Philosophy 2065G Essay Assignment

Philosophy 2065G Essay Assignment Due Date: March 23rd, 2023
For your Essay Assignment, you are required to write an original essay in which you will clearly state
and defend your own position relative to some topic relevant to the figures we are considering in
this course. Your paper should contain the following required elements:
Formal Features: Your paper should be structured as an essay—it should consist of an

introduction (which contains a clearly identifiable thesis), a body (containing the main
argument and evidence for your thesis), and a conclusion (summarizing your case and, if
appropriate, gesturing towards its wider significance). You also require a title (but not a
separate title page) and a bibliography. Your paper should be at least 1500 words long
(approximately 6 pages, double-spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font) but should not
exceed 2000 words.
Content of Essay: Your essay should be argumentative in character. You will need to state and
defend a thesis, which is to say your own view regarding at least one of the texts, topics, or
figures we have discussed. This thesis might be critical in character (i.e.: Leibniz’s account of
freedom is not sufficient for responsibility; Bayle does not succeed in showing that life is on
the whole more painful than pleasant; Hume does not succeed in proving the implausibility
of Manichaeism); or it might elaborate and defend an interpretation of the text that is not
obvious or developed in the original (you might consider what Cugoano’s response to the
problem of evil might be, or how Pope or Leibniz would reckon with atrocious moral harms).
In any case, your thesis must take, as its primary concern, at least one figure from the first
8 weeks of our course (that is, from Units 1 or 2), though you may discuss more than one
figure, or also bring in another figure whom we have not, or not yet considered in this
course.
Secondary Sources: Your paper must also cite and critically engage with at least one secondary
source, that is, a piece of scholarship relevant to the topic you choose. Moreover this source
must have been published in 2010 or after and the journal (if an article) or publisher (if a
chapter in a book) must be among those listed below (with links to online resources). If a
secondary source you’d like to use is not from one of these sources, you will need to get
express permission from me to use it.
Journals Publishers
Journal of the History of Philosophy Oxford University Press
British Journal for the History of Philosophy Cambridge University Press
Journal for Modern Philosophy Routledge/Taylor & Francis
Oxford Studies in Early Modern Philosophy University of Toronto Press
Intellectual History Review Princeton University Press
Hume Studies Harvard University Press
Hypatia Wiley/Blackwell
Journal of the History of Ideas
Journal of the APA
History of Philosophy Quarterly
Philosophers’ Imprint
Philosophy Compass
You are also welcome to consult reputable reference works, such as Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, or ProjectVox, particularly in finding a
secondary source (but note that these resources do not themselves count as secondary
sources).
Citations: I would recommend that you make use of APA style for your in-text referencing
and bibliography. You can use a different referencing system if you prefer (MLA, Chicago),
but you will need to ensure you use it consistently through your paper.
Submission: Your paper must be submitted in electronic format in the Assignment tab on the
Owl page.
Other Policies
Drafts: If you would like to submit a draft of your paper for comments before final
submission, you are welcome to provided that it is submitted no later than one week
before the assignment due date (in order to ensure that we have time to read it and you
have time to incorporate any feedback).
Statement on Use of OpenAI Technology: You are permitted, but not encouraged, to make use of
OpenAI technology (such as Chat GPT). However, this use is permitted only in order to
improve the quality of expression in your paper, or as part of the brainstorming process.
Your paper is expected to reflect your own research and thought on your topic of choice.
Submitting work that is inadequately referenced and/or in large part not your own is a
scholastic offence. In cases where it is suspected that your final paper is in large part not
your own, you may be asked to discuss your paper in a follow-up, in person discussion.
For students who have yet to write a philosophy paper, or who would like further support in writing
the Essay Assignment, you are welcome to get in touch with me or one of the TAs, and/or to make
use of the following supports/resources:
UWO Writing Support Centre

Harvard Guide to Writing a Philosophy Paper
Brief Prezi on Writing a Philosophy Paper (by Prof. A. Mendelovici at Western)

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Philosophy 2065G Essay Assignment Due Date: March 23rd, 2023

Formal Features: Your paper should be structured as an essay—it should consist of an

UWO Writing Support Centre

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