Philosophy

 
Essay 1:
For this assignment, you will write an essay on the topic below of at least 4 pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point font; your paper should be written in Standard English and done in MLA format.
To submit your paper, click on ‘Essay 1.’ You should attach a file that can be opened with Microsoft Word (doc or docx); do not submit a pdf or type in the submission box.
The topic below relates to those we have encountered thus far in the Rachels text.
Your essay must include the following (note: you will have six paragraphs in your essay):
Title: • An original title (hint: ‘Essay 1’ is not an original title; nor is the title of the article you choose to write on) CENTERED at the top of the first page AFTER your MLA heading.
Parag. 1: • An introduction with a thesis statement; the introductory paragraph should be 4-6 sentences which introduce your essay topic. The thesis should be the last sentence in the introduction.
EXAMPLE THESES: Human life does have meaning, but this meaning is purely personal.
Or: Human life has no purpose and it is irrational to think otherwise.
Parag. 2: • A summary of the article; your summary paragraph should be written such that the reader of your essay has a general understanding of the article you are summarizing; give an overview of the main ideas (and argument if there is one). You must include parenthetical notes after each paraphrase or direct quote. Even if you state the main ideas ‘in your own words , the ideas belong to the author of the article, so much have parenthetical notes and a works cited entry. Limit your summary to 6 to 10 sentences.
Example: The first entry on this Works Cited page is from the NY Times :
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/
The parenthetical note for this source would be: (Dean) , because there are no page numbers in the article.
Parag. 3: • A discussion/explanation of the philosophical question related to the article you chose and should support your thesis – you must explicitly discuss the philosophical question this essay is exploring – i.e., the Meaning of Life. This article directly connects to topics of discussion in Chapter 13 of our text, but there are other chapters in the text as well with which you could make connections. You should cite the text at least THREE times, but no more than SIX times. A parenthetical note for the Rachels text will
appear after EACH paraphrase or direct quote, and will look like this: (Rachels 87) [‘87’ would be the page number where the quote or information paraphrased was found – if yours comes from a different page, use that page number]. This paragraph should be 6 to 10 sentences long.
Parag. 4: • A paragraph that incorporates outside research (incorporated through quotation, paraphrase, or both) from 1 scholarly/professional source outside the article and the chapter of our text related to your topic; all research must be cited according to MLA. This paragraph should be 6 to 10 sentences long.
Parag. 5: • Your own response, including explanation and reasons, to the philosophical question/problem your paper addresses and that you identified in the thesis. This paragraph should be 6 to 10 sentences long.
Parag. 6: • A one paragraph conclusion of approximately 4 sentences that briefly closes your essay and restates the thesis statement.
LAST PAGE: • A MLA works cited page (the works cited page is NOT part of the four page length requirement) The works cited page is a SEPARATE page, and will have THREE entries – the Rachels Text, the Article from the New York Times, and your outside research source. Make sure you follow the proper MLA format – see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/13/ for an example of an essay and works cited page in MLA format.
ASSIGNMENT: The article below is from The New York Times. Non-subscribers are limited as to the number of article they can read, but the Richland Library has full access to The New York Times. You can
access The New York Times via this DCCCD Library web page. I HAVE ALSO PLACED A COPY OF THIS ARTICLE IN PDF FORMAT IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOLDER.
Topic: “Why I Identify as Mammal” – This article deals with the question of personal identity, specifically by arguing that we may need to rethink how we see ourselves in relation to other species and the world. Chapter 5 in our text deals with the problem of personal identity.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/why-i-identify-asmammal/?mcubz=1
NOTE: Any instance of plagiarism will be punished by a minimum of an F on the assignment and a report to the associate dean of the humanities division. Further punishment could include failure in the course, suspension, or expulsion.