Schedule and Supporting Materials

The course policies can be found here.

Week Date Follow-Up

(Write Before Class + Questions)

 Lead-Up

(Read Before Class)
1 9/17 Abstract Writing:

200-300-word abstract, plus reading list

Read at least three articles related to your topic (they may be from your reading list).

 Abstract Writing

Nolt on Validity and Soundness

Argument Reconstruction
2 9/24 Argument Reconstruction: Read at least three more articles related to your topic (they may be from your reading list.) Reconstruct the most interesting argument using the process discussed from the previous week. Literature Reviews:

Ryan Clement (research librarian) will visit.

Read this tutorial from the University of Guelph.
3 10/1 Provide a 3-page literature review. You should read and cite at least 9 sources.

PORTFOLIO #1 Due: it should consist of the (revised) assignments from Weeks 1-3.

 Outlining and formulating an interesting thesis:

Read Kinds of Analytical Essays
4 10/8 Use one of the effective argument clusters discussed in last week’s reading to create an outline. Clearly state your thesis at the beginning. Walking through an argument (Blueprints; check your email.)
5 10/15 Given the blueprint you’ve adopted, write Section 1 of your paper Proofreading
6 10/22 As the previous week, except write Section 2 Economizing your prose
7 10/29 As the previous two weeks, except write Section 3 Enlivening your prose
8 11/5 1st DRAFT Due. 

PORTFOLIO #2 Due: In addition to the 1st draft, include an updated version of your outline from Week 4. You are strongly encouraged to follow a blueprint as closely as possible. If you depart, please indicate why it was useful for you to do so.
9 11/12 Presentations

Presentation Zen

(This is a longer reading, but it’s very light.)
10 11/19* Class Cancelled–Work on your paper!
11 11/26 Presentations, Twilight Room 201

6:15: Food served.

7:00-7:30 Thibault Bachelet What Does Tocqueville Say About Democracy?
7:30-8:00 Lizzy Giovanniello Moral Duties to Refugees
8:00-8:30 Hannah Patterson Empathy and Alternative Forms of Justice
8:30-9:00 Charlotte Massey Is Tourism Ethical? A Critique of Mass Tourism and Defense of Justice Tourism.
9:00-9:30 Brad Willis The Ethical Obligations of Online Service Providers in the Digital Age: An Exploration into the Role of Internet-Based Corporations and Third-Party Information Dissemination
12 12/3 Penultimate drafts due

Presentations, Twilight Room 201

6:15 Food served.

7:00-7:30 Kyle Freiler Value, Virtue, and the Doctrine of Indifferents: A Critique of Modern Stoic Ethics
7:30-8:00 Louis Liu Self-Representation and First-Person Authority: A Transcedental Explanation of Immunity of Error through Misidentification
8:00-8:30 Fred DiTommaso Public Justification, Legitimacy, and the Electoral College
8:30-9:00 Liza Tarr Argument-as-War and Public Discourse
9:00-9:30 Mateo Games Understanding Wittgenstein’s Private Language Argument
9:30-10:00 Dylan Steele Stop Nudging Me: Libertarian Paternalism and Epistemic Injustice

Boldface indicates that these deadlines have been set per department policy.