(i) Write an essay (of roughly 6-8 pp. or 1800-2400 words) in which you discuss an idea or theme and an issue concerning it, making significant reference to at least three works we have discussed. (ii) Prepare a 1-2 page (300-600 word) abstract of your essay for class discussion on April 19-26 (your abstract will be due 36 hours prior to the class when it will be discussed—which will be scheduled later).
Main essay. The essay should include the following elements:
• An idea or theme and an issue concerning it. You can think of the issue as a question asked about the idea or theme. (For example, the issue of the possibility of non-human persons can be thought of as a question about personhood that asks if it is necessarily limited to humans.) Your essay should then include:
• A discussion of the idea or theme. Your aim here should be to make clear the idea or theme that the issue you will consider is a question about. You might refer to works we’ve read to illustrate or explain this idea.
• A presentation of the issue. You should explain what the issue is and why you take it to arise (that is, why someone would ask that question about the theme or idea).
• Arguments on each side of the issue. You should give significant attention to each side, but you should not attempt to consider many different arguments: it is better to present one line of argument on each side carefully. This is another place that references to works we’ve read naturally come in, but don’t feel that the arguments you consider need be limited to ones you’ve encountered in our reading.
• Your assessment of the strength of the arguments on each side. You should give fair consideration to each side even if you are on one of them: your main aim should be to promote understanding of the issue, not to convince someone of your side of it.
The idea or theme, the issue, and the works are your choice but you should be sure to give significant attention (at least a few sentences each) to three works from different classes and by different authors. (And, of course, you should give full references for any works you discuss.)
Abstract. This should note the idea and the issue concerning it that will be the topic of your essay, and it should sketch the arguments on each side that you plan to consider. Your aim should be to give the class enough information about your plans for them to have a sense of what you will be doing and be able to share their own views on the topic you’ve been thinking about.
Let me add some further suggestions about handling a couple of the elements of the essay.
Even if you have an issue in mind, you might find yourself with a choice about the idea it concerns. For example, the question whether memory is important for personal identity can be thought of as a question about memory or a question about personal identity. Either choice would be fine, but the choice would affect the character of your essay. In one case, you’d be saying something like, “Consider memory. Is personal identity among the things it is important for?” while in the other you’d be saying, “Consider personal identity. Is memory among the things important for it?” The arguments on each side of the issue might be the same either way, but your introduction to the issue would be different because the idea you raise it about—the X in “Consider X”—would be different.
Also, your assessment of the arguments on the two sides will take different forms depending on the relation between the arguments you’ve considered and where you stand on the issue. In any case, part of what you should do is to discuss the relation between the arguments for each side. If the argument on one side is naturally seen as a response to the argument on the other side—if, for example, the argument for side B is a criticism of the argument for side A—the relation between the two sides has appeared already. You can go further in considering this relation by noting how someone might defend the original argument (how side A might reply to the attack from side B). On the other hand, the arguments for the two sides might not address each other explicitly; they might be based on independent considerations. In this sort of case, you will need to look for relations between the two arguments, but that’s something you will naturally do as you assess their relative strength.
Although I’ll be willing to accept your essay on paper, I’d prefer that you send a copy by e-mail (either as an attachment or in the body of a message). My address is helmang@wabash.edu.