philosophy reflection essay

Please write a short reflection paper of at least 1300 words (12pt, double space, 1” margin, conformed to Turabian or to the style guide native to your major field of study) reflecting on one of the texts we have discussed in the class. Please avoid generic paper topics (i.e. “Plato’s Politics”) and strive to write a paper that explores the issue with significant narrowness, creativity and depth (i.e. “Responsibility and Plato’s Use of the Myth of Gyges”). Rather than attempt to reflect on an entire reading, pick one narrow theme within the text. Your paper should take an exegetical approach to the readings, utilizing quotations and explanation to demonstrate both an engagement of the text and a thoughtful opinion on the thesis. External research is acceptable but not required.

The best papers have a thesis that is abundantly clear, a progression of thought that is obvious and forecasted in the introduction, and a strong conclusion that gathers together the observations and arguments of the paper. Significant grading deductions will be incurred for spelling/grammar errors, improper documentation, etc. Papers will be graded according to the following rubric:

• Grammar, spelling, sentence structure, readability, consistency of notations/spacing (20%)
• Careful engagement of the text(s) under consideration (20%)
• Logical connectedness of the paragraphs/points, visibility of a structure/outline, transitions between points/paragraphs (20%)
• Thesis development, quality of argument, appropriate length/word count (20%)
• Strength of conclusions, scope of argument (20%)

tests: 

Plato, Five Dialogues (The Meno), 72-92

The Bhagavad Gita, 71-122, 203-24

The Dhammapada, Chapters 1-8, 19-26

Tao te Ching, Chapters 1-25

Confucius, The Analects, Books 1-10