Philosophy Personal Philosophy Paper
One of the objectives of this course is to you to develop your own philosophical perspective in reaction to the multiple philosophies that we have been studying. Your Philosophy Reflection Paper (due at the end of the semester) is a time for you to put into words your own reaction to and/or reflection on the material presented during the course of the semester and its significance for your own personal life.
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Reflection is a cognitive process that promotes self-awareness and encourages selfassessment. The cognitive process of reflecting on one’s authentic knowledge, practice, and beliefs/attitudes is important to developing professionalism. Reflection allows one to think critically about one’s ability to effectively join content knowledge with practice to reach diverse populations of learners.
PLEASE note that this is NOT a research paper and does not require additional research. It is a personal reflection paper and should be written in the first person. It should be intensely personal and discuss your own experience in the course. Research papers turned in will receive a 0. This is a reflection paper.
By asking the following questions prior to writing your Reflection paper, you will be able to integrate the inclusion of textual material into your essay more effectively:
- How have the assigned readings this semester either supported or challenged your knowledge, attitudes, and/or beliefs? Reference specific passage(s) in the assigned readings.
- What new knowledge or new understanding of previous knowledge have you acquired this semester from the assigned readings? Reference specific passage(s) in the assigned readings.
- With which philosophers do you find yourself most in agreement? With which philosophers do you find yourself most in disagreement? Why? Reference specific passage(s) in the assigned readings.
Make sure you address the major issues raised in the discussions throughout the semester. Since philosophy seeks to find answers to most of the important questions every human being must face, your reflection paper should demonstrate your own approach to important philosophical questions.
Notes about the Personal Philosophy Paper:
The paper must include at least one quote from the assigned readings in either A Short
History or Sophie’s World. You can quote either text. That is completely up to you.
Please make sure you clearly indicate the book and page number for the quote you use. End of paper citations are also required.
The paper must specifically quote at least two (2) posts made by fellow students and/or the professor in the Module discussions. Each post must be quoted and the author of the post must be identified clearly. You should indicate why these posts were important and/or how they challenged you to think more carefully.
NOTE: DO NOT type out the quote from the textbook used by the student. DO type out a sentence from the student’s (or professor’s) commentary on the quote. You will be quoting the words of the student (or professor) not of the textbook or philosopher. Thus, the author of each quote will be a student or the professor — and not a philosopher from history.
The paper must be a minimum of 1000 words.
The paper must be double-spaced, Times-Roman font 12 point with a Title page that includes the name of the student who is writing the paper. Please make sure that Works Cited page is included for all sources (including textbooks) used to write your paper.
The paper is due at the end of the 8th Module.
The paper must include both MLA in-text and works cited citations.
The paper must be submitted as an attachment using the digital dropbox in one of the following accepted formats: pdf, doc, docx, or rtf
Grading Rubric for Personal (Reflection) Philosophy Paper:
| Points Possible | |
| Does the paper meet the 1000-word minimum? | 5 |
| Does the paper integrate textual reading material into the essay? Does the student respond to specific ideas suggested by philosophers we have studied? Does the paper include at least one direct quote from the assigned reading material in the course textbooks with appropriate in-text citation information? | 10 |
| Does the paper indicate how the student has been challenged by the semester’s material? Does the paper indicate how the student has grown intellectually over the course of the semester by engaging new ideas and concepts? | 5 |
| Does the paper deal with at least two of the major questions asked by philosophers throughout the centuries and indicate how the student thinks about the issues considered by these philosophers? | 10 |
| Does the paper reference at least two discussions (from Units 1-7) that the student found most interesting and/or helpful? Does the student explain how these discussions influenced her/him and/or challenged her/him? Is a specific comment or post from either a fellow student or professor quoted from each discussion? Is the author of each post identified? NOTE: DO NOT type out the quote from the textbook used by the student. DO type out a sentence from the student’s (or professor’s) commentary on the quote. You will be quoting the words of the student (or professor) not of the textbook or | 12 |
| philosopher. Thus, the author of each quote will be a student or the professor — and not a philosopher from history. | |
| Did the paper use proper grammar – have minimal spelling mistakes, etc.? Does the paper follow MLA formatting correctly? Is the paper constructed according to academic standards (with a title page or academic heading, etc.)? | 5 |
