Heusser Philosophy
100 SG
#16b
I. Language: Style/Expression/Clarity:
1) Are the sources (if any) properly cited? Use a bibliography or footnotes.
2) Did you include a brief introduction that details the goals of your paper?
3)
Is the paper proofread for grammatical and
spelling errors?
4)
Are the sentences clear and comprehensible?
This is meant in two senses: avoiding grammar mistakes and avoiding or explaining jargon.
First, be sure your sentences make sense in English. I recommend showing your paper to a friend or to me in office hours. Could your roommate understand your paper? Avoid ambiguous sentence structures, incomplete sentences, run-on sentences, and other grammatical mistakes.
Example: “Meaning that only we have a mind in the case of solipsism.”
Better: “Solipsism is the theory that only your mind exists.”
A second consideration is your ability to explain the philosophical material. Write as if to a friend who has not taken a philosophy course. Do not take assume that your reader knows what the philosophical positions are. Your ability to explain topics will be evaluated in section III.
3)
Is the tone not overly formal or too colloquial?
In most philosophical papers, it is best not to use conversational expressions or slang. Obviously, this is not an absolute. Some very clever writers are able to breach this requirement, but it is better to error on the side of caution in philosophy. Feel free to visit me in office hours if you have questions about this.
II. Analysis:
Are the
philosophical positions evaluated?
10) Best Analysis: Attempts to engage issues in theory and to reflect on them. Analyzes and explains what the beliefs mean. Defines all philosophy terms used.
9) Great Analysis: Discusses issues with slightly less depth, clarity, or reflectiveness. Some minor reasoning errors or minor points left unexplained.
8) Good Analysis: Describes views without much reflection on the coherence of the beliefs or their meaning. Some statements may be unclear.
7) Acceptable Analysis: Merely attempts to describe own understanding of issue. Primarily states beliefs without providing any meaningful explanation of the philosophical theories or an analysis of them.
6) Poor Analysis: Fails to answer the question in any serious way.
0-5) No analysis: Off topic or completely unresponsive