Understanding Cultures through Critical Cultural Relativism Perspective

Assignment Objectives: Upon successful completion of this assignment, students will be able to... 

1. Recognize arguments where they occur in text.

2. Extract an argument from a text.

3. Present the extracted argument in a concise, complete, and accurate reconstruction.

Required Format of Paper 

1. At top of paper: Your name, name of class and section number (found in D2L), date

2. Introduce argument with an underlined title

3. Next to argument title, indicate the page from where the selected argument appears following format: (last name, p. xxx)

4. Use flawless grammar and spelling

5. Use no more than 1 page total (anything beyond 1 page will not be read).

6. Use font size of 12 point.

7. Use double-spaced text.

Targets for Essay 1: Select ONE argument from any one of the readings covered in Module 1 to 4

Tips and Advice

l You will be writing what I call a reconstruction (1-2 substantial paragraphs). A reconstruction is a careful, concise, and accurate paraphrase of the argument in the original text - a ‘recasting’ of the author’s argument in your own words. To write a successful reconstruction, you should identify the relevant steps of the argument - both those steps made explicit in the reading and those left implicit. Once you have identified the relevant steps, describe how these steps fit together into a whole argument. This section should be complete and concise. Don’t leave out anything essential to understanding what the author is trying to say, but feel free to leave out inessential details. A test for whether your reconstruction is a good one might be to see whether you can succinctly explain the argument to a non-philosopher - someone who isn’t in the class- in a way that they understand.

l To identify arguments in the text: Look for indicator words (e.g., “consequently, therefore, it follows that...”) to identify conclusion, then look nearby in text for the premises. Note that indicator words may also appear for premises as well (e.g., “because”).

l No summaries; minimal quotes. An argument reconstruction is not a summary. Here’s how the two are different: a reconstruction is a paraphrase or a recasting of the argument’s premises and conclusions in your own words, representing the argument accurately without copying it. A summary is a truncated version of the argument; perhaps nothing more than a simple statement of the argument’s conclusion. Alternatively, a summary may be a haphazardly ordered list of things that the author says in the paper without any attempt to connect them together in a logical and coherent way. You should identify the argument’s conclusion and its associated premises (i.e., reasons the author offers in support of the conclusion). Quotes should be used sparingly, if used at all.

l Don’t write introductions or conclusions. I know that many of your English composition and college writing courses have stressed the need for an engaging, lengthy introductions and summarizing conclusions. This paper is not a standard college essay; it is a specialized tool meant to promote the skill of coming straight to the point and get on with the business of reconstructing and, eventually, responding to arguments. (That’s the task of Essays 2 and 3.)

l Reconstruct the argument in plain prose. There is no need to provide the argument in logically-valid premise and conclusion form. Show how the argument works in a normal written paragraph. Aim for clear, straight-forward, easy-to-understand prose; do not use a thesaurus to embellish your prose such that the fanciness of your language comes at the expense of clarity.

l Apply the paragraph rule. Arguments may be contained in as little as one or two paragraphs within an assigned reading. You may choose any argument contained within the above “Potential Targets” essays. Do not attempt to reconstruct an entire essay. Essays contain many arguments; choose one. An example: within his assigned reading, Mill argues that some pleasures are qualitatively better than others. If that is your target, don’t include detail that’s not necessary to understanding this one argument Mill makes.

l The model below gives you a demonstration of items 1-3 from “Required Format” above. Make your paper’s heading look like this (making appropriate changes for section number, date, argument, and page number):

Outline of Essay 1

This is a short example only of an Essay 1, not the finished product or recommended format; it is not meant as an endorsement of the subject matter one way or the other.) The subject of the outline is Maggie Gallagher’s argument against same-sex marriage, drawn from the book Debating Same Sex Marriage.

1. Reconstruction. [note: this is not your argument. Stick to explaining what the author says.]

a. Same-sex marriage will disrupt the public understanding of the function of marriage. The public understanding of marriage is that it provides a method for linking fathers to children. Allowing same-sex couples to marry will alter the public understanding of marriage such that people will no longer think marriage is fundamentally about childrearing, but about the desires of the couple involved. This alteration of the public understanding of marriage will be harmful to children. So same-sex marriage should not be allowed.

Assessment Criteria for Essay 1

This paper is worth 100 points. The paper will be judged as a whole according to the following criteria. Each criteria will be rated as either A, B, C, or D/F. The difference between D and F is a matter of degree, given that the sort of errors involved are the same. In general, the ratings mean the following:

l A = Excellent. Minimal or no flaws, mistakes, or misunderstandings.

l B = Competent. Room for improvement; coverage is uneven; some minor but no major mistakes.

l C = Fair. Significant mistakes or misunderstandings. In need of significant revision.

l D = Poor. Major mistakes or misunderstandings. In need of complete re-do.

l F = Fail. Catastrophic mistakes; not following directions; not completing part of the assignment.

1. Reconstruction - arguments are represented accurately by being faithful to the original meaning of the text that the argument is drawn from; no misunderstandings of arguments present

2. Style & Mechanics - all applicable rules of spelling & grammar are properly followed; all required formatting is included; paper does not exceed 1 page in length.