Phil 2306 Writing Assignment 5 - Term Paper (10%):

Due on Monday 11/28 before 11:59 PM.

Accompanying this assignment document are four cases involving questions of free speech and
censorship [See the attached document “Writing Assignment #5 - The Four Cases - Term Paper
Supporting Document” for details on each of the four cases]. Each student should have selected
one of these cases as the focus of their discussion for this assignment when completing Writing
Assignment #1 and developed their work on what is essentially multiple drafts of this paper
throughout the course during the completion of Writing Assignments #2, #3, and #4.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide each student an opportunity to demonstrate the
development of their philosophical writing abilities over the course of the semester through the
completion of a polished, finalized version of their term paper project. Students should utilize
the feedback they have received from the instructor and their peers throughout the semester to
complete this assignment properly. Students are also encouraged to meet with the instructor to
receive additional feedback as needed on this final version of their term paper.

As the culmination of the writing assignments in this course, this assignment is expected to reflect
a clear discussion of a properly formulated thesis of the student’s design in response to the
chosen case and the issues raised by that case concerning questions of free speech and
censorship. Some general questions to consider as part of your analysis include:
• Is the action taken by one (or possibly more) of the individuals in the case moral or
immoral? Who are they? Why is what they did moral/immoral?
• What ought to be done concerning the problems raised by the chosen case (or others like
it)? Most importantly, why is that the correct course of action?
Each case also contains questions that are focused upon the specific content of the case which
students should also use to guide their thesis creation and analysis in their paper.

Adequate discussion and defense one’s chosen thesis will require utilizing various theories and
principles drawn from the course material, recognize plausible polemical objections to the
arguments raised in support of the chosen thesis, and responding to those objections
appropriately in a proper philosophical manner. It will be important to recognize different
interpretations of theories where different interpretations will impact the acceptability of your
argument(s). Students should utilize relevant principles, arguments, and analogies discussed
during the course wherever appropriate.

Use the attached rubric (included at the end of this document) to help you in understanding the
requirements for this assignment. The instructor also expects you to view the posted
instructional video [available via Blackboard] discussing this assignment in detail.
 • Papers MUST be typed and double spaced in 10 – 12-point Calibri or Arial font with 1-inch
justified margins. [If you do not know what this last element is, ask!]
• To receive any credit for the assignment a student’s submission must be at least 1500
words in length. This is a firm minimum limit. Do not be surprised if you submit a
document that is only 1499 words and receive a ‘0’ for your submission. This word count
only includes the body of the submission (the actual discussion of the material). It does
not include extraneous material such as identifying information at the outset of the paper
(your name, my name, the class, paper title, etc.) and it does not include footnote
citations or other reference materials. Nor will it include irrelevant material clearly placed
within the body of the paper to inflate the word count.
• Students should strive to submit a paper that is no less than 3000 words in length.
• Students should seek to use any available material from the course, be it readings, lecture
material, discussions in class, etc.
• When utilizing such material in his/her term paper, each student should reference the
material via footnote (NOT in text citation or endnote) in a way that makes clear where
the material originated.
o Instructions on how to properly cite material and use footnotes is available via the
course Blackboard page.
o If you are not familiar with the proper way to utilize footnotes, come to office
hours for individual instruction. Note that a “footer” is NOT the same as footnotes.
These are different features and have different names for a reason. If you do not
understand, come to office hours and ask!

Students will be evaluated on the clarity of their argumentation and their ability to clearly present
a critical argument in support of their chosen positions. As this is a Philosophy paper (and not an
English paper) the emphasis will be on argumentation and clarity of argument (rather than
imagery). Spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes that detract from the clarity (or readability)
of a student’s paper will be penalized. Students are encouraged to meet with the instructor to
discuss writing style as well as content and to make use of any available resource to assist with
the writing of his/her paper.

This assignment must be submitted via TurnItIn on the SHSU Blackboard course site by the time
specified above on the date due. Students are responsible for ensuring that their submission is
compatible with the software utilized by Blackboard and that it is properly submitted. Be sure to
“confirm” your submission to TurnItIn by clicking the corresponding “submit/confirm” button
when required. Failure to do so will result in a failure to submit the assignment (and the
corresponding penalty for failing to submit your assignment on time). Students using apple
products or other “non-PC” software/products are advised to submit their material as .pdf
universally readable files to ensure that their submission is not penalized for lateness (an
unreadable file means the assignment has not been submitted).
The following rubric will be used to evaluate each student’s submission for this assignment:

Paper Introduction & Case Presentation 7

Thesis statement, clearly and readily identifiable 1

Thesis position (the conclusion/goal of the paper) clearly stated and readily identifiable 1

A clear statement of the conflict/issue that motivates the thesis 2

Reader can clearly and readily identify the relevant case that is the basis of the paper 1

You accurately describe the relevant aspects of the case for the reader 2

Clarity and Depth: Exposition of the Arguments/Conflicts under discussion 13

Competency of the texts and the nature of the philosophical problem demonstrated using
appropriate references (original case, relevant source material, textbook, etc.) 5

Efficiency (Demonstrated ability to present the relevant information accurately & completely,
w/o overly long quotes or attempting to summarize every paragraph from the source) 3

Are the essential elements of the philosophical problem clearly addressed? 3

Are the finer elements of the philosophical problem clearly addressed? 2

Treatment of Plausible Objections and Defense of Thesis 16

Clear statement of objection(s) to thesis and why objection(s) is(are) problematic 8

• More credit earned for recognizing more effective objections
• More credit earned for recognizing greater number of objections

Effective discussion/response to each objection 8

Each combination of an objection and a response (or set of responses to a single objection)
should include the following elements:

• Clear identification of the objection to the argument and the theory/principle to be used
in the objection to the argument

• Accurate representation of the theory/principle being used as the basis for the objection
to the argument
 • Clear, careful reflection of how the objection is a problem for the argument

• Clear identification of the response to the objection and consistent use of the same
theory/principle to be used in the response to the objection

• Accurate representation of the theory/principle being used as the basis for the response
to the objection (which may reflect a shift in interpretation/focus of the principle)

• Clear, careful reflection of how the response is an appropriate response to the problem
created by the objection

Philosophical Consideration/Effort 8

Paper reflects a careful consideration of the topic 4

Evidence of independent thought by author (not merely regurgitation of lecture) 2

Paper analyzes the positions, is not merely a summary of the positions 2

Writing (Spelling, Grammar, Usage, Punctuation, Flow) 10

Paper is clear, well written, easy to read 2

Paper presented as a single coherent argument 1

Paper is coherently structured; arguments are connected clearly/effectively 2

Paper properly referenced using footnotes (NOT endnotes or in-text citations) 2

Paper properly formatted [font size/type, margins, quotations if used, etc.] 2

Irrelevant material [“fluff”] omitted from paper 1

Total Possible Points 54