Philosophy Essay

Read the final reading assignments in this module. As you read, take notes and think about this course overall. This writing assignment is a report of no less than five pages and no more than seven outlining what are to you the most important things you have learned from this course. After taking good notes and reviewing old notes from the course, construct an outline listing those primary areas of learning. Include what you've learned and how you think this learning will have meaning and use during the rest of your education and life.

The report must be written in Microsoft Word using MLA formatting (MLA Handbook, 7th Ed., PurdueOWL.com). Proofread thoroughly for college-level spelling, syntax, and grammar. There should be no errors in this document.

I know it can be a bit stressful if you've never had to write a philosophy paper. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'm including a link to a web site that has very good instructions about what to do and what to avoid when writing a philosophy paper, as well as general information about how to think about writing them. It's pretty much the same information I explain to my campus courses.

You would do well to review this information when starting your paper, as well as keeping close consultation of the Purdue OWL site. Formatting errors are one of the most frequent problems I see. The Purdue guidelines will help you eliminate or mitigate those in your paper.

PAPER PREMISE: Describe what you learned, but in doing so include commentary about the implications of the facts you read (i.e. your paper shouldn't be pure exposition or nothing more than a five-page description of what you learned). In college-level academics, what's important is that we understand the implications of whatever the facts are. What are the potential consequences for us? Why should we care about whatever topic or idea is in question? How and to what extent do they affect us? Provide your personal critique, insight, and analysis related to these sorts of questions.

NOTE: The assignment instructions state that you will be "outlining what you learned...." In the past, this has caused some confusion. You are not writing an outline. This is an essay-format assignment. Read "outlining what you learned" as "give a detailed account of what you learned, written as an essay."

PAGE COUNT: Be aware that you can get full credit for the assignment for writing only the five-page minimum. You do not have to write seven pages to get full credit. However, also know that title pages and notes do not count toward your final page count. You must have a minimum of five full pages of text or there will be point deductions.