PHIL 1102 Essay Assignment
Fall 2019
- Your task is to construct a 4-8 paged essay (12-point font, double spaced) on one of the prompts below.
- You must engage with at least THREE of the thinkers we’ve discussed throughout the whole of the course.
- To engage with a thinker, choose at least one of the claims they put forward and argue for whether the claim is right or wrong, or how it compares to the other claims/thinkers you chose.
- Then show how your discussion of what they said supports your own answer to the prompt.
- As always, reasons you can give about whether the thinker is right or wrong can include thoughts and feelings you’ve had (as long as you discuss why they happened), experiences, and general facts (don’t worry about citation; if I need you to tell me where you got certain information, I will ask you and you can check your browser history)
- Think about structure. How can you make your argument most effectively? Use topic sentences for each paragraph to organize the argument.
- You are encouraged to use all class notes, random thoughts and feelings, things I’ve said in lecture, and past assignments to argue for your point. Quotations from texts should not be in short form (since you’re typing it this time).
- This process will help prepare you for your final oral exam.
- Then show how your discussion of what they said supports your own answer to the prompt.
- To engage with a thinker, choose at least one of the claims they put forward and argue for whether the claim is right or wrong, or how it compares to the other claims/thinkers you chose.
Draft Due: November 27th (or anytime before)
- Submitting a draft to me is OPTIONAL. It will simply help make sure you’re on the right track and help you develop the best essay possible.
- I can review one draft for you and give you comments and suggestions.
- Don’t worry if the draft is not finished; I will look at anything you write as long as it has an argument statement at the beginning.
- The more you’ve written by this point, the better! I can give you better comments to think about and incorporate into the final product.
- Submit by email or in class.
Final Essay Due: December 4th
- Submit in class.
Prompts
- What do you think of the statement “knowledge is power” when it comes to being a successful person in this world? (notice that this involves giving a view of what “successful” means)
- What does “self-sufficiency” really mean? How do we become self-sufficient (what does its process involve?)? How self-sufficient (or not) can we ultimately become as individuals?
- Send me an email with a claim from one of the thinkers that interested you and that you want to discuss. I’ll let you know if it’s a topic that’s appropriate for this assignment!