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1) The paper you are to write in this course is only 1100 words long. So no waffle! This word limit will be strictly enforced (it excludes references and direct quotations.)Make your introductions brief. In the conclusion, briefly sum up what you have achieved in your paper.
2) Each of the essay questions asks you to critically assess a central view of a philosopher. This task has two parts to it.
3) First part: accurately describe the relevant view of the philosopher. Include background you think is absolutely necessary for understanding the view, but not too much background. (For example, we don’t need to read that Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived from 469 BC to 399 BC and who was sentenced to death by the Athenian court for corrupting the youth of Athens.)
4) Second part: critically assess the philosopher’s views. Do you agree with them? Can you think of counterexamples to the views? These are examples where the philosopher’s views appear to be clearly wrong or counterintuitive. Can you think of other kinds of arguments against the philosopher’s views? Here we are looking for you to build up a brief and compelling case either for or against the philosopher’s views.
5) In philosophy essays, we look for clarity of expression above all else. Your paper should be carefully written so that the meaning of each sentence is clear and the way it helps build up your argument is clear. Imagine you are writing the essay to teach someone who knows less about the subject than you do.
6) You are welcome to use secondary sources (i.e. people writing about the philosopher’s views) as well as primary sources (the writings of the philosophers themselves).
7) Use of secondary sources is not compulsory. If you can build up a compelling case for or against the philosopher’s views by yourself, then you are welcome to do this. You won’t be marked down because you haven’t included references to secondary sources. Be careful though. Be sure that your case for or against the philosopher is a good one and can stand up to careful scrutiny. If in doubt about this, use secondary sources. You will be marked down if you only summarise the Lecture Readings and the Lecture notes.
8) If you do use a source in writing your paper, then you must cite it. If you read a secondary source, but don’t adopt any of the ideas in it for your paper, then you don’t need to cite it. You can add it to a list of “Works Consulted” at the end of your paper, but that is up to you. If you use any idea from another person’s writing, you must cite that writing. If you use the actual words of another person, always, we really mean always, put quotation marks around the passage and cite the source. Don’t paraphrase another person’s ideas and pass them off as your own: this is plagiarism, just as much as stealing other people’s words.
9) Use quotations sparingly. Don’t include too many of them in short essays like these one. Two or three, perhaps four, quotations are perfectly fine, as long as they are relevant and not too long. If you include more quotes than this, a significant percentage of your essay becomes made up of other people’s words. Your tutor cannot assign you marks because of words you have merely quoted.
10) You may use any of the standard citation systems. Philosophers are not fussy about this. Make sure that full bibliographical details are included. (Author, publisher, place of publication, year of publication, page numbers). When citing internet sources include the URL and your date of access.
If you get stuck, you may find some of these general references (which are well indexed under both the name of the philosopher and the topic or issue) of use. All are available in hard copy in the Reference section of Bond Library and most are available free online.
Craig, E. ed. Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (London/NY Routledge)
Edwards, E. and Pap, A., Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (London Macmillan)
Honderich, T. ed. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (Oxford OUP).
The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/ is particularly recommended. It is a professionally refereed and edited work prepared especially with the needs of serious students in mind.
Do NOT rely on Wikipedia. It is not a professionally refereed publication and for that reason is generally unacceptable in university submissions. However if you are stuck it mat be useful in pointing you in the direction of sources which are of an acceptable standard. But do not cite Wikipedia – only the sources to which it directed you (if you make direct use of them).
Also, any Dictionary of Philosophy may be useful.
Essay Marking Criteria
22.5 – 25 Distinction To get this mark, your paper must be well
organised and you must have stuck to the point well. Your paper must be well written and must demonstrate a good understanding of the relevant philosophical view. Beyond this, you would have either (1) done a good job researching beyond the lecture readings to further describe or interpret the philosophical view in question; (2) done a good job researching beyond the lecture readings to present a compelling criticism or defence of the philosophical view; or (3) have presented a criticism or defence that you have thought out for yourself and which is plausible, generally logical and coherent.
25.5 – 30 High Distinction To get this mark, your paper must be well
organised and you must have stuck rigorously to the point. Your paper must be very well written and must demonstrate a very good understanding of the relevant philosophical view. Beyond this, you would have either (1) done an excellent job researching beyond the lecture readings to further describe or interpret the philosophical view in question; (2) done an excellent job researching beyond the lecture readings to present a compelling criticism or defense of the philosophical view; or (3) have presented a criticism or defense that you have thought out for yourself and which is compelling, insightful, logical and coherent.
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