PHIL1301.Rational Education for Women: Wollstonecraft vs.Taylor’s View

I want you to use 4 resources.

PHIL 1301 – Introduction to Philosophy Professor Joshua Ellery, J.D., M.A. Term Paper Assignment 
 Due Date: You must upload a copy of your paper via the course Blackboard site no later than midnight on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.  Unless excused by me, late papers will be penalized one (1) full letter grade for every day late past the due date.  Papers more than two (2) days late will not be accepted. 
 Weight/Value: 40% of your total course grade.  See attached Grading Rubric. 
 Guidelines:  Your term paper must follow the following guidelines:  Total paper length must be at least 2,200 total words in length (approximately six (6) double-spaced pages plus title page and works cited page).  You must insert the final "word count" on the bottom of the works cited page.  Failure to include the total "word count" in your term paper will severely diminish your final grade on the assignment.  Instructions for adding the "word count" field to your term paper will be given in class.  Instructions can also be found here: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-insert-wordcount-in-word   Your paper must be typed, double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch (1”) margins on all sides.  Your paper should include a title page at the beginning of the paper, as well as a separate works cited page located at the end of the paper.  Your title page should be fully descriptive and include (at minimum) the paper title, course name, semester and year, instructor name, student name, and date.  Your works cited page should adhere to MLA Style (discussed further below).  Each page of your paper (except the title page) should include a page number located in either the upper or lower margin.  A table of contents is not necessary, but may be included if you desire.    In writing your paper, you must use and properly cite any relevant primary course text(s), as well as at least two (2) additional outside references.  If your paper fails to cite any sources, you will receive an automatic "0."  You are welcome to use an online resource, but it must be academic in nature (i.e., you cannot cite to Sparknotes or Cliffnotes).  You may find the following online research sources helpful: o Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – https://plato.stanford.edu/ (good background reading on topics and philosophers) o  www.philpapers.org  (a very extensive database of published philosophy articles)  Use MLA Style Guide when citing your primary and outside sources.  Please note that MLA Style differs depending on whether you are giving an in-text citation or a citation on a works cited page.  The following link contains a helpful free guide on MLA Style and several citation examples: http://library.hccs.edu/mla8    
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 Plagiarism:  You are expected to strictly adhere to the college's policy on plagiarism.  If you have any questions regarding what constitutes plagiarism, please contact me so that I can address your question.  Any student submitting plagiarized work will receive an automatic zero ("0") for the assignment.   Writing and Style Tips:  There are many ways to write a very good philosophy term paper.  We will discuss several of these approaches during my Writing Workshop lecture.  In addition, you should also follow these general writing and style tips:  You should re-read the relevant text several times before you start writing.  You should research and find an informative outside academic source to help bolster your paper.  You should outline your paper before you begin writing.  You should revise and re-write your paper at least once after writing your first draft.  You must be sure to cite properly any direct quotes or paraphrased passages – to do otherwise constitutes plagiarism.  Your paper should have a short introductory paragraph and thesis that explains to the reader what your paper will set out to accomplish.  Do not give a lengthy introduction and avoid protracted background/historical narrative.  Indicate the task you will undertake and then immediately get down to business.  Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation throughout your paper.  Write in a clear and readable style.  Use short, direct language rather than complicated sentences or fancy words.  If you are in need of a reference, I highly suggest reading Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.  Never write in run-on sentences, they are distracting, sometimes confusing, and almost always can be written as separate full sentences, however fragments are just as bad.  Do not use them.  Unless you are a professor trying to make a point.  Emphatically.  Avoid using contractions in your writing (e.g., “do not” instead of “don’t”).  Use transition words and “signposts” to guide the reader through your paper (e.g., “First, I will discuss…”  and “However, many counter-arguments to this position exist.”).  Use the present tense, except when describing historical events.  Even though he is dead, “Descartes argues that the mind is distinct from the body…” (not “argued”)  You should use your computer’s spell checking feature, but you should not rely on it entirely.  Read your paper out loud at least once.  Watch out for tricky words: o Properly use “cannot” (one word) not “can not” o Do not confuse “then” with “than”  o “quote” can only be a verb; “quotation” is the noun o “accept” means allow; “except” means excluding o “effect” is usually a noun; “affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence or produce an effect” o “it’s” means “it is” (“It’s raining outside.”) while “its” is possessive (“This magnet has lost its magnetic powers.”)  Other examples include “you’re” vs. “your” and “they’re” vs. “their.”    Avoid using the passive voice, especially phrases such as “It is believed…” or “It is argued that…”  Quotation marks go outside commas and periods (e.g., Socrates argues that piety cannot mean simply “…what all the gods love.”)  In your paper, be clear when you are citing or paraphrasing someone else’s work or text versus when you are presenting your own ideas or arguments.  You should use “I” freely when doing the latter. 
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  Finally, think of writing as teaching someone about a really interesting idea you want to them to understand.  Maintain a tone and level of discourse appropriate for the subject, but think of your audience as a good friend or spouse whom you hope to enlighten and perhaps convince.  In fact, it can be helpful to have someone else read your paper and tell you where it is not clear enough or needs more explanation. 
 Term Paper Topics:  Choose one (1) of the topics below and write a fully developed term paper that adheres to the above guidelines.  
 1. In his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Rousseau uses the traits of "perfectability" and "free will" to help describe different aspects of human nature.  What does Rousseau mean by perfectability?  How does Rousseau define free will?  Does Rousseau think that perfectability and free will are positive attributes for us to have, or does he think they are negative attributes (or a little bit of both)?  Explain fully.  Finally, explain whether you agree with Rousseau's position or not. 
 2. Mary Wollstonecraft artfully explores several different feminist themes in her A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, including the institution of marriage, the role education ought to play in a young woman's development, and arguing that women should be financially selfsufficient. 
 Choose one (1) of the above feminist themes (or another from our readings) and fully explain Wollstonecraft's position.  Next, compare and contrast Wollstonecraft's position with that of a modern-day author/academic/theorist who has written on that same feminist theme.  Which person – Wollstonecraft or the author of your choosing – has the best approach?  Have we as a society finally "solved" this particular issue, or is there more room for improvement?