The document outlines grading criteria and structural guidelines for philosophy papers, emphasizing the importance of a clear thesis statement, thorough explication of texts, critical analysis, and proper citation practices. It categorizes student work from excellent to failure based on the clarity of arguments, use of references, and grammatical accuracy. Additionally, it provides prompts for term papers and conditions regarding late submissions and formatting requirements.

1. Writing Evaluation
Student Name:
Prof. David W. Cheely
Assignment:
A (Excellent)
____Thesis Statement:
The Introductory paragraph presents a clear and focused
summary of the position to be developed in the paper.
____Explication:
The writer demonstrates an excellent understanding of the
arguments/position of the author through a clear and concise
explication of the ideas to be considered.
____Interrogation:
The writer presents a specific critical analysis of the author’s
position.
____Declaration:
The writer explicitly declares his/her stance with respect to the
author’s ideas - thesis.
____Elaboration:
The writer raises a strong objection to his/her own thesis and

2. elaborates upon his/her thesis in response to this objection.
____References:
The writer makes use of relevant textual citations and smoothly
fuses these citations into the paper without breaking the flow of
the argument.
____Grammar:
Few, if any, grammatical errors. Sentences read smoothly
without being overly wordy. Appropriate word choices.
B (Very Good)
____Thesis Statement:
The Introductory paragraph presents the thesis; however, the
thesis seems somewhat muddled and unclear.
____Explication:
The writer understands the arguments/position of the author;
however, the explication of this understanding wanders from the
text at times.
____Interrogation:
The writer’s critical analysis of the author’s position lacks
precision.
____Declaration:
The writer presents his/her thesis well, but the thesis is off-
target and/or unclear.
____Elaboration:
The writer raises a solid objection to his/her thesis, but the
writer’s response to this objection does not improve the strength
of the thesis, or generate further questions.
____References:
The writer makes use of references; however, the cited material
is forced and seems to chop into the flow of the paper.

3. ____Grammar:
Minor grammatical errors. Sentences are somewhat wordy and
wandering. Word choice is sometimes questionable.
C (Average)
____Thesis Statement:
The Introductory paragraph merely implies a thesis.
____Explication:
The writer presents a limited understanding of the
arguments/position of the author.
____Interrogation:
The writer’s critical analysis of the author’s position is
superficial, unconvincing, and un-supported.
____Declaration:
It is difficult to tell what the thesis of the paper is and/or its
relation to the author’s position.
____Elaboration:
The writer makes use of a straw-man objection that does little to
elaborate upon and strengthen the writer’s position, or generate
further questions.
____References:
The writer uses far too many references such that it is difficult
to tell if the writer understands the text or not, or the writer
fails to employ appropriate references to the text.
____Grammar:
Far too many grammatical errors. Sentences, word choice, and
word economy make it difficult to follow the writer’s
arguments.
D (Substandard)
____Thesis Statement:

4. The writer fails to state a thesis in the introductory paragraph.
____Explication:
The writer misunderstands the arguments/position of the author.
____Interrogation:
The writer fails to critically analyze the author’s position.
____Declaration:
The writer does not present a thesis, or the thesis presented is
unrelated to the author’s position.
____Elaboration:
The writer fails to consider a possible objection.
____References:
The text is never referenced, or improper citations methods are
used.
____Grammar:
There are major grammatical errors present. Incomplete
Sentences, poor word choice, and bad word economy make it
nearly impossible to follow the writer’s arguments.
F (Failure)
____Plagiarism:
The text includes plagiarized material – the student must meet
with me to explain, in lieu of possible F for the course.
____Formatting:
The paper was formatted in a manner as to subvert the minimum
length requirement.
____Late Paper:
Each day the paper is late equals a 3-point deduction (from
original grade) until failure – an F equals ZERO points earned.
Comments:

5. POINTS EARNED (out of 50):_______________________
Structural Guidelines for Term Papers
Prof. David W. Cheely
Introductory Paragraph:
Philosophy papers should get directly to the point. In this way,
philosophical writing is very different from what you were
likely taught. Do not start off with overly general statements.
Be very explicit and use particularly clear and concise (i.e.
short) sentences in your introductory paragraph. If you cannot
explain your thesis in one sentence, your thesis is probably
inadequate. Creative introductions designed to catch your
reader’s interest are fine; however, most of you would be better
off sticking to a traditional style in which the introductory
paragraph presents the thesis without much fanfare. Your thesis
is your position with respect to the author’s ideas, but it should
not be the final conclusion of your paper. It is not your
argument. It is not your response to an objection. It is not the
author’s position. It is not your conclusion. Your thesis is
essentially what your paper will be about; however, good
writing should not give away the cart before the horse – i.e.
your thesis should relate to your conclusion, but it should not be
your conclusion, thus your paper will always suggest more than
it actually is about (your conclusion should make a tentative
step beyond what your thesis states). Your thesis statement in
your introductory paragraph is the most important sentence in
your paper, thus it should be the best. You should worry about

6. your thesis statement. It should be considered, and re-
considered. Make sure it is highly crafted and explicit. Often
times, thesis statements start off with “In this essay, I will
argue….” While it isn’t necessary to use this stock approach,
this approach does have the advantage of being highly explicit
and informative. Even those of you who favor a more creative
writing style should strongly consider using a highly explicit
statement of your thesis within your introduction.
Thesis statement DON’Ts:
1. Do not fail to mention what you will argue in your paper.
Your thesis statement should be very explicit and firm.
2. Do not write “I THINK”, “I BELIEVE”, “I FEEL” PHRASES
(anywhere in your paper). I don’t care what you think, feel, or
believe. I only care about what you will show through argument.
3. Write as if you are writing to God, not to your friends, or
even to me. In other words, don’t write the way you speak.
Colloquialisms, over-used phrases, and humorous anecdotes
should be avoided.
Thesis statement Dos:
1. State your thesis very clearly and as concisely as is possible.
Don’t spend a lot of words ‘working up to it’. Your reader
should know VERY EARLY on in your paper exactly what you
will be arguing and, in a general way, why.
2. Your thesis statement should take a definitive stand on an
issue to be examined. Avoid wishy-washy, this-and-that, either-
or, perhaps, and maybe phrasings.
3. Write as if everyone you mention is still alive – use the
present tense whenever possible. In philosophy, ideas never die.
Whatever you do, take your time on your thesis statement as it
will both guide your inquiry, and your reader.
Body of Paper:
Remember the four “-ations”. The body of the paper should be

7. broken into sections that correspond to these four structural
components.
Explication – The point of this section of your paper is to
present both your understanding of the text and the arguments
of the author. Most of your primary textual citations will be
used in this section of your paper (for your term papers,
following MLA citation procedures is important – You will
want to include a works cited page that does not count toward
the page minimum. You will want to quote the text and then
place the (author, page number) in parentheses at the end of the
sentence, unless you reference anything external to the text –
i.e. a website or a text we did not read for the class, then insert
a footnote and include the full citation – per MLA – in the
footnote). This will help to ground your thought in the text;
however, this does not mean that you can make a slew of
references to the text without explaining those references or
incorporating them into your paper’s thesis. Make sure that your
explication of the text is complete; however, it is important that
you refrain from referencing irrelevant material.
Interrogation – In this section of your paper, you will need to
critically evaluate the ideas presented in the text that you have
already explicated. If you disagree with the ideas, then you will
want to state why you disagree with the ideas. If you agree with
the ideas, then you will want to further strengthen them by
analyzing them in detail (you might want to concretize them by
showing how they could be considered in the practices of
everyday life, for instance, or you could show how they relate
well conceptually with other, more intuitive ideas).
Declaration – This section tends to blend in with the concept of
interrogation. In this section, I want you to make a definitive
stand on the issue under consideration. Here, you’ll want to re-
state your thesis statement, while clarifying it with greater
detail and support. As a result of your extensive critical
analysis in the proceeding section, you might definitively state
your disagreement with the author and offer another view upon

8. the subject (this can be your own, or it can be derived from
another work), or even (and this is rare) a totally unique idea. If
you agreed with the author’s ideas, this is where you might
improve the original idea by adding considerations that the
author failed to incorporate into the original work. Again,
you’ll want to declare exactly what you are contributing to the
original inquiry, and this can be derived from other sources (our
readings, or other readings – our readings need only be cited
with a page number, but if you bring in other works, you’ll need
to site those works according to MLA guidelines)
Elaboration – This is another key section in your overall
argument. Think carefully about what someone who disagrees
with you might say. Try to wear the skeptical hat, and present
this as an objection to your declared thesis. Good objections
improve papers tremendously and (when defended well) are an
important key to solid philosophical writing. A philosopher
must be able to consider the opposing viewpoint and present it
with a strong objection that can’t easily be destroyed (in fact,
some of the best papers will destroy their own theses with their
objection and will conclude with further, more fundamental
questions!).
Concluding Paragraph:
A mere re-stating of your thesis is not sufficient. Your thesis
was argued for prior to your considered objection. If the
objection causes you to reject your thesis, then your conclusion
will express the result of your inquiry in the form of further
questions. If you were able to elaborate upon your thesis in
spite of (and often times, because of) your considered objection,
then your conclusion will be a wrapping up of the inquiry. In
this case, you have expanded your (and your reader’s)
understanding of the original question/idea and have reached an
answer/ viewpoint that is sufficient (at least, for now!). Often
times, at this point, it is a good idea to suggest where your line
of thought might lead. Think of it as an “end-of-movie” trailer
that leaves something open-ended to the plot, suggesting a

9. likely sequel. In this case, your inquiry has addressed your
thesis, but you have several new questions you might want to
ask. Suggesting these new questions, either implicitly or
explicitly, is a good way to extend your conversation with the
reader beyond the text. As is the case with almost every topic
philosophy examines, such new questions suggest the
possibility of a future amendment to your current thought. I am
of the opinion that if you are thinking the same way at 30 that
you did at 20, then you have lost a decade of thought;
philosophers change their beliefs and opinions constantly. They
are never married to their last paper, or book.
Final Comments:
The above structural guidelines are meant to help you in the
creation of your paper. Your grade will be based upon a grading
rubric that I have designed and you will have access to on
blackboard; however, that does not mean that you must strictly
follow these structural guidelines. They are, after all, only
guides.
Socio-Political Term Paper Prompt
PHL-200-C
Choose one of the following topics to write about:
1. The use of Affirmative Action is often defended by appealing
to the diversity argument. What is the diversity argument and
why do defenders of AA think diversity is a good thing?
Consider the practical and the principled objections to the
diversity argument – do you think these objections provide good
reason to reject AA, why or why not?
2. While using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from
Birmingham Jail” as your primary text, explain the four steps of
non-violent direct action. Why does King think that a direct
action protest should “create crisis to force negotiation” and
how is does it work? How could this form of protest be used

10. effectively today?
3. In Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet”, Malcolm is
critical of the way Northern Black voters used their right to vote
in the 1964 Presidential election. How did his criticism work
and what did black voters do when voting that they should not
have done? Compare this to bad reasons that contemporary
voters vote for candidates – how would Malcolm X’s advice
help contemporary voters make better decisions when they vote
– how would it not?
4. Like many conservative feminists, Mill argues that the
historical conditions of the past have contributed to the
subjection of women – how does he make this point? Why does
he think that women should no longer be subject to men? What
role does open competition play in the liberation of women for
Mill? Do you think open competition in all aspects of society
would be good for women – why or why not?
5. Feel free to pick any topic that we discussed in class since
the mid-term exam that is not examined in one of the above
prompts. If you choose this option, you will need to come up
with questions that you will then need to answer within your
paper while both explaining the position of one of the
philosophers we read and presenting and defending your own
position.
· On this assignment, is important that you stick closely to the
structural guidelines posted on Canvas so that you will not lose
points for poor paper structure. Don’t forget to consider and
respond to an objection to your thesis within your paper,
regardless of the wording of the prompt (some of the prompts
don’t make it obvious what and how you should object and
respond).
· 6-8 pages in length. 6 FULL pages minimum – there really
isn’t a maximum length requirement. Double space between

11. lines – not between sentences (be careful with Word’s default
which adds an extra space between paragraphs – turn it off). Do
not use any other slick formatting tricks in order to subvert the
minimum length requirement.
· Please submit a copy of your paper in class on Monday, April
25th – late papers will result in a significant loss of points, so
make sure you complete your paper on time.
· 100 points possible