3 marks style, 2 marks opening paragraph, 20 marks as specified below = 25 marks
Specifications:
· A cover page including all
necessary information
· 5–7 pages (strict) of text,
typed, dbl-spaced, 12-pt serif font, indented paragraphs, pages numbered
· An opening paragraph,
clearly stating your topic (the issue), a brief statement of what you are going
to do in the paper (state the authors and the titles of the readings), and what you are going to
argue for (your conclusion in the final part of your essay), and absolutely nothing else
· make the structure of your
essay isomorphic to the essay question
· no padding, i.e., an extra
space between paragraphs, wide margins, subheadings, biographical material,
etc.
· be as clear and concise as possible throughout your paper,
avoid jargon words, flowery language, and bafflegab, and do no more or less
than what the question asks
· All references and quotations
must use a professional style, preferably the author-date system (see,
notably, the Chicago Manual of Style), with the
original source year cited in the body of the text and page numbers referring to the
pages in the original text (or in the
reprint source if you have to),
and the original source (including the reprint source if there is one) included in the list of
references (given on a separate page at the end of your paper)—see my brief
example below
· don’t cite my lectures or notes, unless you want to use an
idea of mine aside from my summaries
· keep in mind that I am not a primary source; I am a secondary source and as such am
prone to error
· If citing outside sources (for the topics
below you shouldn’t have
to), confine yourself to academically respectable sources, i.e., sources found in
peer-reviewed academic books and journals (not
individual
sources on the Internet)
· do not use endnotes and use
footnotes only for discursive purposes (it is probably best not to have noted at all)
· When arguing your own view,
you must keep your argumentation down to earth—i.e., you must restrict yourself to
philosophical arguments everyone in the
class can relate to
· In particular, you need to know the difference between a religious argument and a
philosophical argument
· think of your situation as analogous to a
prosecutor trying to convince a very diverse jury
· keep in mind also that agreeing is not the same thing as arguing
· stop with the “I
feel I feel I feel”—we don’t care how you feel!!!; we care how accurately you
present someone else’s ideas and arguments
and how well you make an argument
· e.g. (7 marks) does not mean you need
seven points; it merely refers to the grading value of that section
Question: First, explain what William
Lane Craig means when he says, “If there is no God, then our life
is not qualitatively different from that of a dog” (7 marks). (This does not say to summarize
the entire reading.) Then, explain Walter T. Stace’s
argument about “true adulthood.” (This does not say to summarize
the entire reading.) Then,
argue for which philosopher has the stronger
position between them (6 marks).
