PHIL 201 Due: I will not accept papers later than Friday

PHIL 201
Due: I will not accept papers later than Friday, December 16 (at the Final)
(You are free to hand the paper in on Wednesday, December 7 in order to get it back at the Final.)
I. Assignment:
Based on Aristotle’s description of the kinds of character, evaluate your own character while doing an act of service. After describing the act of service and assessing your character, include whether you were able to form one of the three kinds of friendship that Aristotle discusses. This act of service may be something that you do voluntarily or it may have been something you were compelled to do in order to fulfill a requirement for school, church or community.
II. Format
1. No less than 1 complete page. (To count as 1 complete page, the paper must begin at the top of the page and fulfill points 2-7 directly below.)
2. Double-spaced NO EXTRA SPACING BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS (See “Tips” #10)
3. 12 point font, Times New Roman
4. One inch margins on top, bottom, right, left
5. Separate cover page with Your name, Class, Date, Semester, Teacher’s name
-DO NOT put any of this cover page information at the top of the 1st page of your paper.
-DO NOT put your name anywhere except on the cover page
6. The cover page is stapled to the paper. (No annotations for this paper)
7. Citations: See the examples directly below on citing.
Examples of citations: You will be expected to cite when you quote.
*Note: For these citations there are no chapter or page numbers included. We will only use the line numbers on the side of each page. Notice where the period goes. Notice where the quotation marks go. Notice that we italicize NE (for Nicomachean Ethics). The side numbering in the book is not exact, so you will need to approximate the line numbers.
(1) Before beginning his discussion on the different types of character, Aristotle states that “we must make a fresh start” (NE, 1145a).
(2) The contrary character to “brutishness” is what Aristotle calls “superhuman virtue” (NE, 1145a20-25).
A minimum of six relevant quotations from the Aristotle text is expected in the body of your paper – at least one quote for each character described. When describing Aristotle’s views, base what you say on the text by quoting. This is a VERY IMPORTANT part of the paper because these quotations are the basis for your description of the types of characters. NO quotes or citations should be included from other sources besides the Nicomachean Ethics. Fewer than 6 cited quotations will get you no more than a C+ on the paper.
III. Layout of the Paper Assignment:
A. Introduction: Lay out the task of the paper. State, for instance, that you will relate Aristotle’s notion of character to yourself as you did your service.
B. Body of the Paper:
1. Using the Aristotle text (Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII), describe and compare only the virtuous, continent, incontinent, and vicious characters.
*Do not copy the phrasing from the Blackboard notes when describing the characters. Use our own words.
2. Describe the act of service you performed.
3. Explain which one of Aristotle’s characters most accurately represented your own (1) thoughts, (2) appetites, and (3) actions while doing the service project or charitable deed.
4. Describe the type of friendship you were able to establish either with those you helped or with those you worked (from NE, Books 8-9). It will not be necessary to describe all three friendships, just the one you think is most relevant. If no friendship is formed, then explain why this is the case.
C. Conclusion.
Other expectations for this written assignment:
(1) Formatting: All written assignments must be typed, 12 point font (Times New Roman), double spaced,
and have 1” margins. Bring a printed copy to class. Incorrect formatting penalizes your paper 10
points (out of a total of 100 points).
(2) The assignment must be stapled. All written assignments will be penalized 5 points if not stapled.
(3) Cover page: In order to ensure that I am not influenced by knowing who wrote the assignment, make a
cover page with your name, title, class, and instructor’s name. This way I can flip everyone’s cover
pages over before reading any of them. Papers will be penalized 5 points if your name or cover page
information appears anywhere in the paper but the cover page.
(4) Assignments are due by the beginning of class. Papers or assignments are penalized 7 points for
each class period they are late, so make plans to turn in your papers even if you are unable to attend
the class. See the syllabus for more information on this issue.
(5) Back-up your work on thumbdrive or disk, and be prepared for printer problems. Your computer crises
will not count as an excuse for the paper being late.
(6) Papers will be marked down for grammatical and spelling errors. Please carefully check for spelling
and grammar errors, since even the best ideas suffer if expressed poorly. If necessary, ask someone to
proofread your paper. See the “Tips” section of this assignment. Always take advantage of the writing
center on campus. Any paper containing numerous grammar and spelling errors will not earn
higher than a C+.
(7) Re-writes on graded material will not be accepted, although I will happily discuss your paper with you
before it is due—or, of course, after it has been returned to you.
Tips to improve your writing (and get a better grade)
(1) Avoid contractions in scholarly writing, but do show possession!
Avoid: don’t, can’t, wasn’t, you’re
Correct: do not, cannot, was not, you are
Correct: the person’s car, Aristotle’s ethics, one’s soul [these show possession]
(2) When to italicize: Italicize titles of major works (e.g., title of a book), but put
“quotes” around short essays, chapter titles, or excerpts from a book:
Correct: Plato’s Apology OR the “Allegory of the Cave” from Plato’s Republic
Also correct: “The Madman” from Nietzsche’s The Joyful Wisdom
Incorrect: “Republic,” Allegory of the Cave, “Apology”
(3) Do not mix singular and plural pronouns.
Incorrect: When a person says that they like someone, they should mean it.
Incorrect: When one examines the state of their soul, one might not like what they find.
Correct: When one examines the state of one’s soul, one might not like what one finds.
(4) Use of he or she. I do not care whether you use “he” or “she” when referring to the third person. You
can even say “he or she”; however, this latter style can become cumbersome and interfere with the flow of
the paper. I recommend choosing either “he” or “she” and stick with it throughout the paper.
Yes: When a person says that he likes someone, he should mean it.
Yes: When a person says that she likes someone, she should mean it.
Tolerable: When a person says that he or she likes someone, he or she should mean it.
Incorrect: When a person says that they like someone, they should mean it.
No!: When a person says that he/she likes someone, he/she should mean it. [No! also for s/he]
(5) Clear transitions: Have clear transitions when moving to a new section of the paper:
Furthermore. . . .
In addition. . . .
Contrary to this view. . . .
Someone might object to my position by stating that. . . .
The first point is. . . . The second point
Now that we have established such-and-such, we now proceed to. . . .
Finally. . . .
In conclusion. . . .
(6) Capitalization: Only capitalize proper nouns, names, or titles – not philosophical terms (Exception:
Always quote the author exactly, even if the author capitalizes words we normally would not):
Correct (Proper nouns, names, titles): Aristotle, Socrates, Nicomachean Ethics, God
Correct: philosophy, justice, epistemology, ethics, truth, the Greek gods,
Incorrect: Philosophy, Justice, Epistemology, Ethics, Truth,
(7) Slang: Avoid slang in scholarly writing.
Writing a college paper is serious, scholarly work. If you were to attend a special occasion, you do not wear a t-shirt and sneakers. You naturally dress, act, and speak with a degree of refinement. Likewise, one does not use slang when writing a college paper. Even if you do not think of yourself as a scholar, act the part.
(8) Avoid using “ / ”. Choose your words deliberately and carefully. When there are two words or concepts that you want to convey, state them separately. If you think that you are not sure which word to use, then make a decision! Using “ / ” leaves things indecisive, vague and looks intellectually flabby/lazy. ( See what I mean).
No: Aristotle was an ancient Greek who was a great philosopher/writer.
Yes: Aristotle was an ancient Greek who was a great philosopher and writer.
Also avoid: s/he, he/she, she/he
Also avoid: and/or
(9) Do not begin declarative sentences with the following words. Beginning a sentence with these words usually ends up making it an incomplete sentence.
Which (OK, if it is beginning a question)
Meaning
(10) How to get rid of extra spacing between paragraphs. As you sit looking at your blank Word document: (1) Click on “Page Layout,” (2) Within “Page Layout,” look at the section called “Spacing.” Underneath “Spacing,” it says “Before” and “After” with numbers and arrows to their right. (3) Click on the arrows so that the number next to both “Before” and “After” says “0 pt.” That’s it.
(11) Numbers. Write out numerical values when referring to quantity, but use numerals when referring to years and dates.
OK: 1987 the four idols of the mind a two-ton vehicle September 27th
NOT OK: nineteen eighty seven the 4 idols of the mind a 2 ton vehicle September twenty-seventh
(12) Block quoting: For such a short paper, avoid quoting really long passages. Quote shorter passages, analyze them, and show how they contribute to the overall meaning of the text. If you see the necessity to quote a passage that will take up three full lines or more in your paper, be sure to block quote.
Example of how to block quote:
According to David Hume, familial society is tenuous at this early stage due to its members’ conflicting short-term self-interests and violent passions. Peoples’ unreflective preference for their immediate interests poses the biggest impediment to social stability:
There is no quality in human nature, which causes more fatal errors in our conduct, than that which leads us to prefer whatever is present to the distant and remote, and makes us desire objects more according to their situation than their intrinsic value (Treatise, Bk. 3, 221).
The first rudiments of justice therefore emerge with parents striving to remedy the violent passions triggered in their children (and themselves) by their immediate interests.
*Things to notice about the block quotation above:
Whereas the body of the paper is double-spaced, (1) the block quote is single-spaced and each line of it is indented like you would for a paragraph, (2) no quotation marks are used because the quote is demarcated by being indented and single-spaced, (3) the citation and period can go at the end of the quote as usual. No need to footnote for this paper.