Write an essay (of roughly 6-8 pp. or 1800-2400 words) developing views on a topic relevant to this course. In doing this, you should
(a) discuss in some detail a portion of something read in the course and
(b) consider at least one objection to the view you defend.
The views you develop may be ones you hold, but they need not be. Your exposition of material read in the course may serve you in any of several ways—e.g., to help set up the topic you will discuss, to help present the views you wish to develop, or to provide an objection to these views.
Like the previous papers, this paper will serve as a way for me to evaluate both your understanding of the material we’ve read and the depth of your thinking about a philosophical issue. But it differs from previous papers in placing greater emphasis on your thinking about the issue, and you should plan what you write accordingly. In particular, you should not devote the bulk of the paper to an exposition of things you’ve read. The views you present may be substantially based on something you’ve read, but your presentation of them should in some way go beyond the exposition of what you’ve read.
In choosing a topic to write about, be careful to keep your focus narrow. Remember that this paper will be significantly shorter than any of the essays you have read for the course, so will not be able cover as much ground as they do. It’s fine to think about a broad topic that is relevant to more than one thing you’ve read, but be sure to choose an aspect of this topic (e.g., one argument for views on it) that you can present successfully in a paper of this length.
I’ll be glad to help you either in finding a topic or in trimming one down to fit in this paper.
Although I’ll be willing to accept your essay on paper, I’d prefer that you submit it by e-mail (either as an attachment or, if there is no special formatting, in the body of a message).