfully explores several different feminist themes in her A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, including the institution of marriage, the role education ought to

play in a young woman's development, and arguing that women should be financially self-

sufficient.

Choose one (1) of the above feminist themes (or another approved by me) and fully explain

Wollstonecraft's position. Next, compare and contrast Wollstonecraft's position with that of

a modern-day author/academic/theorist who has written on that same feminist theme.

Which person – Wollstonecraft or the author of your choosing – has the best approach?

Have we as a society finally "solved" this particular issue, or is there more room for

improvement?

Please let me know if you have any questions about this assignment. Good luck!

Professor Ellery

Term Paper Assignment – Grading Rubric

Page 4

The "A" paper The "B" paper The "C" paper The "D" paper The "F" paper Overall

execution

Excels in responding to the

assignment. Central thesis

is clearly communicated

and then fully executed.

Shows sophisticated,

independent thought and

mastery of subject matter.

A solid paper, responding

appropriately to the

assignment. Clearly states

and executes a central

thesis, but may have minor

lapses in execution.

Shows basic understanding

of subject matter.

An adequate but weaker

paper, responding less well to

the assignment. Central thesis

is not clearly communicated.

Alternatively, central thesis is

not well executed. Shows

basic competency of subject

matter.

Does not respond

appropriately to the

assignment. Thesis may be

missing or vague.

Demonstrates little

understanding of subject

matter. Paper may also be

deficient in length.

Non-responsive to the

assignment and/or

severely deficient in

length.

Literary

support

Uses in-class and outside

sources very effectively.

Citations are well executed

throughout.

Uses in-class and outside

sources appropriately and

effectively. Citations are

more or less well executed

throughout.

Uses in-class and outside

sources somewhat effectively.

Citations are present but are

sporadically used and/or not

well executed.

Missing references to in-

class and/or outside

sources. Citations may also

be missing entirely and/or

not well executed.

Does not use any in-

class or outside

sources. Citations may

also be missing

entirely.

Organization

& coherence

Very well organized. Uses

a logical structure

appropriate to the central

thesis and subject matter.

Sophisticated transitional

sentences are used. The

paper guides the reader

through the chain of

reasoning or progression of

thought.

Organized, but shows less

of a command of

transitional sentences.

Uses a logical structure

appropriate to the central

thesis and subject matter,

but may have minor lapses

in execution. Each

paragraph clearly relates to

the thesis, but some

transitions may be

awkwardly executed.

May present ideas or arrange

them randomly rather than

using a logical structure.

While each paragraph relates

to the central thesis,

transitional sentences are not

widely used and the logic is

not always clear.

Arrangement of paragraphs or

sentences within paragraphs

may be awkward or lack

structure and coherence.

May have random

organization, lacking

overall organization or

internal paragraph

coherence. Makes use of

few transition sentences,

but they are unfocused or

vague. Paragraphs may

lack topic sentences, are

off-topic, or may be too

general or vague to be

effective.

No appreciable

organization; lacks

transition sentences

and coherence.

Writing

style

Chooses words for their

precise meaning and uses

specificity when needed.

Sentences are varied, yet

clearly structured and

carefully focused – not

long and rambling.

Generally uses words

accurately, but can be too

general or vague at times.

Sentences generally clear,

well structured and

focused, but a few are

awkward or ineffective.

Uses vague or general words,

may use some inappropriate

language. Sentence structure

is fair, but some sentences

may be wordy, unfocused or

confusing at times.

Uses vague, abstract or

inappropriate language.

Usually contains several

awkward or ungrammatical

sentences.

Usually contains many

awkward sentences,

misused words or

inappropriate material.

Writing

mechanics

Almost entirely free of

spelling, punctuation and

grammatical errors.

May contain a few errors,

which might annoy the

reader but does not impede

his understanding.

Usually contains several

mechanical errors, which may

temporarily confuse the reader

but does not impede his

understanding.

Usually contains many

mechanical errors which

impede the reader's

understanding.

Usually contains many

errors. These errors

may be serious enough

to cause confusion to

the reader.