+1 862 207 3288 1 General Information
The midterm paper is due in class on October 27. No late work will be
accepted. It should be about 4 pages long, double-spaced with 1” margins and
a 12-point font that looks sharp and smart. Times New Roman is a fine choice;
Comic Sans is a poor choice. Consult the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of
Style or the MLA Handbook, both of which are in the library, for guidance about
consistent citation style and general mechanics. The philosophical substance
and argumentative content of your paper are its most important features,
but effective, clear and college-level writing are factors in your grade
too. Optionally, you can submit an outline or first draft in class on October
20.
2 The Assignment
In general, your job is to show me how well you understand one of our excerpts.
Each paper should engage in a detailed way with one or more of the readings
assigned. This means the readings from Plato and Aristotle are fair game. No
secondary scholarship is required though it may be helpful.
The topic is in principle open, but your paper will answer three distinct but
related questions.
1. What is it? This is the part of your paper where you focus on exegesis.
This means you should find a passage where the author or character is
working to answer a what-question about a key term, a problem or another
character’s argument about one of these. You should be very specific
in your answer and work to contextualize it in the broader plot of the
dialogue, in the case of Plato, or argument, in the case of Aristotle. The
clearer you are at this initial stage, the easier the remaining sections will
be to compose.
2. Is it so? This is the part of your paper where you show off your critical
judgment. Draw out the implications of the answer to the first question
to show why it succeeds or fails as an answer, that is, as it is set within
its broader context. How do the other characters, for example, respond
to a proposed definition of justice, and should they respond that way?
Why or why not? The point here is to challenge the text with an original
appraisal of it.
3. Is it good? Finally, this is the part of your paper where you assess the
value of the judgment made in response to the second question. It’s your
chance to congratulate the author or condemn him for some reason or
another. Why is it a good idea to think of justice or piety or virtue in
the way the author or character does? Why is it a bad idea? Use examples,
arguments and images from the text—for example, Thrasymachus’
definition of justice is wrong because it remains stuck at the bottom of
the divided line drawn later in the Republic—but also feel free to advance
original arguments or ideas. You can get away from the text a bit here to
consider its implications for yourself, others, other influential philosophers
and the wider world.
Academic integrity is an important feature of philosophy. Give credit to
your sources. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating may result in an F for the
entire course.
3 Writing Tips
Writing is very difficult. Even the most experienced academic writers may
find it helpful to visit SFC’s Academic Enhancement Center.
Start planning right away. The midterm paper, as the syllabus says, is
worth 30% of your final grade.
3.1 Title
Your paper should begin with a title, so make it artful and informative. Do
not title your paper something vague, like “Aristotle’s Virtue of Courage,”
or “Plato’s Ideal City.” A better title says something specific and tells your
reader what will be discussed: “Getting What You Want: Thrasymachus and
the Virtue of Self-Interest,” or “Exiting the Cave via Virtue and Socratic SelfDevelopment.”
3.2 Introduction
The introduction should be one or two paragraphs. By the end of the first
paragraph it should be absolutely clear to your reader what your focused topic
is. Make sure it is stated early. Give the reader a sense of its importance. Why
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should the reader care about the issue you address? What are the stakes? The
best papers will make clear what the paper will say and why it is important
to say such a thing.
3.3 Thesis
Your thesis statement is a one-sentence formulation of your claim. It is the
answer to the question you are raising. The thesis statement usually occurs at
the end of the introduction. It should be very clear to the reader which sentence
is your thesis, and it is perfectly fine to make it obvious, for example, by writing,
“In this paper, I will argue…”
Remember, the thesis statement is not just a statement of your topic but
of your specific claim with respect to that topic, one that you will defend at
length over the next pages. This is not a thesis statement: “In this paper I
will investigate Socrates’ notion of justice in the Republic.” This is a thesis
statement: “In this paper, I will argue that Socrates’ notion of justice in the
Republic is the capacity to bring the desirous and spirited parts of the soul
under the rule of the rational part without repressing either.”
Optionally, you can follow the thesis statement with a brief plan. Some
writers like to let the reader know exactly how they will substantiate their
thesis.
3.4 Body
In the main body of your paper, everything should relate back to your thesis.
The main body comprises the largest part of your paper and is dedicated to substantiating
your thesis. It is how you make your case. Each section, paragraph,
sentence and word should help that project along. Do not go off topic.
A large part of your assignment is called reconstruction, which means presenting
someone else’s ideas from a primary text in your own words. Reconstruction
in this way helps the reader make sense of your understanding and
assessment of that primary source material. It is also your chance to raise
doubts and objections and to identify difficulties in the original work. You can
help the reader see how well the reconstructed argument works, or how it fails
to work. Feel free to use numbered steps to make it abundantly clear how your
reconstruction proceeds. Remember that this is a philosophy paper. Avoid
history and biography.
In the main body, quote directly from the primary source but do not
over-quote. At only four pages long, this is particularly important. To make
your case and prove your thesis, you will sometimes quote from the text and
provide citations accordingly. This is essential, but be sure not to depend on
the primary source to do the work of your argument and your reconstruction.
This is your midterm paper, not Aristotle’s and not mine. If half or more of a
paragraph is someone else’s words, you are quoting too much.
In almost every case you should precede and follow a quotation with a sentence
of your own that restates the meaning of the quote and sets it in relation
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to your argumentative thesis and broader purpose. In other words, do not quote
and run.
The main body of your paper should follow a logical order. Each paragraph
should follow from the previous one as naturally and smoothly as possible.
Outlining your paper in the prospectus will give you a bird’s eye view of your
argument and help you avoid unnecessary or abrupt transitions.
3.5 Conclusion
In your conclusion of one or two paragraphs, your argument and interpretation
of the text has been completed. Your job in the conclusion is to make clear just
how you accomplished that. You can make clear how all the work you did pays
off. It may be helpful to remind your reader of the high stakes of this issue and
their wider implications.
3.6 Editing
Write tight sentences. Avoid jargon. Once you have an initial draft, ask a
friend to read your paper out loud back to you. It is awkward, embarrassing
and helpful.
Verify the structure of your paper by creating a reverse outline. Make sure
its components connect instead of just concatenate. “Another argument is…”
is just adding to a list. The best papers will fit portions together in a unity.
Avoid arguments from authority. Just because Socrates says something does
not mean it is settled fact. Everything is an argument; nothing is beyond
dispute.
3.7 Helpful Resources
Besides a dictionary and a thesaurus, there are three other exceptional writing
references that I recommend. You may know when to use an instead of a,
accept instead of except, but do you know the difference between critique and
criticism? How to avoid the passive voice? Alongside your coffee, these can sit
right beside you as you compose your paper.
1. Gerald Graff’s They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic
Writing, 3rd edition (New York: W.W. Norton, 2014), can be a big help
as you structure your paper’s argument and select the most relevant quotes
to support it.
2. Meriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage is a very helpful reference
for all kinds of usage, diction and style issues.
3. Joseph M. William’s Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (New York:
Pearson, 2013) can help you as you edit for clarity.
All three are especially helpful since they use real examples taken from academic
writing.
