Assignment- Existentialism

Length: 8-10 pages

CHECKLIST

____ Post Microscoft Word file to Isidore on Assignments tab, ‘Paper' AND turn in a hardcopy to me in my office.

____ Use MLA style for in-text citations and Works Cited page. You are expected to use proper MLA citation format for in-text citation. If you have questions about how to cite you should consult the Write Place on the first floor of the library; they are an excellent resource and can help you with question of citation and organization. Use The Everyday Writer for questions of grammar and format.

____ Put name, instructor, and date on the first page.

____ Include page numbers.

____ Times New Roman, 12-point Font with 1" margins

Papers will be automatically checked through the Turnitin system for its use of sources, so it must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format.

As with all of your professors, I take plagiarism very seriously and have caught students plagiarizing their papers in the past. You should be aware that plagiarism is not limited to a simple copy and paste of someone else's argument. Two specific examples: 1) not attributing a summary or paraphrase of a reading to its author/source and 2) using a fellow student's outline/notes and/or writing your paper in the room and at the same time as another student is writing their paper. For example, if you and a friend make an outline of your argument together and then write your papers in the same room, that is considered plagiarism. If you and a friend share notes and then write your papers in the same room, that is considered plagiarism. If you use your friend's notes or paper outline while writing your paper. When writing your paper, you need to be alone with only your notes/outline and readings.

This essay is designed to assess your comprehension of the readings from Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus. You will be expected to demonstrate 1) a clear understanding of their arguments regarding human existence; 2) the ability to support your claims with evidence from the text(s); 3) the ability to think critically and creatively aboutphilosophical themes and texts; and 4) apply their respective philosophy to concrete/specific ethical issues or problems.

PROMPT - This paper requires you to complete two primary tasks:

1. Compare and contrast two of the authors we have discussed over the past five weeks - Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus. You are free to choose whomever, but your discussion must include the following:

a. An explanation of the key concepts or ideas for each philosopher
b. An explanation of the similarities and differences between the philosophers

2. Choose one of the philosophers that you have discussed in the compare/contrast section and apply his/her philosophy to a current event/concrete ethical issue. Here you will be expected to think critically and more deeply about the ethical implications of the specific philosopher's argument.

a. You will be expected to find at least one outside source that you will discuss/reflect on in your paper. You must clear your source with me by Friday, 4/23.

i. Acceptable sources include:

1. books
2. book chapter
3. essays
4. newspaper or magazine articles
5. feature stories from news programs.

ii. Unacceptable sources include:

1. blog posts
2. Twitter feeds
3. Facebook posts

b. Questions to consider - you are not required to answer these in your paper, rather they should serve as a guide post for approaching this portion of the assignment.

i. What do you think the specific philosophy might say about this issue?
ii. How might his/her philosophy provide a tool for understanding the existential dimensions of the issue/event?
iii. Are their limitations to his/her philosophy that prevent us from understanding the existential dimensions of the issue/event?

c. Possible events/issues include, but are not limited to:

i. gun violence/school shootings
ii. #me too movement/sexual harassment and assault
iii. poverty/economic inequality
iv. terrorism/war
v. racism/white supremacy
vi. other.