PHL 3500 Term Paper Assignment Sheet

PHL 3500 Term Paper Assignment Sheet
Due: End of the day December 13th
Total: 50% of your total grade

Some general guidelines/information for the paper:
• Papers are expected to be in the range of 8-10 pages (i.e. 2400-3000 words, excluding footnotes/endnotes/bibliography)
• In terms of formatting, make sure it is double-spaced. Outside of that, just keep the formatting reasonable and readable.
• This is an argumentative philosophical paper. It is not a mere research paper where you are gathering, condensing and then explaining information. Instead, you will be expected to make arguments. This can take different forms. You might offer an original argument on a subject, you might offer an original objection against an argument or theory, you might try to legislate between two opposing views on a topic, you might try to clarify some key concept over which there is disagreement, etc.
• In argumentative philosophical papers, using the first-person is completely fine. In other words, it is fine for you to say, “I believe,” “I argue that,” “I object that,” etc.
• There is no specific, required citation system that you must use. Instead choose whatever system you prefer, so long as you are consistent with your citations.
• Papers will be submitted via our Moodle page.
• As you research your given topic, some sites worth using: jstor.org, philpapers.com, Google Scholar, and the OU online library site.
• You should have your paper topic (or perhaps a few potential topics) by the week of October 19-25. That week, we will schedule a time for each student to discuss their paper topic idea(s) with me.
• You will “present” your paper to the class by posting an expanded abstract during our last week of classes and then considering and responding to questions/comments from your fellow classmates. This “presentation” will be worth 10% of your Term Paper grade. More details on this process will be provided later in the semester.
• If you have questions about anything related to the paper, feel free to e-mail me. I am also willing to look at portions of rough drafts in order to offer helpful comments. For example, if there is a specific argument you are making or objection you are offering and you want to run it by me, feel free to do so by email, during virtual office hours, or in a phone meeting.