Becoming a Philosopher Project PHIL 1013 1

PHIL 1013

Becoming a Philosopher: Creative Project 2

Due Week 7

Assignment: to become a philosopher by choosing a social, religious, or political issue you care

deeply about. You will connect your issue to a philosopher you learned about this term. You should

explain your position with sound logic and emotional connection. Becoming a Philosopher is 2 of 2

Special Projects for the course.

Points Possible: 150

Objectives:

• To demonstrate knowledge of philosophies and philosophers learned in this class

• To integrate reasonable and varying evidence from experience, knowledge, and course

resources

• To achieve a tone that is both personable and academic

• To follow best-practice guidelines for your chosen medium (MLA format for essays)

Steps:

This project has three steps. See each week’s Moodle section for details.

Step 1/Week 5 (25 pts): Choose topic and related philosopher; explain your philosopher and how the

topic relates to that person’s ideas/writings

Step 2/Week 6 (25 pts) Find one source; submit outline or partial draft

Step 3/Week 7 (100 pts): Turn in competed project

Form of Project:

You have the freedom to use the best medium to communicate your new philosophy. I highly

encourage you to choose a different medium from the first project, but it is not required. You may

choose one of those listed below or get approval for another.

• Use at least two credible sources

• Essay: MLA format 3-5 pages

• Video: 3-5 minutes with a slide/image listing sources in MLA format

• PowerPoint: 10-12 slides with a slide listing sources in MLA format

• Platonic dialogue: 5-7 pages; styled as a conversation (dialogue) between you and your

philosopher-friend

Becoming a Philosopher Project PHIL 1013 2

Topics:

You should pick a topic that you care about but that you can still view logically and critically and not

just emotionally. Choose both a current issue and a philosopher whose writing and ideas can help us

understand the issue. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about your own:

• The Social Contract Theory as it applies to vaccine or mandates with Covid-19

• A theologian or religious philosopher’s views of whether we have an obligation to

participate in social justice movements

Content Requirements:

Whatever form the project takes, you should include:

• an introduction of the topic/issue and its relevance to current times (may use source)

• an introduction of the philosopher you are connecting to this issue

o briefly summarize the philosopher’s ideas (may use source)

o if a philosopher from the distant past, explain whether this particular issue existed when

the philosopher was writing/speaking

• a thesis (claim) that briefly summarizes your view about the issue

• the connection between the issue and the philosopher; apply the philosopher’s views to the

issue to refine your personal theory about the issue

• a personal reflection on how the philosopher and the issue affect you and what you feel your

obligation is (whether to convince others, to take action, or just to learn to tolerate others’

beliefs)

o apply the philosopher’s views to our current society

Becoming a Philosopher Project PHIL 1013 3

PHIL 1013 Becoming a Philosopher Scoring Guide

MLA format (10 points) • MLA format for essays • Best practices format for non-essay projects

/10

Purpose (15 points) • Appropriate for subject, purpose, and audience • Min. of 3 full pages of text for essay; 5 for dialogue • 10-12 slides for PPT • 3-5 min. for video

/15

Sources (15 points) • Reputable sources • Citation of philosopher’s original work • Appropriate inclusion of all • Smooth integration • Works Cited page in MLA format • Use of in-text citations

/15

Composition (15 points) • Grammar and mechanics • Academic style • Unity and coherence • Engaging introduction • Satisfying conclusion • Logical organization

/15

Content (45 points) • Originality/creativity • College-level analysis • Inclusion of all content requirements • More analysis than facts/summary

/45

Total points possible (100)

/100