· Final Paper Assignment Detailed Guidelines Write a Position Paper  For your Final Paper assignment, you will be writing a "position paper" (word count of 1800-2300 words): this is a research paper in which you will address a particular issue introduced in the topic of the paper (see below for the list of topic choices). It should be written in a formal style, in the third-person voice, and it will present your original, considered solution or unique approach to solving the problem or settling the issue in question. It will be your opinion, but the main point of writing a position paper is to let others know not just your opinion or point of view on an issue, but also to know the reasons why you hold this point of view. The presentation of your "reasons why," in other words, the sum of evidence you find to support your position, plus a statement of the position itself, comprises what philosophers call an "argument." This kind of paper is also known as an "argumentative essay." A philosophical argument is simply giving reasons (the premises of the argument) for why a particular claim (the conclusion of the argument) should be taken as true. The introductory paragraph should present the issue in question and include a clear and precise statement of your thesis, which is your position on the issue. Another essential element of the position paper or argumentative essay is a consideration of at least one alternative position on the same issue, and this is typically an opposing view. So in this paper, you will assert and defend your own position, and you will also consider an opposing or alternative position on the issue and the argument(s) in support of that view. Finally, you will show why you reject that opposing or alternative position and instead hold the one you do. There are several different ways of organizing the paper, but, after you have stated your thesis in the introduction, often the opposing viewed is fairly presented first, then your understanding of the issue follows, with your position then asserted and shown to be superior to the opposing view. This can be done in "block" or "point-by-point" fashion: use the organization style that best suits your purposes. Your conclusion will re-state your "expanded" thesis, setting it back into its more general framework with a look forward toward related concerns. Your conclusion should be brief, but it should leave the reader with the belief that your position satisfactorily settles the issue, solves the problem, and leads to a better state of affairs. You may also want to use descriptive headings for each of the major sections of the paper. But don't use the section heading, "Introduction" above your introductory paragraph: the title of your paper serves that purpose. And for the conclusion, don't just use the word, "Conclusion" by itself: it should be "Conclusion: ......" where the "....." describes or gives a snapshot of your final position. Note that this is quite different from an in.

1. · Final Paper Assignment
Detailed Guidelines
Write a Position Paper
For your Final Paper assignment, you will be writing a "position
paper" (word count of 1800-2300 words): this is a research
paper in which you will address a particular issue introduced in
the topic of the paper (see below for the list of topic choices). It
should be written in a formal style, in the third-person voice,
and it will present your original, considered solution or unique
approach to solving the problem or settling the issue in
question. It will be your opinion, but the main point of writing a
position paper is to let others know not just your opinion or
point of view on an issue, but also to know the reasons why you
hold this point of view. The presentation of your "reasons why,"
in other words, the sum of evidence you find to support your
position, plus a statement of the position itself, comprises what
philosophers call an "argument." This kind of paper is also
known as an "argumentative essay." A philosophical argument
is simply giving reasons (the premises of the argument) for why
a particular claim (the conclusion of the argument) should be
taken as true.
The introductory paragraph should present the issue in question
and include a clear and precise statement of your thesis, which
is your position on the issue. Another essential element of the
position paper or argumentative essay is a consideration of at
least one alternative position on the same issue, and this is
typically an opposing view. So in this paper, you will assert and
defend your own position, and you will also consider an
opposing or alternative position on the issue and the
argument(s) in support of that view. Finally, you will show why
you reject that opposing or alternative position and instead hold
the one you do. There are several different ways of organizing

2. the paper, but, after you have stated your thesis in the
introduction, often the opposing viewed is fairly presented first,
then your understanding of the issue follows, with your position
then asserted and shown to be superior to the opposing view.
This can be done in "block" or "point-by-point" fashion: use the
organization style that best suits your purposes. Your
conclusion will re-state your "expanded" thesis, setting it back
into its more general framework with a look forward toward
related concerns. Your conclusion should be brief, but it should
leave the reader with the belief that your position satisfactorily
settles the issue, solves the problem, and leads to a better state
of affairs. You may also want to use descriptive headings for
each of the major sections of the paper. But don't use the
section heading, "Introduction" above your introductory
paragraph: the title of your paper serves that purpose. And for
the conclusion, don't just use the word, "Conclusion" by itself:
it should be "Conclusion: ......" where the "....." describes or
gives a snapshot of your final position.
Note that this is quite different from an informational report or
even a commentary on a subject. You will be writing about at
least two sides of an issue (usually the "pro" and the "con"
positions), developing supporting evidence for both sides,
analyzing, evaluating, and refuting competing arguments, and
showing and explaining why your argument and the conclusion
it supports (your thesis) is superior. For an excellent and
detailed explanation (with illustrative examples) of how to write
a position paper or argumentative essay (the document uses the
term "argument essay"), please read the following
document: Position Papers
(accessed
on http://www.pearsonhighered.com/showcase/johnson-
sheehan/assets/ch11.pdf). It tells you everything you need to
know, and if you follow the instructions here to the letter, you
are sure to get a high mark on the paper, and you will have
gained valuable knowledge about to construct an important and
respected style of academic essay.

3. Capturing Course Learning Outcomes
Try to incorporate relevant concepts and related issues
discussed in the course into your discussion, keeping in mind
the overall Course Learning Outcomes with which we began.
The paper should demonstrate your learning of as many of these
outcomes as possible. You should be thinking about the
philosophical underpinnings of ethical inquiry itself as well as
history of ideas, cultural practices, and ethical theories related
to the issue in question and how they have evolved or been
revised in contemporary philosophical thought. Your paper
should bring in critical discussion of fundamental principles and
central proponents of major ethical theories that shed light on
your topic, and in so doing, you might also be able to reflect on
how such theoretical analyses and philosophically motivated
explorations into morally significant issues apply to your own
experience or to the meaning or purpose of human life in
general.
Just to refresh your memory, here, once again, are the Course
Learning Outcomes for PHL 337:
I. Identify, understand, and articulate important differences in
diverse ethical systems.
II. Demonstrate an understanding of philosophical methods for
critical self-examination.
III. Identify and explain the main tenets of deontological ethical
theories, teleological ethical theories, Divine Command ethical
theories, situational ethics, and Natural Law ethical theories;
demonstrate familiarity with the concepts of altruism, nihilism,
egoism, hedonism, asceticism, and utilitarianism.
IV. Analyze and evaluate typical moral decision-making
procedures and value judgments based on an understanding of
the ethical system or theory from which such values and
judgments are determined.
V. Clearly articulate how different ethical systems compare and
contrast with the student's own ethical perspective and
particular ethical beliefs.

4. Organization and Formatting
It is important for you to state your thesis, which, again, is your
position on the issue in question, clearly and unequivocally at
the beginning of the paper. Note that you may adopt some sort
of “middle ground,” as opposed to taking a strictly "pro" or
"con" stance, but you will have to carefully explain and
delineate such a position since simply saying that both sides get
some things right and hence they also get some things wrong,
could lead to your supporting a logically inconsistent view. A
strong thesis is one that is both specific and significant: this
means that the claim you are making, the position you are
defending, is one with which an informed thinker may disagree.
If your thesis merely states the obvious, or asserts what most
people accept as common knowledge, it is not significant. This
is a relatively short paper, so be sure to appropriately narrow
the focus of your thesis so that you can accomplish what you
need to do in the space allowed.
The paper should be somewhere between 1800 and 2300 words,
or about 6-8 typewritten, double-spaced pages. You should
include at least three citations from the course
text (Rosenstand. The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to
Ethics, 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2018), and two sources
external to the course text, for a total of 5 sources cited in the
paper. In addition to the external sources, you are encouraged to
use the contemporary and historical sources we have studied
throughout the course as well as the illustrative narratives
included in the course text in supporting your thesis or
considering opposing or alternative views. Also, you are free to
bring in personal experience if it is relevant to your argument.
This means that you may use the first-person voice if it makes
sense in your exposition. Otherwise, stick to the third-person
voice; avoid use of the second person (“you,” “your,” etc.).The
paper should be written using MLA, APA, or CMS
documentation style, with a type font similar to Times New

5. Roman, 12 point. Be sure to cite all sources both within the text
of the paper as well as on a works-cited page (MLA), list of
references (APA), or bibliography (CMS). Avoid fancy fonts
and flashy document-template formats, but you may include
images, graphs, charts, or diagrams if they help establish a
point. Be sure you have included all of the elements essential to
the position paper or argumentative essay format.
Review Rubric and Proofread before Submitting
It is essential that you carefully review the Final Paper Rubric
both before you begin writing the paper and again, once you
have completed it. It lays out, in specific detail, the criteria you
paper must meet to achieve the highest possible score. If you
fulfill all of the criteria in the "Exemplary" column, you will
have written an "A" paper. If you feel that what you have fails
to meet the criteria you are attempting to satisfy, then it is time
to go back and think things through more carefully and edit
your paper accordingly. Finally, do not submit your paper
without proofreading it. No one ever gets it right the first time.
Please submit your paper in the "Submit your Final Paper"
module below.
· List of Topics for Final Paper
Below is a list of topics for the Final Paper, which is to be
written as a Position Paper. Please choose one of these topics
for the central question around which you will construct your
Position Paper. It is advisable to select the topic that concerns
or interests you most personally as well as intellectually. Be
sure to follow all of the assignment guidelines as well as
consulting the Final Paper Rubric. Submit your paper in the
"Submit your Final Paper" assignment module below.
2. Can an unexamined life ever be worth living for a human
being?
2. Can a clear distinction be made between morals and ethics?
Is the philosophical delineation of ethics as a principled form of
moral inquiry and self-reflection really different from the
practice of sharing moral ideals?

6. 2. Are there universal moral principles that are right for all
persons at all times?
2. Do people, at the end of the day, always do what they desire
most? Or do people sometimes act strictly for the good of "the
Other," without even a trace of self-interest?
2. Is there a reliable way for a person to rationally determine
the ethically right thing to do in most cases of human behavior
and decision making?
2. Are religious ethics interchangeable with philosophical
ethics? Can one take the place of the other in living a morally
good and Socratically examined life?
2. Are virtue ethics, or ethics of character, superior to an ethics
of conduct?
2. Can a theory of justice, such as that of John Rawls, that is
grounded in an abstract conception of the social contract, ever
provide a satisfactory practical framework for a totally
egalitarian and completely just society?
2. Are existentialist thinkers who claim that there is no pre-
existing moral reality or pre-determined purpose in human life
right?
2. Are feminist ethics necessarily a version of the ethics of
care? Is it possible for a version of feminist ethics to be based
solely on the exercise of abstract, logical reason?
PHL 377: ETHICS: FINAL PAPER GRADING RUBRIC
Criteria
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT COMPETENT EXEMPLARY

7. INTRODUCTION
AND THESIS
STATEMENT
0 to 1.3 points Introduction
presents background
details as a
seemingly random collection of
information; may be unclear and
unrelated to the topic. If stated,
thesis is unclear, over-general, or
insignificant. Thesis may be absent;
author's position is vague or
confused.
1.4 to 1.7 points
Introductory paragraph contains
some background information and
states the problem, but does not
explain all details. Thesis is stated
and is appropriately focused and
has some significance. Author's
position is clearly established.
1.8 to 2 points
Well developed introductory paragraph
contains detailed background, a clear
explanation or definition of the problem, and a
very strong thesis statement. Thesis is
specific, significant, and forecasts structure of
supporting argument. Author's position and

8. possible exceptions is clearly, concisely, and
confidently stated.
QUALITY OF
AUTHOR’S
SUPPORTING
ARGUMENT(S)
0 to 4.1 points
Main points in supporting argument
are not sufficient. Development of
ideas is minimal or absent, and the
link to the thesis is weak or
nonexistent.
Body is too brief to develop a
convincing argument; pattern of
development and style is simplistic
or confused. Whatever
argumentation is present lacks
focus and tends to wander. May
commit logical fallacies and fail to
recognize hidden assumptions.
4.2 to 5.3 points
Main points in supporting argument
are clearly made and directly
related to the thesis, but one or
more may lack enough detail and
development. Yet, the essay is
worthwhile reading. The author

9. knows the material well enough to
clearly explain it, but some insights
may be missed. Patterns of
development used for support and
overall style may not be perfectly
appropriate. All elements of correct
argumentation are present, but
connection to thesis may be weak.
Generally free of logical fallacies
and hidden assumptions.
5.4 to 6 points
Main points in supporting argument are well
developed and directly related to the thesis.
The supporting details are concrete and so
rich that the reader learns by reading the
essay. The author is obviously comfortable
with the material and knows enough about the
subject to explain it in great detail. Support
uses appropriate patterns of development and
style and all arguments are strong or valid.
Each aspect relates to thesis, providing
coherence and continuity. Logical fallacies are
absent and all assumptions acknowledged.
PHL 377: ETHICS: FINAL PAPER GRADING RUBRIC
OPPOSING/ALTERNATIVE

10. VIEW(S) CONSIDERED AND
REBUTTED
0 to 3.4 points
Discussion of opposing or
alternative views is absent or
superficial. If alternative views
are recognized, their summary,
analysis, and evaluation are
flawed and incomplete. Failure
to detect hidden assumptions or
logical fallacies.
Counterargument or refutation is
absent or too weak to rebut
opposing view.
3.5 to 4.4 points
Opposing or alternative views are
recognized but points of conflict
may be overstated or dismissed too
hastily. Summary, analysis, and
evaluation of other views mostly
accurate. Rebuttal is attempted and
hidden assumptions or dubious
facts or sources may be
recognized. If present, some logical
fallacies are detected.
Counterargument or refutation
attempts to rebut opposing view.
4.5 to 5 points
Opposing or alternative views are accurately
and fairly represented. Argument(s) supporting
opposing views are skillfully summarized,
analyzed, and evaluated. Rebuttal challenges
any hidden assumptions and questionable

11. facts or sources. All logical fallacies are
identified. Well-supported, solid
counterargument or decisive refutation
successfully yet respectfully rebuts opposing
view.
ATTAINMENT OF COURSE
LEARNING OUTCOMES
DEMONSTRATED
0 to 1.3 points
The paper fails to clearly
demonstrate that the author has
fully understood and applied
concepts learned in the course.
Attainment of Course Learning
Outcomes is only partial or
completely absent.
1.4 to 1.7 points
The paper demonstrates that the
author, for the most part,
understands and has applied
concepts learned in the course.
Some of the Course Learning
Outcomes are attained and are
integrated into the exposition of the
author's position.
1.8 to 2 points
The paper demonstrates that the author fully
understands and has applied concepts learned
in the course. Course Learning Outcomes are

12. fully grasped and skillfully integrated into the
author's own insights.
CONCLUSION
SUMMARIZES
ARGUMENT(S),
REITERATES THESIS AS A
SOLUTION, AND RE-
FOCUSES SCOPE
0 to 0.6 points
Conclusion does not adequately
summarize the main points and
fails to identify implications and
consequences, or conclusion is
a simplistic summary.
Conclusion may be rigid or
absolute, and may be attributed
to external authority. No
suggestions for change or future
impact of conclusion are
included.
Implications may include vague
reference to conclusions.
0.7 to 0.8 points
Conclusion summarizes main
topics and considers evidence of
consequences extending beyond a
single issue. Presents implications
that may impact other people or
issues, but these may be only

13. loosely related to consequences.
Implications may include vague
reference to conclusions. Some
suggestions for change are evident.
0.9 to 1 points
Conclusion summarizes the main topics
without repeating previous sentences and
identifies and insightfully discusses
implications and consequences. Context,
assumptions, and evidence are considered,
and author's own assertions are carefully
qualified. Consequences are fully taken into
account and integrated within a larger
conceptual framework. Implications are
developed and ambiguities recognized and
considered. Author's opinions and suggestions
for change or future impact of conclusion are
logical and well thought out.
PHL 377: ETHICS: FINAL PAPER GRADING RUBRIC
WRITING STYLE AND
OVERALL ORGANIZATION,
INCLUDING WORD COUNT

14. 0 to 2 points
In many places, language
obscures meaning. Grammar,
syntax, or other errors are
distracting or repeated. Little
evidence of proofreading. Work
is unfocused and poorly
organized; lacks logical
connection of ideas and the
writing lacks a clear sense of
direction. Transitions are absent
or few and forced. Position-
paper format is absent or
inconsistent. Word-count falls far
short of the required minimum of
1800 words.
2.1 to 2.6 points
In general, language does not
interfere with communication.
Errors are not distracting or
frequent, although there may be
some problems with more difficult
aspects of style and voice. Basic
organization is apparent and
logical; transitions connect ideas,
although they may be mechanical.
Includes transitions that add to the
essay's coherence. Paper includes
all elements of position-paper
format. Word count is close to the
recommended range of 1800-2300
words and not less than 1300
words.

15. 2.7 to 3 points
Language clearly and effectively
communicates ideas. May at times be
nuanced and eloquent. Errors are minimal or
absent. Logical, compelling progression of
ideas in essay; clear structure which enhances
and showcases the central idea or theme.
Effective, mature, graceful transitions exist
throughout the essay. Skilled and persuasive
use of position-paper format. Word count is
very close to the recommended range of 1800-
2300 words. In cases where the word count
greatly exceeds 2300 words, the content of the
paper and exposition of the thesis are
benefited by the additional material.
DOCUMENTATION,
SOURCES, AND
FORMATTING
0 to 0.6 points
Few sources are cited or used
correctly. Incomplete or
incorrectly formatted list of
sources.
0.7 to 0.8 points
Sources are cited and used
correctly for the most part. List of
sources is complete and formatted
with only minor errors.
0.9 to 1 points
All sources are cited and used correctly,

16. demonstrating understanding of ethical,
economic, legal, and social issues involved
with the use of the information. List of sources
is complete and perfectly formatted.
OVERALL TOTAL
/20 points