about Evicted: poverty and profit in the American city.

PHI 112: Ethics/PHIL 103: Moral and Social Problems

Term Paper Assignment GRADING: 250 POINTS BASED ON RUBRIC

DUE: END OF WEEK 12 – SEE SPECIFIC DATE IN COURSE SCHEDULE; TURN IN ONLINE

Purpose: The object of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate positions on a moral issue by taking a stance and applying a moral theory to show your reasoning. This is the culmination of many of the skills we have developed in this class.

Requirements and Expectations

In this paper, you will present and explain a primary issue or argument from the applied moral issue articles in this class, or a primary issue from Evicted, and then critically evaluate and respond to that argument or issue (i.e. take a stance and argue for it) by explicitly applying ONE of the moral theories from this class.

Step 1: Choose ONE of the following topics and reflect on the relevant class readings: Hate Speech, Abortion, the Death Penalty, Consumerism and Charity, Evicted and poverty, or Immigration.

Step 2: Write your paper with the following parts, in order:

 Begin with a clear, detailed thesis statement which announces what issue you will address, what moral theory you will apply, your primary claim, and your supporting reasons.

 Then give a detailed explanation of the issue you will address, by narrowly focusing in on ONE piece of the issue—i.e. one important concern, question, concept, or argument (do NOT try to “solve” the issue by taking on too much)—see examples on the next page.

o Your explanation MUST include (and CITE in-text) points and/or arguments from BOTH of the relevant applied moral issue articles (or scenes and points from Evicted)

o Your explanation MUST focus on a moral piece of the issue. o Your explanation should stick to class resources, not outside research. o Your explanation should be objective, do NOT start evaluating or arguing here.

 Then give a brief, focused explanation of the principles you will apply from the moral theory you have chosen.

o Define crucial terms and principles—the ones you will apply. o Your explanation should be objective, do NOT start evaluating or arguing here.

 Then make your argument, including your primary claim, supporting reasons, and backing. o Your argument must directly engage with the issue you explained earlier. o Your argument must explicitly apply the principle of the chosen moral theory in support

of your primary claim. o Your supporting reasons must be backed up by clear, detailed, accurate applications of

the moral theory’s principles. o You may include outside research, with in-text citations, to help your backing.

Step 3: Submit your argument in the appropriate assignment folder on the course shell.

SEE NEXT PAGE FOR FURTHER GUIDELINES AND TIPS

PHI 112: Ethics/PHIL 103: Moral and Social Problems

Format, Length, and Conventions:

 Regardless of which issue is chosen, your paper should be between 4-6 pages in length.

o The first half (2-3 pages) of your paper should be devoted to a concise introduction (with a clear thesis) and a detailed explanation of the issue you will address.

o The second half (2-3 pages) of your paper should be devoted to clearly explaining the principles of the moral theory and making your argument with the help of the moral theory.

 This paper should be typed, double-spaced, with standard margins and an 11- or 12-point font.

 This paper should be checked for spelling and grammar mistakes.

 Citations MUST be used for ideas that are not your own (this includes ideas from class readings and class sessions, and applies to paraphrases and direct quotations). Citations should be in-text, as either parenthetical citations or footnote citations.

o You may use whichever citation style you’re most comfortable with (MLA, APA, Chicago)

 This paper should be written with an appropriate academic tone (feel free to use 1st person voice)

On Narrowing Your Issue and Argument:

For this paper, your argument must focus on a single, narrow, well-defined part of the moral issue, NOT on the entire issue, on outside issues, or on non-moral parts of the issue. In addition, you MUST NOT take unanswerable questions for granted (see below), or have an argument based primarily on “your opinion”—as I’m not asking you for your opinion, I’m asking you to apply a moral theory properly.

Examples of “properly-sized” issues:

--Should political stances against minorities be morally restricted as hate speech?

--Should abortion be morally permissible in cases of severe birth defects?

--Is the death penalty more morally justified than life in prison without parole?

--Is it immoral to promote charity through consumerism?

--What moral obligations do we have to correct racial housing discrimination?

--Do our moral obligations to our own poor outweigh our obligations to the poor and suffering in other countries?

Examples of “unanswerable questions” and too broad of positions: DO NOT ARGUE THESE!

--The fetus is (or is not) a morally relevant person.

--Women should have the right to an abortion in all cases (or several cases).

--The death penalty does (or does not) deter crime and protect society.

These positions try to take on too much. Your argument, and issue, need to be more specific and really get your hands dirty with the primary, relevant, difficult parts of the moral issue. I highly recommend talking with me, early in the process, about whether your issue and argument are appropriate for this paper.