Assignment

This is a medical ethics class. This is the term paper. You can write the paper about abortion or euthanasia or autonomy.

There are 5 categories:

1. Thesis: The thesis statement of your paper, usually found towards the end of the introductory paragraph(s), should clearly describe the point you are arguing in one sentence.

2. Structure: The rest of the paper should flow well, each paragraph focused and contained, while also transitioning naturally into the next one.

3. Evidence: Your paper should be well-sourced (with correct citations). Sources should help bolster your argument. It is especially important to provide citations for any factual claims you make. Citations must also be from high-quality sources: a random blog you found on Google--unless it the professional blog of a well-known person in the field--is not good enough.

4. Logic/Argumentation: The ideas of your paper should flow logically and support your thesis statement. You should discuss possible counter-arguments to your thesis and address them.

5. Mechanics: Grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.

Philosophy Term Paper

Topic: For your final paper in this course, you must write on one of the figures or a topic we've discussed in class. If you'd like to talk about another philosopher/topic from outside of class, please first run the idea by me.

Length: 800-1000 words, around 3-4 pages double-spaced

Format: The first half of your paper should be explication, in other words, should be a clear, concise description of the viewpoint of the philosopher/topic you are looking at. You should give an accurate and charitable account of the thinker's arguments, or all sides of an argument if you are writing on a topic, even if you end up critiquing them.

The second half of your paper should be critique or analysis: you must then either attack or defend the philosopher's argument. You must, of course, give reasons and not just state your opinion: your goal is to convince someone else who might not agree with you that your view/opinion is the right one, or at very least a valid view/opinion to have. The second half of the paper is persuasive: persuade me that your view about your chosen philosopher ("they are right/wrong about _____") is a valid, reasonable view, perhaps even the right one.

Thesis Statement: The main point you are arguing for in your essay should be stated in a single sentence somewhere in your introduction. E.g., "Kant is wrong in his belief that ALIENS run the world because blahblahblah" or "Lying is wrong but unfortunately it is sometimes necessary because yaddayadda."

The rest of the Kant paper would then 1. Describe how Kant argues aliens run the world and then 2. Argue that Kant is insane for believing this and then give a well-reasoned argument why he is wrong.

Citations: You are not required to do outside research for this paper. However, you are more than welcome to, and I even recommend it: seeing what other people say and think about your chosen topic can be very helpful. If you DO end up doing outside research, and you use it in your paper, you MUST cite it. Whatever format you like is fine: APA, MLA, and Chicago style are all common and acceptable.

If you use a source and do not cite it, you will be guilty of PLAGARISM. If you plagiarize, you will get a 0 for the paper and possibly the course.IF you are not sure, be safe and cite the work. If you do cite work besides the textbook, you must also have a Works Cited page.

If you use quotations from the textbook, you can just put the page numbers in parentheses. E.g., "My name is Kant, and aliens totally run the Earth." (25).

Purdue OWL is a good reference for how to cite sources in the various formats.