PHIL 1003: ESSAY GUIDELINES

Dr Alexandra Cook

Department of Philosophy

1. Topic:

Your essay needs to give evidence of serious thought and reading; it should not merely repeat the content of class discussion or lectures; essays that simply reiterate material covered in class will receive low grades. Use the primary source readings (i.e. the philosophers’ works we study in the course) in planning and composing your essay.

2. Thesis—VERY IMPORTANT:

Your essay must formulate and defend a thesis. A thesis takes an argumentative position or provides a demonstration; in other words, it does more than merely describe or discuss.

EXAMPLES:

Plato and Aristotle disagree about the importance of empirical investigation of nature. In this essay I show that this disagreement arises from their fundamentally different views of reality.

AND:

I shall show that knowledge is not justified true belief.

We give low marks to an essay that

(1) takes no position (i.e. has no thesis); for example: ‘these two works present many similarities and differences...’ and/or

(2) does not contain clear arguments to support its thesis.

3.Topics:

(1) Can individual morality be considered separate from society and other people, or not? Use at least three philosophers we studied in the course.

(2) What is your conception of the best way to organize society? How does your conception relate to the values of justice, equality and/or liberty? Use at least three of the philosophers we read in the course.

(3) Can a society be both good and have slavery? What is your definition of slavery? Use at least three of the philosophers we read in the course.

(4) How do current environmental problems (e.g. global warming, resource depletion, species extinction) relate to the course themes? Use at least three sources, including two course readings (you may also refer to Gore’s film, newspaper articles or other pertinent sources).

(5) How do current issues of global poverty and massive socio-economic inequalities relate to the course themes? Use at least three substantive sources, including two course readings (you may also refer other pertinent sources such as newspaper articles).

(6) Do you think society should be hierarchical or egalitarian? Use at least three philosophers we have read in the course.

(7) Develop your own thesis topic, using the course readings. Warning: if you elect this option, you MUST submit an abstract (250 words max.) of your topic and short bibliography to Dr Cook by 27 November 2008 via email or hard copy. Suggestion: if you are interested, for example, in examining another relevant social issue not mentioned above or one philosopher’s views in depth, choose this option.

4. Word limit:

Please keep the text of your essay to no more than 1500 words; this includes explanatory notes. This excludes references and bibliography.

5. Passive Voice

You should avoid passive voice constructions, e.g.: ‘The similarities and differences among the texts will be examined....’ Passive voice conceals AGENCY, i.e. PV usually fails to clarify WHO is thinking, saying or doing something as in example (2) above. This produces confusion for both writer and reader. We therefore recommend that you avoid this device; write direct, active sentences: e.g. ‘Plato held that reality resides in the Forms…’; note also that passive constructions are WORDIER than active ones!

6. Relevance:

Concentrate on presenting material relevant to your argument; do not try to showcase everything you know. This is not a regurgitation exercise or an exercise in simply filling the available space; it is an exercise in thinking: you must show the reader that you have actually thought about the text(s). Avoid long-winded introductions, breezy generalizations and trite observations that add nothing to the argument (e.g. "Aristotle was a philosopher in antiquity...")!

7. Composition Strategies:

We shall assess your work on the basis of its coherence and originality, not on the degree to which it may approach what you think we might want to read. Think and write down your own thoughts; resist the temptation to try to divine the instructor's or tutor’s thoughts.

Here are some pointers, but you may find other methods that work for you.

- reread the text(s), thinking about them in relation to your essay topic;

- take notes on the text(s); type out and save quotes of particular interest for later use;

- distinguish your viewpoint from that of the author(s);

- consider possible counter-positions or arguments to the one you have identified;

- analyze the texts you have previously identified; do they illustrate your point? Are some of them no longer relevant? If so, discard them!

- do not try to perfect the introduction/thesis prior to writing the essay--expect to revise it, possibly several times;

- be ruthless: discard everything you don’t need!

8. Please observe the following requirements:

- use the texts as evidence--quote directly to make your case;

- provide correct and complete references (see par. 8 below);

- paginate using typed numbers--this is not optional;

- cut needless words—- respect the word limit;

- employ judicious word choice--know what the words you use actually mean;

- use active voice; avoid passive voice;

- use strong, active verbs; avoid weak verbs, e.g. "to be," "to exist";

- avoid non sequiturs, i.e. statements that do not follow from the preceding argument;

- double-space (except for single-spaced block quotes); no single-spaced or 1 and 1/2 spaced papers, please!

- no italicised quotes; only use italics where they appear in the original text;

- use standard margins (1 inch or 2.54 cm);

- PROOFREAD your paper a few times, and then ask a friend to proofread it again; read your paper out loud to find out if it makes sense.

9. Plagiarism:

Unacknowledged use of another's work constitutes plagiarism. There are serious penalties for this academic offense. You must reference your work correctly; please consult this webpage: http://www3.hku.hk/philodep/ugrad/citation.php, an electronic version of Dr Cook’s ‘Referencing Guidelines’. Warning: cutting and pasting from internet sources without attribution IS plagiarism!!! Internet references must be linked in a clear and specific way to your essay and must provide both the URL (web address) and date of downloading.

10. Logistics:

Submit one hard copy to the Philosophy Department general office, and one electronic copy to turnitin. Details tba.

11. Deadline:

The final due date for the essay is 19 December 2008—no extensions. The late penalty stated in the course outline will apply.