PHIL 4120: Professional Ethics
Dr. Robert Lane, University of West Georgia
Spring 2009
Term Paper Instructions
These instructions supplement the more general instructions found in my online document, "Writing a Philosophy Paper": http://www.westga.edu/~rlane/paperResources.html . I expect you to follow instructions in BOTH documents.
Before starting work on this project, read this document by James Pryor: http://www.princeton.edu/~jimpryor/general/writing.html
Your term paper must be an argumentative essay on some topic within medical ethics, business ethics or legal ethics.
If you are choosing to write on a topic other than those we will cover in class (i.e., other than those listed on the course schedule), you should speak with me before beginning work on your paper. I encourage you to come speak with me about your paper, in any case.
This paper is worth 30% of your total course grade.
Deadline for mandatory draft: Monday March 30. I will accept your draft at any time before this deadline, but it must be turned in to be by no later than March 30. This draft should meet the following conditions:
· It must be a solid draft, something that you have already spent a good deal of time on.
· It must contain an opening that explains to the reader what you’ll be doing; a solid, detailed, clearly structured body; and a conclusion that summarizes your results.
· You should proofread it for grammatical mistakes and other technical problems, and include a bibliography, just as you would a final draft.
· This draft must be at least 1,500 words.
· Do not turn in a hard copy of your draft; instead, email it to me as an email attachment (Word document or rtf only).
I will give you extensive written comments and suggestions as to how you can improve your paper. If the draft you turn in is of sufficient length (3,000 words) and quality to qualify as an “A” paper as it stands, then I will accept it as the final draft.
Deadline for final paper: Monday April 20. Printed copies of your papers must be turned in at the very beginning of class. No late papers will be accepted without penalty unless I have given you prior permission.
· I will accept your paper at any time before the deadline (i.e., you do not have to wait until April 20 to turn it in).
· If I receive your paper later than one hour after the beginning of class, you will lose one letter grade; if I receive it later than two hours after the beginning of class, you will lose two letter grades; if I receive it later than three hours after the beginning of class, you will lose three letter grades; I will not accept any papers later than four hours after the beginning of class on the due date.
· I recommend that you have a copy of your paper printed out the evening before it is due. If you wait until that morning to print it out and you run into problems (lost disk, printer failure, etc.) which prevent you from turning your paper in at the beginning of class, you will be penalized.
Length: 3000 words minimum. DO NOT GO UNDER THE MINIMUM LENGTH OF 3000 words. You may go over 3000 words, but remember that part of your grade will be based on conciseness, so in presenting your argument(s) you should be as concise as possible and avoid extraneous material.
Technical Details
· Include a word-count at the beginning or end of your essay. Failure to include a word count will result in a reduction in your grade.
· Include page numbers at the top or bottom of each page.
· Your essay must be typed and double-spaced. This will give me plenty of room to write comments on your papers. No handwritten essays will be accepted.
· Do not put your name anywhere on your essay. Rather, identify your paper with your student number (NOT your social security number). This will help me grade your papers anonymously.
· Do not hand in your paper in a binder, folder, etc. Simply staple the pages together in the upper left corner.
· You MUST include a bibliography, even if there is only a single source that you cite. See “Writing a Philosophy Paper” for details. Failure to include a bibliography will result in a reduction in your grade.
A Reminder About Plagiarism
If you use another person's words or ideas without giving him or her credit, you have committed plagiarism and thereby violated the Honor Code of the University of West Georgia.
When you quote from someone else’s work, including from your textbook(s) or from my lecture notes, you must indicate that you are quoting, and you must cite the source, including the page number [this should be done in a footnote or an endnote]. Quoting without indicating that you are doing so constitutes presenting someone else’s words as your own. This is plagiarism.
When you use someone else’s ideas without indicating that those ideas are not your own, you have committed plagiarism. This is true, even if you are not quoting their exact words. If you employ someone else’s ideas in your paper, you must cite the source of those ideas [this should be done in a footnote or an endnote]. If you put their ideas into your own words but do not say that those ideas are someone else’s, you have committed plagiarism.
If you commit plagiarism in this class, you will receive an "F" for the entire course. You will also be reported the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and recommended for disciplinary action, which may include expulsion from this institution.
Use of Class Lecture Notes
One of the most common errors in term papers for my courses is that students rely too heavily on my online lecture notes in writing their papers. One of the points of the paper is that you show me that you can read and critically respond to philosophical writing. You will do this only if your paper demonstrates that you are dealing with the source material about which you are writing. You will not do this if your paper explains my own lecture notes back to me. For this reason, I urge you not to refer to my lecture notes in writing your paper.