PHH 3700:  American Philosophy

Term Paper and Short Paper Requirements

Term Papers

a.  By the middle of March (no later than 3/19), you must submit an outline of your paper, complete with a thesis statement, and a reasonable bibliography.

b.  By the last week in March (no later than 3/28), submit an  annotated bibliography (at least 3 works) and provide a brief explanation of the way in which you plan to use these works in your paper.

c.  Submit the paper on or before the due date (April 11).

d.  You may be required to write a brief summary of your paper, or some aspect of it, in class.  It will count as a graded assignment.

e.  UCF pays for the use of the services of "turnitin.com" and any and all papers or written work submitted for this course are subject to submission to this service.

Papers are to be critical/analytical, not "book report" style or simply research papers in which you compile a list of "facts" and present them.  That is, you need to choose a topic, work out your position regarding the problem or concept, and argue for it using appropriate references and developing your own argument.

If you are a philosophy or humanities major, you have a portfolio requirement to meet before graduation, and if your paper is of good quality, you will have one from this course that you might use.

How do you write a paper like this?  It's fairly straightforward.  Choose a topic  and read the relevant primary sources pertaining to it.  Paying close attention to the problem or issue at hand, decide which element or elements of the topic you find most problematic or interesting.  Check (respectable) on-line and hard-copy sources on the topic in which you are interested.  (No paper may include more than 2 conventional "web-sites" as references, though it is appropriate to use on-line academic references where and when they are available.  In other words, Joe Schmoe's website expressing Joe's excitement over the work of Emerson (or anyone else) is NOT an acceptable reference in a research paper, though it is possible that Professor Schmoe's website from the University of Wherever might be useful and acceptable.) Read them and determine how those works fit into the argument you are formulating regarding the topic.  

Create a thesis statement.  State clearly what your position is.

Work through the primary sources on the topic you have chosen.

Check and work through at least 1 primary source and  2 secondary sources on or related to the topic you have chosen.

Determine how you will argue for your position using those sources and weave them into the context of your position.

Make sure that your paper consists at least of the following five elements:
 i.      An introduction in which you will state the problem/thesis and in which you will outline the manner in which you will approach the problem, how you will go about attempting to solve it, etc.  It might be a good idea to have someone else who is taking this course read your thesis statement and tell you what his or her interpretation is of your position.  If your (intelligent) friend doesn't know what you are talking about, your thesis probably doesn't make any sense.  Fix it.

 ii.      The body of the paper in which you will work through the thesis statement and in which you will present in detail the arguments and sub-arguments that support or defend your position.  It is also a good idea to include a section in which you will anticipate objections to your thesis and argument(s), and in which you answer them.  Always apply the "principle of charity" to the viewpoint(s) to which you are opposed.  It is very easy to defeat a bad argument.  It requires skill, attention and care to defeat a good one.

iii.      A conclusion in which you will explain how the issue has been solved, or the elements of the findings you have made and in which you state the implications of the position.

iv.      Foot- or end-notes (preferably of an explanatory kind, not simply ones listing sources).  You can and should use in-text references wherever and whenever possible.  See the MLA Manual for information on how to format you paper appropriately.

v.      A Bibliography

One way in which you might develop skills in writing papers of this sort is to make sure that you read carefully the articles required for the course and note the manner in which the authors of the articles formulate their positions.  Some people suggest that you imitate a style utilized by an author who has written a work you find particularly interesting.

There may be additional resources posted on-line for assistance with writing papers as the semester progresses.  Electronic resources (on-line journals, the Philosopher's Index, etc.) are available through the UCF Library.  Use hard-copy journals if you find something you'd like to use in your paper(s).  Don't be lazy.  Many works are available online, but some very good ones are not.

This document will most likely be edited throughout the semester for your use.
 
8.  Papers and course assignments generally are graded with the following considerations taken into account:

Content = 35%.  "Content" refers to your use of sources, your understanding of the position taken as well as your understanding and expression of the problem being explored.
 
Critical Analysis = 35%. "Critical analysis" refers to the quality of your argument, the care with which you have stated your position, the quality of the sources you have used.  

Grammar, spelling, punctuation and manner of presentation = 30%.  These things count.  You need not produce a work of absolute perfection, but you need to have enough respect for yourself (your paper represents you) to make sure that you write clearly, concisely, with conviction, and with care.  Remember that UCF has a Writing Center (see the Dept. of Philosophy Web-site in the section on electronic research for information regarding the Writing Center) to which you can go for assistance with writing.  Keep in mind, however, that your paper is your responsibility.  You are solely responsible for its content.  (Don't count on a spell-checker or grammar software to catch mistakes for you.  They are notoriously unreliable.)  The way your paper LOOKS also counts.  Make sure that you separate sections, that you proofread carefully, that your margins are even, fonts are consistent, and that you follow the procedures below:

1.  Papers must have a header with your name, the name of the course, and page numbers.

2.  The header should appear at 1" from the top of the page.

3.  Begin the paper at 1.5" from the top margin.  All other margins are 1".  

4.  Use 1.25 or 1.5 spacing (NOT DOUBLE SPACING).  

5.  If your software is capable, justify the margins.  Indent long quotations 1/2 inch further from the left and right margins than your ordinary margin.

6.  Bold face section headings.  Italicize titles of books.  Put article titles in quotation marks.  Again, see the MLA Manual for details.  Center headings.

7.  If you need a visual guide to formatting papers, go to the Department of Philosophy website and then to the FPA Journal link on the sidebar to the left.  Look at the papers in .pdf format written by Dr. Hawkins from here at UCF, James Roper from Michigan State, or Nicholas Power from UWF for formatting standards.

There are some useful comments on writing papers at this link from Northwest Missouri University .
  

Requirements for Assignments/Short Papers

   Assignments and short papers need not be preceded by a thesis or outline, nor do you necessarily require a bibliography.  The other considerations do apply, however - spacing, headers, margins, and grading requirements all are essentially the same.  Due dates will be posted appropriately.