The purpose of the personal reflection paper is for you to reflect on one of the key ideas, issues, or
passages we have covered in our readings. To do this, you will need to explain clearly the idea, issue, or
the meaning of the passage first. Then, you should reflect and comment. Your reflection and comment
might take the form of any one of the following:
a. Discussion of one key strength and one key weakness of the concept. Explaining why you
think the strength outweighs the weakness or vice versa is a plus.
b. Whether the passage or idea has ongoing significance for you personally OR people today and
why.
c. The relevance or usefulness of the idea or passage to people in the profession you plan to enter
d. How someone might apply or adapt the idea or passage to a situation faced in his or her own
life
e. Discussing an implication of the idea or argument if adopted.
f. Pointing out questions that a passage raises, but does not address.
g. Pointing out a key underlying assumption
If you have an idea for a different sort of reflection than these examples, run it by the instructor or your
T.A.
EXAMPLES OF KEY IDEAS, CONCEPTS, ISSUES, PASSAGES FOR REFLECTION
FOR PAPER ONE
The idea one must consider levels of decision making (individual, organizational, and societal) in facing
moral dilemmas in business (Boatright and Smith, pages 6-7). Perhaps consider the example of the beer
marketer to illustrate.
The distinction between describing what people do (descriptive) and what they ought to do (normative)
discussed by Boatright and Smith on p. 8.
An issue or concept arising in any of the case examples Boatright and Smith discuss in Chapter One. For
example, Merck and Vioxx, the Sales Rep, the Marketing Director, the Research Director, Home Depot,
etc.
Aristotle’s contention that “Every art and every kind of inquiry, and likewise every act and purpose,
seems to aim at some good: and so it has been well said that the good is that at which everything aims.”
(Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. F.H. Peters. Bk 1. Section 1).
Aristotle’s claim that there is a distinctive human function and this is to reason (Nicomachean Ethics. Bk
1. Section 7)
Aristotle’s claim that the summum bonum or highest realizable good is happiness or flourishing by living
an active life of reasoning well (exercising the unique human function well) producing good deeds and
good thoughts for a full term of years. (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. Bk. 1. Especially Sections 7, 10).
Aristotle’s concept of a virtue as a trained habit or faculty, that is, that people acquire virtues through
practice and make them part of who they are.
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Aristotle’s idea of a moral virtue as a mean between extremes of excess and defect.
Aristotle’s criteria for someone to act virtuously in Nicomachean Ethics. (Trans. F. H. Peters) Bk. 2.
Section 4:
. . . in the case of the virtues, a man is not said to act justly or temperately [or like a just or
temperate man] if what he does merely be of a certain sort—he must also be in a certain state of
mind when he does it; i.e., first of all, he must know what he is doing; secondly, he must choose
it, and choose it for itself; and, thirdly, his act must be the expression of a formed and stable
character.
Augustine’s argument that the summum bonum or highest realizable good is a life lived in harmony and
the perfect love relationship with God in the heavenly city.
Augustine’s discussion of rightly ordered love in City of God (trans. M. Dods) Book 14. Chapter 7 where
he writes,
The right will is, therefore, well-directed love, and the wrong will is ill-directed love. Love, then,
yearning to have what is loved, is desire; and having and enjoying it, is joy; fleeing what is
opposed to it, it is fear; and feeling what is opposed to it, when it has befallen it, it is sadness.
Now these motions are evil if the love is evil; good if the love is good.
Augustine’s redefinition of the key moral virtues of fortitude (courage), temperance, prudence, and justice
as four forms of love.
Pincoff’s idea that moral virtues help us to deal with the kinds of situations we encounter in life and the
kinds of persons we want to associate with and the kinds of persons we want to be (Velasquez, 130-131)
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Your essay should be word-processed, double-spaced, one-inch to one and one-half inch margins. It
should be grammar and spell-checked. Pages Numbered. Font no smaller than 12 point. Correct
spelling, grammar, and style are required.
2. Your entire paper file should start with your check sheet. Your reflection paper should follow.
3. You should upload your file to Blackboard Learn. Your file must be in MS Word doc or docx, rtf,
or pdf file formats. Your TA cannot read googledocs, etc. Please label it with your name, section, and
assignment. For example, smithphil208-01personalreflectionone.
5. The body of your paper should be approximately 350-400 words, not counting the Works Consulted/
Reference/Bibliography list or the check sheet.
6. You must include a Works Consulted/Reference/Bibliography list. It does not have to appear on a
separate page. You need not consult any other sources than what we have read for class. Those sources
and any other sources you consult must be included in your Works Consulted/Reference List and cited intext
where this is required. CAREFUL AND CORRECT CITATION IS REQUIRED. WHEN IN
DOUBT, CITE. Remember that simply paraphrasing or changing every third word is not OK. Quote and
cite or radically summarize and cite. Use quotation marks when quoting or indent if quote is five lines or
longer. Guessing at where your information comes from is not OK. Use page numbers or in the case of
classical authors cite by Book and Section or Chapter in your in-text citations. Book or journal titles
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are italicized. If you have questions Turabian 7th ed., Chicago Manual of Style, and current MLA are the
preferred citation formats. I will assume that you have consulted and understood K. Turabian et al,
Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations 7th edition, the Chicago Manual of Style
15th edition, or the current MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers on these issues.
7. Your reflection should begin with an “Executive Summary.” You can use first or third person. Here
are some examples:
In this paper, I first outline Aristotle’s idea that a moral virtue is a habit or trained faculty that
becomes part of who a person is through practice. Then I argue that Aristotle’s advice about how
to acquire a virtue such as temperance still applies today because . . . .
This paper first outlines Aristotle’s idea that a moral virtue is a habit or trained faculty that
becomes part of who a person is through practice. It then argues that Aristotle’s advice about
how to acquire a virtue such as temperance still applies today because . . . .
8. A STANDARD OUTLINE is as follows. Use these labels as headings.
I. Check Sheet
II. Personal Reflection Paper
A. Executive Summary
B. Concept, Passage, or Issue Explanation
C. Reflection
D. Bibliography/Works Consulted
GRADING – 40 points
Your T.A. will be looking for the following:
a. The degree to which you have explained clearly and adequately the key idea, concept, issue, or
passage chosen.
b. The degree to which you show evidence of having considered thoughtfully the idea or passage
as a basis for your reflection.
c. The degree to which your reflection includes cogent reasons for your views and provides
examples to illustrate where relevant. [Cogent means valid and convincing.]
d. Correct grammar, style, spelling, structure, and citation.
e. Well-crafted executive summary
f. Check Sheet at beginning of file.
CHECK SHEET BELOW
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CHECK SHEET FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION PAPER
CHECK SHEET FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION PAPER ONE
NAME:
PHIL 208-SECTION:
DATE:
Please type an “x” in the boxes to the left of tasks you completed.
I ran the paper through a grammar, style, and spell checker and made corrections as
needed.
I began the paper with an “Executive Summary.”
I identified and clearly explained the idea, concept, or passage considered.
I provided a thoughtful reflection on the idea, concept, or passage, offering cogent
(logical, convincing, and relevant) reasons for my views.
I included a Bibliography/List of Works Consulted and cited in-text if citation was required
or or via endnote/footnote style as in Turabian or CMS
