Purpose: Demonstrate your ability to consider, develop or analyze, and support a Philosophical argument by composing a credible piece of academic writing.
Goals: Reflect on what you’ve learned, struggle through the process of relaying that to others via writing, create tangible ‘proof’ of the knowledge you’ve gained, feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Format: MLA or APA format, saved as .doc, .docx, .odt, or .rtf file extensions only.
Requirements: Use a MINIMUM of five (5) academic or scholarly sources (no wiki sources, encyclopedias, youtube videos, about.com, blogs or other similar internet sources) and include a Works Cited page. The paper should contain 1,000 – 1,250 words total. Excluding the Works Cited page, no more than 25% of your paper should be cited or direct quotes. This paper is to represent YOUR thinking; sources merely help give credibility to your thinking. Make sure you carefully tie your sources into your thought process so that the flow of the paper is smooth and easy to follow.
Point value:
Completed term paper: 100 points
Deadlines: Completed term paper due (between 1,100-1,250 words): Sunday, July 19
Topic: What is Your Worldview?
A one page outline from which the paper was developed MUST accompany this paper, and is not considered part of the total word requirement. A Works Cited page is also required. Good writing constitutes 20% of the paper’s grade. The paper MUST be submitted in the Desire2Learn Dropbox. Plagiarism results in an instantaneous zero for the assignment and deep suspicion about your character.
A well-written worldview paper will address these basic questions and express one’s philosophical position in such a way as to demonstrate that the student comprehends at least four of these significant issues. You MUST address “a” and “f” in your paper.
- Epistemology – Where did the knowledge of what I base my worldview on come from?
- Metaphysics – How does my worldview shape or impact the meaning of my life, or vice-versa?
- Religion – Where does God fit in my worldview, or does he?
- Ethics – How are my ethics (morals) shaped by the worldview I hold?
- What are the greatest influencers that have shaped my worldview?
- What role do these philosophical concepts play in your personal worldview?
- As a conclusion, how has this class impacted your own personal worldview?
How will I be evaluated?
The main thing I will look for is how well you achieve the purpose and goals of this assignment. The strength of your argument will reflect in your grade. You should spend some time thinking about your argument and trying to make it as strong as possible. You will be evaluated on the thoughtfulness of your objections as well as the success of your responses to those. The originality of your work will reflect in your grade; this should be your argument as much as possible. Unlike the discussion boards, grammar, structure, and spelling will be taken in part into consideration. Lastly, meeting the general requirements, structural details, and deadlines outlined in this assignment sheet will contribute to your grade.
