Assignment: Rawls’s Original Position Paper Assignment 1
Course: POSC 7
Rawls’s Original Position Assignment Guidelines
Write an essay in which you explain how, precisely, Rawls’s Original Position is characterized by equality, and how this equality conditions and shapes the principles of justice chosen by deliberators in the original position.
- Elaborations, hints, suggestions:
o You may, of course, refer to other features of the “original position.” It’s just that your primary focus should be on equality.
o Since the “original position” is really a thought experiment, not a real place or time, you might think it would be better for the latter part of this prompt to read: “…how Rawls thinks this equality should condition and shape the principles of justice we imagine being chosen by deliberators in the original position.”
- Papers will be graded for strength of argumentation, organization, knowledge of concepts and material, use of evidence, and prose (grammar, spelling and style). See the sample assessment form posted on the course website.
- Your essay should be about 3-5 pages in length. Don’t waste space with generalities or platitudes!
- You may–in fact, you must–consult the assigned books. You should use ample amounts of properly-cited evidence (short quotations and paraphrasing) from these assigned texts. In the end, such evidence (and not anything from additional secondary works) is the only evidence that counts towards your grade.
o Since the assignment is very short, however, you should not include any lengthy quotations (quotations of more than a few words).
o All quotations of key words and phrases and any material that you paraphrase should be cited parenthetically. For the assigned course texts, you may use the short titles provided in the syllabus, either “Reader” or “Right Thing to Do” — e.g. “(Reader, p. 20). For other works, use the “author-date” system–e.g. “(Nelson 1995, 40)” or (Kozol 1990, 112). All “Works Cited” should then be listed on a separate page at the end of your paper.
- To plagiarize, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is “to steal and pass off” the “ideas or words of another” as “one’s own” or to use “another’s production without crediting the source.” Plagiarism is punishable by a failing grade in the course and other serious penalties. Students who submit papers with plagiarized material will be referred to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity. Do not plagiarize!
- You may consult secondary works, if you wish. Avoiding plagiarism when you do so is very simple: you must use quotation marks and citations to properly credit others for any ideas or arguments that are not your own–or any information that is not common knowledge. You should work entirely alone–i.e., don’t collaborate with other students.
- You may not use or cite materials from the internet with the exception of sources whose scholarly and editorial standards, methodology, procedures for publishing, etc, are clearly stated and satisfactory. Consult me or your TA first, at least five days before the due date.
- We will use the university’s “Safe Assignment” software to screen for plagiarism. See below for related instructions.
- Papers that do not respond to the assigned question or topic will receive no credit.
- Please bring one hard (paper) copy of your paper to your TA according to his/her instructions. Please upload an identical version of your paper electronically via the iLearn course website (“assignments” page). Your essay will be considered late if you miss either of these deadlines.
- There is a grade ceiling of B- for papers that are late. In effect, this means that a late paper that would have received a B or above if it had not been late can only get a B-. Late papers that would have received a B- or below are essentially unaffected by this penalty. No late papers will be accepted after the end of the last week of class.
- Format: (1) Hard (paper) versions must be printed in black ink; in 12-point font; double-spaced; on ordinary white 8.5 x 11 paper; and stapled in the top left corner. Please use a cover sheet with your name, the date, course, and TA name. Please do not use plastic paper covers and holders. (2) Electronic versions must be in Word (.doc) or some compatible format.
Rawls’s Original Position Assessment Criteria
- Argument: Does your paper have a thesis statement? Is it clearly articulated in the introduction? Is it significant and interesting?
- Organization: Is your paper clearly organized, so that a reader always knows “where s/he is”? Does the organization of your paper reflect the elements of your thesis statement?
- Knowledge: Does your paper demonstrate that you have sufficient and accurate knowledge of the topics and texts we have covered?
- Evidence: Do you demonstrate your knowledge of the texts by providing appropriate and sufficient
quotations, etc., which are cited as required? - Grammar, prose: Do you use correct and appropriate grammar and spelling? Does your prose style help you convey your argument?
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