15 Aug Ethics Paper Assignment
Topic: Pick an ethical theory we have looked at during the semester (i.e. Eudaimonistic Virtue Ethics, Psychologism, Moral Rationalism, Utilitarianism, etc.), and then select an important ethical issue (i.e. euthanasia, abortion, cloning, legalization of drugs, etc.). After you have selected these two things you should write a paper which first, explains both the ethical theory and ethical issue you picked, and then secondly argues for how you think this particular theory would view the particular ethical issue you selected and why. The assignment is, thus, an exercise in Applied Ethics.
Once the student has selected the topics he or she wishes to write about, he or she should then write the 1200+ word essay in the standard kind of format used for academic argumentative papers. With regards to format, there should be an introduction where the writer clearly states what he or she will be discussing and what kind of thesis he or she will be arguing for ultimately. This section should be followed by the body of the paper which first explains and details both the issue/theory chosen and then second presents the main argument of the paper (i.e. where does the Normative Force come from according to that theory), and then finally there should be a conclusion where the writer recaps the paper and makes clear what the reader should be taking away from the paper and why. As far as requirements about style and format go the student should be sure to do the following:
1. Follow the overall format described above: Introduction w/ the Thesis Statement, Body (first the explanation of the ethical theory and the ethical issue, and second your argument about why the ethical theory would view the issue as you claim), and a Conclusion.
2. The paper should be at least 1200 words long; the font size, margin size, and font type should be size 12 Times New Roman and double-spaced with default page margins.
3. The student should be using, at a bare minimum, two sources: the text where the information about the ethical theory is drawn, and the text where the information about the ethical issue is drawn. For example, if the student selects Mill’s Utilitarianism and euthanasia then the student would need to at least use Mill’s book Utilitarianism and some second source from which he or she can draw information on euthanasia in general, perhaps an encyclopedia entry. What is important to remember here is that, although the student is free to use whichever citation methodology he or she wishes, THE STUDENT MUST USE SOME APPROVED CITATION METHODOLOGY! Examples of approved citation methodologies are MLA style, APA style, Chicago style, etc. Regardless of which style the student chooses to use, any style will require a Works Cited page at the end of the paper. It is of VITAL importance that a student remembers to cite all quotations and references which are pulled from another source–it is plagiarism to do otherwise as you are implying it is your own work.
4. The student should also be aware that it is current academic practice not to privilege masculine pronouns at all times unless it is needed. There are several ways one can go about making sure pronoun use is diverse: one can write "he/she," one can write "he or she," or what is probably the most preferred method, one can pick one of the two genders when one needs to use a generic pronoun and consistently use that one pronoun for as long as he or she is talking about the same hypothetical individual and then next time the writer needs another distinct generic pronoun to use the other one. So the first time one might use "he," and the following occasion use "she," just make sure you don’t use both pronouns when you are talking about the same individual as that will be confusing.
5. Although bad grammar will not cause a paper to fail, the student should be aware that the ability to write academic papers in a clear, concise, and grammatically correct fashion is key to successfully writing an argumentative paper (or any other academic paper for that matter). Thus, the student should keep in mind certain general rules of thumb with regard to English grammar: try not to split infinitives, don’t have dangling participles, don’t use double negatives, etc. Bad grammar by itself is not enough to cause a paper to fail, but a copious amount of grammatical mistakes can make a paper go from say an "A-" to a "B+."
6. When it comes to deciding whether or not one needs to cite a reputable reference in order to assert a fact one should use the rule of thumb that if the fact is an uncontroversial one that no one will argue with, just assert it outright. For example, "Patients diagnosed with cancer often experience large amounts of pain." The assertion of such a fact would require no reference source or cited quotation, because no one–in his or her right mind–would argue with someone about this fact. However, if the fact in question is either something that is largely unknown or perhaps very controversial then it’s appropriate to cite the reference source from which this information is taken. For example, "In North America in the 21st Century roughly 12% of pregnancies end in abortion (Jones 68)." That’s not a quotation, but a reference, it lets the reader know where you pulled that information from. Of course, you could also quote the text directly in order to state the fact. Either way in the Works Cited page at the end of the document you would list the Jones work and its relevant bibliographic information such that someone could find that text and check that fact out for himself or herself.
7. If the student has any questions or concerns about the paper feel free to ask the instructor, that is what the instructor is there for. When in doubt it is far better to double-check on something and be safe, rather than being sorry because you weren’t sure if quoting a translation without citing the translator counted as plagiarism or not (it does by the way), or something like that.
