Write an argumentative paper on one of the primary topics from the course (or a combination of topics). The topics are: Intersectionality and Chinese American Women.
By “argumentative paper” I mean that you should present and defend, using a methodical and clear argument, a philosophical thesis. Note, you are not writing an exhaustive and comprehensive account on the topic. You must have a narrow, specific thesis on this broad topic, which I choose the Intersectionality and Chinese American Women. And the files I upload would help to understand the topics.
For example, Imagine you choose the topic “Feminism and Philosophy”. Here are examples of what a narrow, specific thesis statement (in part) might look like. I will argue that feminist philosophy should reject the adversary method of practicing philosophy because…; OR I will argue that philosophical analysis should include assessment of the images in philosophical texts because… [and then you would have to find a way of ensuring you bring out what this has to do with feminism]; OR I will argue that feminism and philosophy are inherently in tension because … [you can thus turn the ‘should’ clause into an ‘is’ but then make sure your claim is conceptual rather than empirical].
Further Guidance:
Your paper must be structured around a central thesis and your own argument for that thesis. Everything you write should contribute to the thesis in some way – e.g. state the thesis, clarify the thesis, support the thesis, etc. If anything, even a single sentence, does not contribute to the thesis, and to helping the reader understand the thesis, then it is probably irrelevant!
The thesis should be precise. Don’t make vague and overly broad claims. And the thesis should be a claim over which there can be reasonable disagreement. E.g. “sexism in philosophy is morally troubling” is too broad a claim and reasonable people are unlikely to disagree (especially since it is tautological).
Please include an introduction, main body and conclusion for your paper. In the introduction you must clearly state your central thesis and provide a statement of your reasons for the thesis. You should also provide the reader with an organizational plan, e.g. “first, I will show…”. The primary purpose of the main body is to supply your argument for the central thesis; in other words, to use a logical argument to show your reader why they should accept your thesis. You could also identify and respond to an objection to/concern with your thesis, particularly if there is an obvious criticism of it. The conclusion should provide a brief summary of what you have argued.
NOTE: if you only use one source it should NOT be the source you used for your expository essay; you may use the source you used for your expository essay but this will not count towards the stipulation in the first sentence of engaging “with at least one of the following primary texts”. Although you should use literature from class to support your view, remember, that your paper should be centered around your argument and it should not simply be a summary or exposition of someone else’s argument. However, you must engage in-depth with the text/s that you choose to write about and show the reader that you have a detailed and sophisticated understanding and assessment of the text or the relevant parts of it.
The paper should be written in such a way that someone who has not taken a course on feminism should be able to understand your thesis and follow your argument. This means that any jargon needs to be defined/explained and so do any important philosophical or feminist concepts that may not be obvious to a general reader or over which there is much philosophical debate, e.g. standpoint theory; intersectionality; narrativity or the imaginary. Furthermore, you should show your mastery of the course material by demonstrating your recognition of important debates and contested concepts in feminism at least as much as they are relevant to your argument and the claims it employs. There is a fine balance here – the word count is very limited so don’t waste time using and explaining concepts/distinctions unless it is necessary to your argument to do so.
Please also ensure that your paper has a descriptive title, citations, and a bibliography, if needed. “Feminism and Philosophy” (etc) is NOT a descriptive enough title. If you are unsure how to cite, you could use the Chicago Style Citation Guide under the “Writing Resources” module of the course). Remember you need citations even if you are only paraphrasing (not just for direct quotes)! You also need citations to refer to empirical studies or claims, and you need citations when referring to other people’s ideas and arguments, even in general. Citations and the reference list do not need to count towards the word limit so if your paper is over the word limit due to the in-text citations, that is not a concern!
