INSTRUCTIONS
Your term paper should follow the same general format as your discussion post with
some changes. Recall the 3 guidelines for writing posts. These were:
(i) State your thesis explicitly (‘My goal in this post is to…’).
(ii) Explicate the text (identifying and discussing a few arguments made by the
author which relate to your thesis).
(iii) Provide analysis (with a view to supporting your thesis)
Since you are now writing a paper all of these aspects need to be developed in more
detail. So here are the above guidelines modified for the term paper.
(i) Instead of just jumping in and stating your thesis (as you did in your posts),
you need to develop an introduction. This includes some stage setting, but
most importantly, like your post, it involves explicitly stating a thesis (‘In this
paper I will argue…’ ‘My aim in this paper is to…’). The thesis statement
could also be a bit broader, given the length of the paper.
(ii) Since this is a larger project than a post, more of the author’s text will need to
be explicated. The key here is to provide an accurate account of what the
author is saying. What parts of the text you decide to explicate is, of course,
bound up with the thesis you are advancing. But remember: before providing
any form of critical analysis you need to state clearly the author’s basic
position. Some quotes would also be helpful. But you should use quotes to
support your argument; they should not take the place of you summarizing
the text. The point is that I want to see that you have understood the text.
(iii) You will need to provide some independent analysis in order support the
thesis you are arguing. Analysis can involve finding a problem with the
author’s position. But it doesn’t need to be negative. You can also take the
author’s position and apply it to something; or draw connections to other
sections of the author’s text; or even contrast it with an argument of one of the
other authors we examined. Regarding the last point, there are for instance
lots of interesting contrasts between Sartre and Heidegger.
Please note: while you should use my lectures to help understand these authors,
please don’t just reproduce the arguments of my lectures. Work with these and
extend them further. I’m looking to see that you are thinking about the material
critically.
Topics:
You can write your paper on any of the 4 authors examined in the course. All of
these authors discuss various themes and ideas, so you will have to choose an idea
or theme that you find interesting and develop it critically. Many of these themes
were discussed in my lectures, so I will not repeat them here. As implied by the third
guideline above, you can also trace an idea through two authors and provide a
contrast of two authors on a particular theme.
If you would like to take one of your posts and develop it further, then you can also
do that. But if you go this route, don’t just take your post and add 5 pages; rework it
and dig deeper into the point.
Please send me an email if you are unsure about your thesis statement or anything
discussed in these instructions. I will also be holding zoom sessions again this week,
so that is another way you can discuss your project.
Your paper should be between 1500-1700 words in length, double spaced and 12
point font. Be absolutely sure that you reference any external sources, and also
reference all direct quotes and paraphrases of key arguments from any of our 4
philosophers. You do not need to use any external sources additional to these 4
philosophers in writing this paper.
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For a custom paper on the above or a related topic or instructions, place your order now!
What We Offer:
• Affordable Rates – (15 – 30% Discount on all orders above $50)
• 100% Free from Plagiarism
• Masters & Ph.D. Level Writers
• Money Back Guarantee
• 100% Privacy and Confidentiality
• Unlimited Revisions at no Extra Charges
• Guaranteed High-Quality Content
