PHIL 100 Final Essay Assignment
PHIL 100 Final Essay Assignment
The Final Essay in this course will give you the opportunity to explore and
compare ideas, concepts, and philosophies from the different
philosophical traditions that you have been introduced to in the course.
I. Purpose of the Final Essay Assignment:
1. To give you experience synthesizing and integrating what you have
learned in the course into a coherent written essay.
2. To give you experience analyzing and comparing philosophical
ideas from different philosophical traditions
II. Technical Requirements of the Final Essay Assignment
• 1,250 -1,500 words (5-6 double spaced pages)
• Word Cited (1-2 double spaced pages)
• Microsoft .docx (not .pdf or .pages)
• 12 pt. Times New Roman Font, Double Spaced, 1” left and right
margins
• Works Cited must be in MLA format:
◦ MLA Citation Examples: General Rules
• Cite only the required readings, philosophical texts, linked articles
and videos in the course. Do not cite external websites or videos
that you “googled” and that do not appear in the course!
III. Subject of the Final Essay Assignment
https:
libguides.umgc.edu/mla-examples
Compare and contrast two (or more) philosophical texts and authors from
different traditions in the same philosophical subject.
Example A: Compare ideas in Dharmaraja Adhvarindra, Vedanta-
Paribhasa (W2.P2.3) with John Locke, Essay Concerning Human
Understanding (W2.P2.6) on a topic in Epistemology.(Week 2)
Example B: Compare ideas in Han Fei Tzu, Sayings of Han Fei Tzu
(W6.P2.5) with Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (W6.P2.6) on a topic in
Political Philosophy (Week 6)
IV. Structure of the Final Essay Assignment
Structure your final essay as an expository essay. The expository essay
is a genre of essay that requires you to investigate an idea, evaluate
evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning
that idea in a clear and concise manner. A typical expository essay will
have six sections of at least one paragraph each.
1. An introductory paragraph
2. Three evidentiary body paragraphs
3. A counterargument paragraph
4. A conclusion paragraph
The expository essay has the following components:
1. A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the
first paragraph of the essay.
Since your essay will have a comparison/contrast focus, your thesis
statement should state the central aim of your essay as some kind of
comparison or contrast.
Example A: Gautama Buddha’s First Sermon reflects the eastern focus on
human suffering while Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics reflects the western
focus on human value.
Example B: Aristotle’s Virtue Theory is superior to Confucian Virtue
Theory.
2. Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and
conclusion.
The reader needs to be able to follow the comparison argument you state
in your thesis from start to finish.
3. Body paragraphs that include evidential support.
Each paragraph of your essay should be limited to the exposition of one
general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the
essay. What is more, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for
one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of
the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in
the opening paragraph.
Evidential support:
Use direct quotes of no more than a sentence in length from the
philosophical texts you are expounding as evidential support for your
thesis. Explain how these quotes are evidence for your thesis in the body
paragraphs.
4. Address counterarguments to your thesis.
Devote at least one paragraph to a fair and honest counterargument to
your thesis. [Beware of the Strawman Fallacy].
5. A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but
eaddresses it in light of the evidence provided.
V. Grading of the Final Essay Assignment
Your Final Essay Assignment will be graded as follows
Knowledge of Philosophical Subject/Texts/Authors: You are expected
to demonstrate knowledge of the philosophical subject you are writing
about, i.e., metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, and
knowledge of the philosophical texts/authors you are comparing that are
the subject of your essay.
Thesis Statement: You are expected to craft a clear and concise thesis
statement that appears in the introductory paragraph of your essay.
Essay Structure: You are expected to organize your essay into
introduction, body, counterargument and conclusion sections
paragraphs. You are expected to provide clear and logical transitions
etween the sections of your essay that will allow the reader to easily
follow the logic of your thesis.
Body and Evidence: You are expected to provide direct quotes from the
philosophical texts as evidence for your thesis, and to explain these
quotes in the body of your essay.
Counterargument and Conclusion: You are expected to devote at least
one paragraph to a fair and honest counterargument to your thesis, and
to conclude your essay by readdressing your thesis in light of the
evidence provided.