Research Papers
Philosophy 2390: Philosophy and Psychology Fall 2006, Dr. Rupert Length: 2,500-3,000 words; include a word count on page one (or cover page) Format: typed, double-spaced, in no smaller than a twelve-point font; number all pages; cover page is optional. Due date and grading: The paper is due Monday, December 18, by 1:00 p.m. Turn your paper in to the Philosophy Department office or bring it to our regular room (Hellems 177) during our assigned exam period. Papers will be graded on the basis of writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, and organization); quality of research (effective use of outside sources, including your understanding of sources used); and philosophical ability displayed (including quality of critical evaluation, ability to explain philosophical ideas clearly, and the originality of your claims and the arguments given in support of them). Structure: I do not require that the paper have any particular overall structure, but here are three suggestions: (1) compare and contrast, in which you explain two or more competing solutions to a problem and critically evaluate each of the competing solutions; (2) critical study, where you critically review a proposal or argument made by one author (here you may draw on the critical work done by others); and (3) positive proposal, in which you identify an outstanding problem and attempt a novel solution of it. Whatever form your paper takes, it must include an element of critical evaluation; papers should not be merely expository. I expect (and reward) creativity on your part. The paper should not, however, be an exercise in unstructured or unsupported speculation. Your paper should be informed by what others have said about your chosen topic. Whatever creative contribution you make should be focused specifically on the problem at hand and should be supported by argument. Content: Your paper should make some contact with the empirical literature: at least one of the sources you use must be a primary source in cognitive psychology (or a related area of cognitive science). Your paper should address a problem in the philosophical foundations of cognitive psychology or a way in which data from cognitive psychology might bear on a longstanding philosophical problem. Use of outside sources: A minimum of three outside sources must be used (but the best papers typically utilize more than three). An article or book counts as an outside source if it is not assigned reading for the course. Sources should be academic, rather than popular, in nature. Do not use Internet sources unless they are equivalent to traditional print sources; an article from a professional journal that has been posted online is acceptable, but someone’s online lecture notes or blog musings are not. If you have any questions regarding what counts as an acceptable outside source, please come talk to me. The best single source of bibliographical information about philosophical articles is The Philosopher’s Index. For articles in cognitive psychology, see PsychINFO. Both databases are accessible from our library’s website, http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/research/findarticles/alpha-p.htm Clark also provides many excellent ideas; see his “Suggested Readings” sections and the works he cites along the way in his text.
Plagiarism is unacceptable. You must express yourself in your own words. You must construct your sentences yourself, from scratch. If your paper contains large chunks of text taken from another source, without acknowledgement of the author, you will receive an F on your paper and your case will be referred to the campus authorities. Plagiarism comes in milder forms, though, and there are borderline cases; penalties for such forms of plagiarism will be adjusted accordingly. In order to acknowledge properly the author of material you did not write, you must quote the material and cite its original source. Quotations: The standard way to quote someone else’s work is to enclose the material in quotation marks. In cases of longer quotations (three or more lines), you should block-quote. A blockquotation should be single-spaced, indented from both side margins, and separated from the text above and below it by an extra space. Do not enclose a block-quotation in quotation marks. References: When citing the source of material taken from a book, cite the author’s name, title of the work, publisher’s name and location (city), the year of publication, and the page number(s) where the quoted material appears; if the material is from an edited collection, also give the editor’s name and the inclusive page numbers for the specific article or chapter in question. When citing a journal article, give the author’s name, title of the article, the journal’s name, the year of publication, the page numbers of the article as a whole, and the page number(s) on which the quoted material appears. The exact format of your citations does not matter much to me, but pick one format from the standard range of alternatives (e.g., Chicago, APA, MLA), and stick with it. If in doubt, look at a leading journal (e.g., Journal of Philosophy, Philosophical Review, Noûs, Mind) or a book on a leading press (e.g., Oxford, MIT, Cambridge) and copy the style of citation you see there. Generally speaking, quotations should be used sparingly, and any time you quote an author, you should explain, in your own words, what the author means. If you have a question about plagiarism, quotations, or references, please come talk to me about it. Guidelines for the rough draft: A rough draft of your paper is due in class on Friday, Nov. 10. Your rough draft should be at least five pages in length and should meet the same formatting requirements for the final draft. When grading your rough draft, I will be checking to make sure you have done a significant amount of research and have some concrete ideas for your final paper. Your rough draft should give at least a sketch of what you think will be the main themes and arguments of your final draft. Term paper topics: If something from the assigned reading or class discussion seems particularly interesting to you, consider it as a paper topic, with the following qualification: if you choose to write about an issue that is primarily psychological, be sure there is something philosophical or theoretical at stake; and be sure to make that philosophical or theoretical issue the ultimate focus of your paper.