Syllabus

Schedule

Assignments

Extras

Presentation and Paper

Presentation—15 minutes followed by Q and A

Choose one of the assigned texts and sign up for a presentation day for the work you have chosen. Identify one moment in the work when the character makes an important ethical decision. Analyze the options available to this character and apply an ethical framework to the character's ultimate decision. How has the author signaled her or his judgment of this character's decision?

Final Paper—15-20 pages

Use the information from your presentation as a starting point for a more substantive inquiry into the ethical choices that this character faces, the presuppositions underlying these choices, and the wider-ranging consequences of this character's actions. How does the character's decision within the work in question contribute to the work's overall meaning and the way it influences (or is meant to influence) the actions of the work's readers?

Consider also the response to the work by readers and critics. How has resulting controversy or discussion altered our understanding of the work in question? How do contemporary political discussions provide the context for and respond to ideas in the work in question?

Follow the paper format indicated on the handout that you will receive in class.

Writing the Paper

Organize your argument along the lines of subtopics that are themselves arguable and that contribute to a portion of the thesis statement in some way. Make use of quotations from your chosen work or other works, 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 counter argument.

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 mechanical issues such as grammar and spelling. Include a list of works cited at the end of the paper with an entry for each work that you cite in the paper.

Finally, do not hesitate to consult with me about a draft before turning the paper in.