Assignment Two
Postmodern Problems

Objectives

• To identify an area of dispute in a philosophical works associated with postmodernism.

• To present a well-organized argument in support of an arguable thesis statement that takes a stand on this area of dispute.

• To gain experience with conventions of the analytical paper.

Topics

• Are absolute standards crucial to any ethical system, or can we imagine an ethical system that is based on something other than absolute standards?

• Is Nietzsche's philosophy partly responsible for the emergence of Fascism in Europe in the 1930's, or did Fascism arise in spite of Nietzsche's arguments?

• Which diagnosis of the world's ills is more plausible, Heidegger's description of an obsession with beings to the exclusion of Being or Horkheimer and Adorno's description of a Culture Industry that rejects myth as basis for ethics and aesthetics?

• Ideally, what should the role of ritual or myth be in our culture?

• Does power exert itself from the top down as Horkheimer and Adorno suggest, or does it permeate our society in all directions as Foucault claims? What are the consequences of adopting one of these interpretations of power over the other?

• Does Derrida's deconstructive approach leave us in a relativistic muddle, or can we use it as a basis for decisions that matter?

• Can we use our flawed language to identify and discuss flaws within our language as a medium for ideas?

• Is there a reality that exists outside of the realm of discourse?

• How can a spirit of play lead to a fuller understanding of the function of language and gender in our world? Is there something rational about play that makes it appropriate in the academic context?

• What is the connection between gender and sexuality?

Writing the Paper

Choose one of the above topics (or one of you own in consultation with me) and formulate a thesis statement about it that is arguable. The topic that you choose should be something that you find genuinely interesting—perhaps a topic that relates somehow to interests that you have outside of this class.

Organize your argument along the lines of subtopics that are in themselves arguable and that contribute to a portion of the thesis statement in some way. Definitely, make use of quotations from your chosen work or works (up to two), but also devote effort to the elaboration of ideas in your own words. Working with an outline at some point in the process is a good way to develop an understanding of the structure of you paper. Based on this understanding, you can then develop transitional sentences that make the relationships between paragraphs clear. Transitions can indicate an intensification of an idea, change in direction, expansion of scope, reduction of scope, contradiction, or even signal consideration of a counterargument.

When including quotations, spend some time explicating them. Explication means examining the writer's use of word choice, imagery, parallel structures, contrasts, comparisons, or any other detail in the passage that is worthy of comment and that will be of interest to your reader.

When grading papers, I consider the originality of insights about the chosen topic as well as the coherence of the argument. None of the writers we have examined in this course is above criticism, and each book includes details worthy of elaboration that no previous writer has considered before. In addition to the clarity and persuasive power of the argument, I will consider how you use quotations and also surface issues such as grammar and spelling. Include list of works cited at the end of the paper with a listing for any work that you cite in the paper.

Finally, do not hesitate to consult with me about a draft before turning the paper in. Hopefully, some of the my comments on your earlier paper will be helpful, but I continue to be available to help you with the above concerns as you write this last assignment.