Phi 38 Guidelines for Analytical Essays

Phi 38 Guidelines for Analytical Essays

Introduction to Philosophy of Biology – Phi 38

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Guidelines for Analytical Essays

General instructions:

You must write three two-page analytical essays (typed or word-processed, 12 point font, double spaced, 1 inch margins), following the instructions below. The first is due by 10 AM Mon, Oct 17, the second is due by 10 AM Mon, Nov 7, and the third is due by 10 AM Mon, Nov 28. Essays must be submitted electronically to the

Assignments area of the class Canvas site. Be sure to click “Submit Assignment” after you “Browse” and select your assignment for uploading. You are responsible for making sure that your assignment was submitted properly. The formats that can be accepted are Word, PDF, or RTF. Late essays will be subject to having their grades lowered.

Citing sources:

This is not a research assignment; it is possible to do an excellent job on this assignment without consulting any materials outside of your class readings and class notes (I am looking for your thinking and analysis skills, not your research skills). However, in writing your essay, you are welcome to reference any written source – and all sources used must be cited properly, as follows:

1. If you use someone else’s exact words (a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph), then you must put quote marks around the words and cite the source and page number where the quote came from.

Important note: your essay should contain few, if any, quotes. I am looking for you to explain things in your own words – don’t assume that I already know the material you are trying to explain. Any quotes used should be explained in your own words. The only reason to use a quote is if you need to show that your interpretation of what an author is saying is correct. Essays with large blocks of quotes will receive low grades.

Example: Millstein says, “porcine animals can levitate off the ground” (Millstein 2012: 124). This means that pigs can fly.

2. If you use someone else’s ideas or facts, but not their exact words, you must still cite the source within the body of the essay. Just including the source in the bibliography is not enough.

 Example: Pigs can fly (Millstein 2012: 124).

 Do not quote or cite anything from class lecture. But you should cite classmates by saying something along the lines of “In class discussion, a classmate suggested…”. In any case, your discussion should be in your own words.

 If you use materials outside of the course materials, include a bibliography.

I am not picky about the format that you use for your citations or bibliography, as long as you use a consistent method. You can use footnotes if you prefer. However, failure to comply with #1, #2, and #4 above is plagiarism. In accordance with Regulation 550 of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate, a grade of “0” will be assigned to examinations or assignments on which cheating, plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty is admitted or determined to have occurred by proper adjudication.

Introduction to Philosophy of Biology – Phi 38!Prof. R. Millstein

Assignment: Choose one article (see below for restrictions), and:

• In the first paragraph: Present one argument, or reason, that the author has given in support of his/her Describe the author’s views in your own words, explaining key terms (e.g., “falsifiable”). Do not attempt to summarize the author’s entire paper. Present the author accurately and fairly.

• In the second paragraph: Present one objection (i.e., a criticism or a counter-example or a counter-argument) that can be raised against the author’s argument that you described in your first paragraph. Do not simply present an alternate view.

• In the third paragraph: Explain how the author could respond to the objection.

• In an optional fourth paragraph: If you want to get the last word, explain why the response you’ve described in the third paragraph will not succeed.

More guidelines:

• Do not include an introduction and a conclusion; just dive right in. Since you only have two pages, you will need to be very succinct.

• Try not to “pick the low hanging fruit.” In other words, try not to pick the most obvious argument/ counter-argument. Challenge yourself to go beyond class discussion. It should be hard for you to come up with a response to your objection.

• The second and third (and optional fourth) paragraphs should contain your own thinking, not that of the author(s). If you find yourself expressing ideas that are already in your chosen article or another article from the class, you need to redo those parts of your paper. A common mistake that you do not want to make is to present a counter-argument the author has already considered and responded to.

Restrictions (see syllabus for topics/authors):

• Mon Oct 17 essay: Choose one required article from the Unit 1 readings on Canvas.

• Mon Nov 7 essay: Choose one required article from the Unit 2 readings on Canvas.

• Mon Nov 28 essay: Choose one required article from the Unit 3 readings on Canvas.

Analytical essays which do not comply with these topic restrictions will receive no credit.

ading: In general, I am looking for the following:

1. How clearly you express yourself. Are the individual sentences understandable? Is the essay well-structured?

1. How completely you address the issue. Do you do all parts of the assignment? Do you consider all the relevant aspects in your answer? Do you go beyond our class discussions?

1. How persuasive you are in making your points. Do you provide good reasons and examples to back up the points you are making? Are your claims free of obvious counter-arguments?