Aesthetics and body image

PHIL Final Paper Rubric

Introduction

For the Final Paper, students will analyze and take a stance on a contemporary ethical or political issue(s) relevant to feminist concerns. Possible topics include but are not limited to: economic opportunity, reproductive rights, the institution of marriage, aesthetics and body image, epistemic violence, and intersectionality. The aim will be to take a specific position with respect to the chosen topic and defend that position.

Final Papers must be about 4-5 pages (~1250-1500 words, 2.0 space, 12-point font). They must have an introductory paragraph clearly framing your main point, a body defending and elaborating your point, and a conclusion summarizing your discussion. In your essay, you must use a minimum of one direct quotation from assigned readings that are relevant to your chosen topic to get full credit. See Citation and Formatting Instructions below for information on how to format and cite quotes. Writing Advice

In choosing a topic, try to find something that we’ve touched on in class that really gets your thoughts going, that you find interesting and compelling. In preparing to write your paper, try to formulate the topic in a few different ways to bring out the nuances of the different ways of expressing what is at issue. Recall a reading or video or podcast that navigated the issue, something that really caught your eye, one that really made you think, that got you excited to think, excited to learn more about the topic. Read and re-read it a few times (or watch and re-watch it, etc.) and try to do background research (e.g. check out relevant articles on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

In the body of your paper, you should be ready to draw out arguments from the source materials that engage with your chosen issue. The arguments you’ve drawn out from the source material should utilize ideas and either ask or be responding to questions relevant to the topic you’ve chosen. You should be able to critically evaluate these arguments and their contribution to the discussion of your chosen topic.

Above all, take your time – both in choosing a topic, appropriate readings, what you want to say, and in finally writing it all down. Write with a dictionary and a thesaurus available so as to choose appropriate words that ensure that your writing clearly represents what you want to say and doesn’t become confusing, boring, repetitive, and stagnant. Assume that your reader is constantly asking questions like “Why should I accept that idea?” and “What does that mean exactly?” Write, read, re-write, re-read (aloud and/or to a peer), re-write, and re-read again, etc. Good writing consists largely in constant revision and adjustment, the clarification of ideas and lines of thought, and cutting out verbosity. This helps reduce the work needed for the reader to understand what is being said.

Citation and Formatting Instructions
Essays must be written in 12-point Times New Roman font (or a similarly reasonable font)
Essays must have 2.0 spacing
All quotations or sourced ideas must be accompanied with an abbreviated in-text citation and a corresponding elaborated bibliographic citation in a Reference List.

Reference List basic formatting will generally take the following shape:
Last Name, First Name. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date.
See how our text is referenced on our Syllabus for an example
Use italic for non-English technical terms (e.g. ceteris paribus)
Use italic for titles of books, plays, film, and television shows
Use italic for emphasis, sparingly
Do not use italic for author names
Do not use bold type for any purpose

IV. Grading Rubric

The following indicates how final papers will be assessed.

Each of the following assessment measurements is worth 0-3 points, for a total of 30 points for this assignment. The measures assess students’ knowledge of the subject, critical thinking, language skills, organization, and attention to formatting detail. The instructor will provide a point value from 0-3 points and an explanation for the point value next to each assessment measure and will email the feedback to students promptly.

Demonstrates a clear understanding of the material
Clearly frames the point or purpose of the paper – what you want to accomplish, what you want the reader to take away.
Engages in critical reflection of the material – doesn’t simply repeat information, but critically reflects on the information and digs deeper into the information (for example, by using WRAITEC)
Utilizes at least one quotation from any of our source material
Uses good word choice that makes it clear what you are trying to say and isn’t too repetitive.
Little to no grammatical or spelling errors; paper is easily readable and flows well
Has a clear and appropriate structure including an introduction with a clearly framed point, a body (several paragraphs defending and elaborating on your point), and a concluding paragraph summarizing your arguments.
Has a coherent line of thought with an orderly development of ideas.
Appropriate length (4-5 pages or 1250-1500 words)
Citation and formatting instructions followed generally well