English/Philosophy 1218

Fall 2004

·        Assignment genres: Philosophical Analysis and Making Connections

·        Audience: Generally educated voters

·        Purpose: To write clearly and effectively in relation to a topic suggested below

·        Format: Essay

·        Length: roughly 5 pages / 1250 words

·        Special instructions: For both your primary sources and any secondary sources used, your essay should include an MLA-formatted citation for material(s) used. Be sure to avoid plagiarism like the plague!

Write an essay of five pages or so drawn from the rather broad prompt below. Introduce the topic in some interesting way, present your central idea clearly, and explore your chosen topic fully and rationally. Keep in mind that faith-based arguments are more or less indefensible in any context demanding the concrete and logical. My guess is that you're really going to have to put a good deal of upfront thought into this assignment, but once you strike your idea, the essay should run pretty smoothly.

In our readings from 30 September (Plato and Aristotle) through the week of 11 October (Christianity and Islam), we've been given a great deal to think about in relation to the nature, meaning, and value of wisdom, virtue, art and reason, freedom (including spiritual freedom), power, law, philosophy, obedience/submission, action, teaching, knowledge, the strength of the individual, the internalization of life and truth, and so on. The texts in which these ideas and issues are examined for us are hundreds, even thousands of years old.

If these ideas and issues transcend time, geography, sociopolitical structures and cultures, do they exist for us exactly as they existed for Socrates, Confucius, Jesus and others? Or in transcending do they also change?

Now turn your mind to the elections coming up in these United States on 2 November. Choose one idea or issue (or a couple you see as related), and write an essay in which you explore your chosen idea(s) and issue(s) in relation to some aspect of the political climate of this October 2004—its issues, promises, candidates, and the like.

Schedule

Bring a draft of your essay to class on Thursday, 28 October

Turn in your final draft at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 2 November