Signature Assignment

READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR PAPER:

Your paper should be in MLA Format. Since this is a research paper, your quotes, either verbatim (word for word) or paraphrasing, should be properly cited using MLA. You can use either an electronic textbook, journal or academic web sources or hard texts. Regardless, be sure that they are peer reviewed, academic, scholarly sources.

Citations threshold is at 30%. Between 20% to 30% of these citations is acceptable. Beyond 30% will be graded zero.

Your paper should be at least 5 pages. Write a minimum of 5-page, double-spaced, standard font philosophy paper on a specific idea or moral theory by a specific philosopher: psychological egoism, ethical egoism, act or rule utilitarianism, the divine-command theory, ethical subjectivism, cultural relativism, Kant’s categorical imperative, Aquinas’ moral law theory, Aristotle’s virtue ethics, etc. The 5th or last page should be the work cited page.

Your paper should have at least 3 major parts:

Introduction approximately 15% of your paper. This first part introduces your topic a summary of what your paper is all about, and what do you hope to achieve.

Body the main part of your paper, approximately 70%. The main arguments are presented, analyzed or elaborated.

Conclusion approximately 15%. This part is your reaction, criticism or realization after all the main premises and detailed ideas are presented. Write a brief essay that reflects on the process of writing itself. This is the metacognitive process on your part that includes questions like: how did this paper change the way you view the philosopher or idea? In what sense that the philosophical idea (or moral theory) itself is relevant to your personal or social views? Does it have an impact or relevance to you personally or in a social level? In what sense?

You will be graded on clarity of thought and the ability to illustrate an understanding of the topics and themes. A crucial element of this understanding will be the appropriate use of textual support. That is, the use of quotations from the primary texts, and the ability to assimilate that information in your own words, with your own examples.