school of social science and philosophy philosophy ...€¦ · information. always consult the...

SchoolofSocialScienceandPhilosophy

PHILOSOPHYInformationBooklet2015–2016

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ContentsGeneralInformation ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3DepartmentofPhilosophyStaff MT2015‐2016 ........................................................................................................ 3DepartmentofPhilosophyAdministrativeOffice ........................................................................................................... 3StudentInformationSystem(SITS) ...................................................................................................................................... 3Tutors ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4Student2Student.......................................................................................................................................................................... 4Plagiarism......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4TranscriptofRecord.................................................................................................................................................................... 7

OverviewofPhilosophy ................................................................................................................................................................. 8ProgrammeRequirements‐PhilosophyStudents .............................................................................................................. 9JuniorFreshman ............................................................................................................................................................................ 9Modules ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

AssessessmentandExaminations ......................................................................................................................................... 9SeniorFreshman ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10Modules ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

AssessessmentandExaminations ...................................................................................................................................... 11JuniorSophister .......................................................................................................................................................................... 12Modules ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

AssessessmentandExaminations ...................................................................................................................................... 12SeniorSophister.......................................................................................................................................................................... 13Modules ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

AssessessmentandExaminations ...................................................................................................................................... 13CollegeRegulations ................................................................................................................................................................... 14IndividualPapersinPhilosophy.......................................................................................................................................... 14OverallGradeinPhilosophy.................................................................................................................................................. 14PermissiontoDefer/ExcusedAbsencefromAnnualExamination ..................................................................... 14AvailabilityofResults............................................................................................................................................................... 15ConductofExaminations,TestsandotherCreditedWork...................................................................................... 15

ScholarshipExamination ............................................................................................................................................................. 15Noteonwritingessays.................................................................................................................................................................. 16

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Disclaimer

PleasenotethattheGeneralRegulationshaveprimacyoverdepartmentalhandbookinformation.AlwaysconsulttheCollegeCalendarforaccuracy.

GeneralInformation

DepartmentofPhilosophyStaff MT2015‐2016HeadofDepartmentofPhilosophy: ProfessorPaulO’Grady Email:[email protected]

Philosophy(SHP)Coordinator: ProfessorLilianAlweiss Email:[email protected]

PhilosophySocratesCoordinator: ProfessorAlicePinheiroWallaEmail:[email protected]

ExecutiveOfficer: UnaCampbell Email:[email protected]

ToviewthecompletelistofstaffmembersinthedepartmentofPhilosophyvisit:http://www.tcd.ie/Philosophy/staff

DepartmentofPhilosophyAdministrativeOfficeTheDepartmentofPhilosophysOfficeislocatedinRoom5009,5thFloor,ArtsBuildingandisopenMonday,Tuesday,ThursdayandFridayfrom10.00–12.00andfrom14.00–16.00Contactdetailsfortheofficeareasfollows:

Telephone: 01‐8961529

Web: www.tcd.ie/Philosophy/

Email: [email protected]

StudentInformationSystem(SITS)Thestudentinformationsystemisaccessibletoallstaffandstudentsviathewebportal,www.my.tcd.ie

OnSITS:

• Studentscanviewtimetables(forbothteachingandexaminations).• Allfeeinvoices/payments,studentleviesandcommencementfeeswillbeissuedandall

paymentscarriedout.• Studentscanviewpersonaldetails–somesectionsofwhichstudentscanedit.• Allexaminationresultswillbepublished.

ThePhilosophymodulesforwhichstudentsareregisteredwillappearontheirstudentprofileonSITS;studentsshouldcheckthesecarefullyandimmediatelycontactucmpbell@tcd.ieifthereareanyerrors.

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TutorsAllundergraduatestudentsareassignedatutorwhentheyareadmittedtoCollege.Yourtutor,whoisamemberoftheteachingstaff,willrepresentyoubeforetheCollegeauthorities,andwillgiveconfidentialadviceoncourses,discipline,examinations,feesandothermatters.Thetutorisnotasupervisorofstudies.StudentsmaychangetheirtutorwiththeapprovaloftheSeniorTutor.FormoreinformationpleaseseetheSeniorTutorsOfficewebsitehttp://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor

Student2StudentFromthemomentyouarriveinCollegerightthewaythroughtoyourendofyearexamsStudent2Student(S2S)isheretomakesureyourfirstyearisfun,engagingandagreatfoundationfortherestofyourtimeinTrinity.You’llmeetyourtwoS2SmentorsinFresher’sWeekandthey’llmakesureyouknowotherpeopleinyourcoursebeforeyourclassesevenstart.They’llkeepinregulartouchwithyouthroughoutyourfirstyearandinviteyoutoeventsonandoffcampus.They’llalsogiveyouusefulinformationaboutyourcourseandwhattolookoutfor.Mentorsarestudentswhohavebeenthroughfirstyearandknowexactlywhatitfeelslike,soyouneverhavetoworryaboutaskingthemaquestionortalkingtothemaboutanythingthat’sworryingyou.

S2SalsoofferstrainedPeerSupportersifyouwanttotalkconfidentiallytoanotherstudentorjusttomeetafriendlyfaceforacoffeeandachat.

S2SissupportedbytheSeniorTutor'sOfficeandtheStudentCounsellingService.

Website:http://student2student.tcd.ie

E‐mail:[email protected]

Phone:+35318962438

PlagiarismPlagiarismisinterpretedbytheUniversityastheactofpresentingtheworkofothersasone’sownworkwithoutacknowledgement,andassuch,isconsideredtobeacademicallyfraudulent.TheUniversityconsidersplagiarismtobeamajoroffenceanditissubjecttothedisciplinaryproceduresoftheUniversity.HereistheUniversitypolicyasstatedintheCalendar

82General

Itisclearlyunderstoodthatallmembersoftheacademiccommunityuseandbuildontheworkandideasofothers.Itiscommonlyacceptedalso,however,thatwebuildontheworkandideasofothersinanopenandexplicitmanner,andwithdueacknowledgement.

Plagiarismistheactofpresentingtheworkorideasofothersasone’sown,withoutdueacknowledgement.

Plagiarismcanarisefromdeliberateactionsandalsothroughcarelessthinkingand/ormethodology.Theoffenceliesnotintheattitudeorintentionoftheperpetrator,butintheactionandinitsconsequences.

Itistheresponsibilityoftheauthorofanyworktoensurethathe/shedoesnotcommit

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plagiarism.

Plagiarismisconsideredtobeacademicallyfraudulent,andanoffenceagainstacademicintegritythatissubjecttothedisciplinaryproceduresoftheUniversity.

83ExamplesofPlagiarism

Plagiarismcanarisefromactionssuchas:

(a)copyinganotherstudent’swork;

(b)enlistinganotherpersonorpersonstocompleteanassignmentonthestudent’sbehalf;

(c)procuring,whetherwithpaymentorotherwise,theworkorideasofanother;

(d)quotingdirectly,withoutacknowledgement,frombooks,articlesorothersources,eitherinprinted,recordedorelectronicformat,includingwebsitesandsocialmedia;

(e)paraphrasing,withoutacknowledgement,thewritingsofotherauthors.

Examples(d)and(e)inparticularcanarisethroughcarelessthinkingand/ormethodologywherestudents:

(i)failtodistinguishbetweentheirownideasandthoseofothers;

(ii)failtotakepropernotesduringpreliminaryresearchandthereforelosetrackofthesourcesfromwhichthenotesweredrawn;

(iii)failtodistinguishbetweeninformationwhichneedsnoacknowledgementbecauseitisfirmlyinthepublicdomain,andinformationwhichmightbewidelyknown,butwhichneverthelessrequiressomesortofacknowledgement;

(iv)comeacrossadistinctivemethodologyorideaandfailtorecorditssource.

Alltheaboveserveonlyasexamplesandarenotexhaustive.

84Plagiarisminthecontextofgroupwork

Studentsshouldnormallysubmitworkdoneinco‐operationwithotherstudentsonlywhenitisdonewiththefullknowledgeandpermissionofthelecturerconcerned.Withoutthis,submittingworkwhichistheproductofcollusionwithotherstudentsmaybeconsideredtobeplagiarism.

Whenworkissubmittedastheresultofagroupproject,itistheresponsibilityofallstudentsinthegrouptoensure,sofarasispossible,thatnoworksubmittedbythegroupisplagiarised.

85Selfplagiarism

Noworkcannormallybesubmittedformorethanoneassessmentforcredit.Resubmittingthesameworkformorethanoneassessmentforcreditisnormallyconsideredself‐plagiarism.

86Avoidingplagiarism

Studentsshouldensuretheintegrityoftheirworkbyseekingadvicefromtheirlecturers,tutororsupervisoronavoidingplagiarism.Allschoolsanddepartmentsmustinclude,intheir

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handbooksorotherliteraturegiventostudents,guidelinesontheappropriatemethodologyforthekindofworkthatstudentswillbeexpectedtoundertake.Inaddition,ageneralsetofguidelinesforstudentsonavoidingplagiarismisavailableonhttp://tcd‐ie.libguides.com/plagiarism.

87Ifplagiarismasreferredtoin§82aboveissuspected,inthefirstinstance,theDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ortheirdesignate,willwritetothestudent,andthestudent’stutoradvisingthemoftheconcernsraised.Thestudentandtutor(asanalternativetothetutor,studentsmaynominatearepresentativefromtheStudents’Union)willbeinvitedtoattendaninformalmeetingwiththeDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ortheirdesignate,andthelecturerconcerned,inordertoputtheirsuspicionstothestudentandgivethestudenttheopportunitytorespond.Thestudentwillberequestedtorespondinwritingstatinghis/heragreementtoattendsuchameetingandconfirmingonwhichofthesuggesteddatesandtimesitwillbepossibleforthemtoattend.Ifthestudentdoesnotinthismanneragreetoattendsuchameeting,theDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ordesignate,mayreferthecasedirectlytotheJuniorDean,whowillinterviewthestudentandmayimplementtheproceduresasreferredtounderconductandcollegeregulations§2.

88IftheDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ordesignate,formstheviewthatplagiarismhastakenplace,he/shemustdecideiftheoffencecanbedealtwithunderthesummaryproceduresetoutbelow.Inorderforthissummaryproceduretobefollowed,allpartiesattendingtheinformalmeetingasnotedin§87abovemuststatetheiragreementinwritingtotheDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ordesignate.Ifthefactsofthecaseareindispute,oriftheDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ordesignate,feelsthatthepenaltiesprovidedforunderthesummaryprocedurebelowareinappropriategiventhecircumstancesofthecase,he/shewillreferthecasedirectlytotheJuniorDean,whowillinterviewthestudentandmayimplementtheproceduresasreferredtounderconductandcollegeregulations§2.

89Iftheoffencecanbedealtwithunderthesummaryprocedure,theDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate),ordesignate,willrecommendoneofthefollowingpenalties:

(a)Level1:Studentreceivesaninformalverbalwarning.Thepieceofworkinquestionisinadmissible.Thestudentisrequiredtorephraseandcorrectlyreferenceallplagiarisedelements.Othercontentshouldnotbealtered.Theresubmittedworkwillbeassessedandmarkedwithoutpenalty;

(b)Level2:Studentreceivesaformalwrittenwarning.Thepieceofworkinquestionisinadmissable.Thestudentisrequiredtorephraseandcorrectlyreferenceallplagiarisedelements.Othercontentshouldnotbealtered.Theresubmittedworkwillreceiveareducedorcappedmarkdependingontheseriousness/extentofplagiarism;

(c)Level3:Studentreceivesaformalwrittenwarning.Thepieceofworkinquestionisinadmissible.Thereisnoopportunityforresubmission.

90Providedthattheappropriateprocedurehasbeenfollowedandallpartiesin§87aboveareinagreementwiththeproposedpenalty,theDirectorofTeachingandLearning(Undergraduate)shouldinthecaseofaLevel1offence,informthecoursedirectorandwhereappropriatethecourseoffice.InthecaseofaLevel2orLevel3offence,theSeniorLecturermustbenotifiedandrequestedtoapprovetherecommendedpenalty.TheSeniorLecturerwill

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informtheJuniorDeanaccordingly.TheJuniorDeanmayneverthelessimplementtheproceduresasreferredtounderconductandcollegeregulations§2.

91Ifthecasecannotnormallybedealtwithunderthesummaryprocedures,itisdeemedtobeaLevel4offenceandwillbereferreddirectlytotheJuniorDean.NothingprovidedforunderthesummaryprocedurediminishesorprejudicesthedisciplinarypowersoftheJuniorDeanunderthe2010ConsolidatedStatutes.

IMPORTANT:

Allstudentsarerequiredtocompleteanonlinetutorialonplagiarism‘Ready,Steady,Write’http://tcd‐ie.libguides.com/plagiarism/ready‐steady‐writeandtosignadeclarationthattheyhavedonesowhensubmittingcourseworkforassessmenthttp://tcd‐ie.libguides.com/plagiarism/declaration.

TranscriptofRecordTranscriptrequestsmaybemadeviaemailtoucmpbell@tcd.ieDuetothelargevolumeofrequestsfortranscript,youareadvisedthattranscriptscantakeuptooneweekforcompletion,somewhatlongerinMay,JuneandJuly.

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OverviewofPhilosophy

Why study Philosophy? And why study Philosophy at Trinity? Trinity's undergraduateprogrammeisuniqueintakingfouryears,nottheusualthree.Thismeansthatstudentshavetwowholeyearstofindtheirwayandmakethemselvesathomeintheirsubjectanduniversitylife,before,intheirfinaltwoyears,thingsbecomeseriousandeverymarkcountstowardthefinaldegree.Thisstructure iswell suited to thestudyofphilosophy. In their first twoyears, studentsareintroducedtoawidevarietyofphilosophersandtopicsthroughlecturesandtutorialsthatareobligatory;whereasinthethirdyeareachstaffmemberconcentratesonhisorherspecialisedarea in relatively smaller seminars that students select.The final year ismadeupof, first, anumberofsmallwork–in–progressseminarswhoseteaching–and–learningisdistinguishedbya high level of student participation and the openness to experimentation; and, second, thewritingof adissertation inwhich studentshave theopportunity towork closely andover alongerperiodwithasupervisoroftheirchoiceonatopicoftheirchoice.Our approach to the subject, in the Department of Philosophy, stands out above all by itsopenness to a variety of approaches – for it is a fact that philosophers argue, and disagreegreatly, even about the nature and content of their subject. We teach both contemporaryAnalytic andContinental Philosophy (and someof us deny the distinction), aswell asmanyperiodsintheHistoryofPhilosophy.Andwhilewetrytobeontopofthelatestdevelopments,andtocontributetothem,werecognisethatphilosophyhasalonghistory,thestudyofwhichisitselfphilosophicalandanimportantpartofthetraining;thusabouthalfofthecoursesarehistoricalinemphasis.Wetrytolinktogether,ascloselyaspossible,teachingandresearch.Allofus,mostofthetime,teachintheareasinwhichwedoourresearchandpublishourpublications;andthisprinciple–thatteachingandscholarshipgotogether–shapesthestructureofourprogramme.The studyofPhilosophygives to students awide rangeof intellectual skills, including. closereading of texts, the ability to construct cogent arguments, the ability to detect and critiquefaultyarguments,intellectualtroubleshooting,analyticandabstractiveskills.Theseareusefulin awide variety of careers, including law, journalism, teaching,management, creative arts.However,aswellasthesetransferableskills,studentsofphilosophyareattunedtotheintrinsicinterestandvalueofphilosophicalquestions.

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ProgrammeRequirementsPhilosophyStudents

JuniorFreshman

ModulesStudentsmusttakemodulesequivalentto60ECTS.Studentsmusttake:

PI1010CentralProblemsinPhilosophyA(10ECTS)

PI1011CentralProblemsinPhilosophyB(5ECTS)

PI1012HistoryofPhilosophyIA(5ECTS)

PI1013HistoryofPhilosophyIB(10ECTS)

PI1003TopicsinPhilosophyI(15ECTS)

PI1004TopicsinPhilosophyII(15ECTS)

AssessessmentandExaminationsPI1010CentralProblemsinPhilosophyA(10ECTS)

Assessment:2essays(oneforeachcomponent)—50%

Examination:2examinationquestions(oneforeachcomponent)(2hourstotal)—50%

PI1011CentralProblemsinPhilosophyB(5ECTS)

Assessment:1essayfromEITHERComponent1ORComponent2—50%

Examination:1examinationquestion(1hour)forthecomponentforwhichanessaywasnot

submitted—50%

Important Note: For this module, students must not attempt to answer an examination

questionforthesamecomponentasthatforwhichtheyhavesubmittedanessay.Todosoisto

beliabletobepenalisedby10marksfortheexaminationquestionattempted.

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PI1012HistoryofPhilosophyIA(5ECTS)

Assessment:1essayfromEITHERComponent1ORComponent2—50%


submitted—50%




PI1013HistoryofPhilosophyIB(10ECTS)



PI1003TopicsinPhilosophyI(15ECTS)

Assessment: 2 essays (one for each of the Components 1 and 2) + 1 essay for EITHER

Component3ORComponent4(3essaystotal)—50%

Examination:3examinationquestions(oneofwhichMUSTbeforthecomponentforwhichan

essaywasnotsubmitted)(3hourstotal)—50%

ImportantNote:Studentsmustansweranexaminationquestionforthecomponentforwhich

theydidnotsubmitanessay.Tonotdosoistobeliabletobepenalisedby10marks.

PI1004TopicsinPhilosophyII(15ECTS)

Assessment: 2 essays (one for each of the Components 3 and 4) + 1 essay for EITHER

Component1ORComponent2(3essaystotal)—50%

Examination:3examinationquestions(oneofwhichMUSTbeforthecomponentforwhichan

essaywasnotsubmitted)(3hourstotal)—50%

ImportantNote:Studentsmustansweranexaminationquestionforthecomponentforwhich

theydidnotsubmitanessay.Tonotdosoistobeliabletobepenalisedby10marks.

SeniorFreshman

Modules

Studentsmusttakemodulesequivalentto60ECTS(Philosophy50ECTS;BroadCurriculum

10ECTS).Studentsmusttake:

PI2010HistoryofPhilosophyIIA(5ECTS)

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PI2011HistoryofPhilosophyIIB(10ECTS)

PI2012Logic(10ECTS)

PI2013PhilosophyofScience(5ECTS)

PI2014Texts(10ECTS)

PI2005TextsII(10ECTS)

InMT–a5ECTSBroadCurriculumCourse

InHT–a5ECTSBroadCurriculumCourse

AssessessmentandExaminationsPI2010HistoryofPhilosophyIIA(5ECTS)

Assessment:1essayforEITHERComponent1ORComponent2—50%


submitted—50%




PI2011HistoryofPhilosophyIIB(10ECTS)



PI2012Logic(10ECTS)

Assessment:2LogicTests–50%

Examination:2examinationquestions(2hours)–50%

PI2013PhilosophyofScience(5ECTS)

Assessment:1essayforEITHERComponent1ORComponent2—50%


submitted—50%




PI2014Texts(10ECTS)

Assessment:2essays(oneforeachoftheComponents1and2)—50%

Examination:2examinationquestions(2hourstotal)—50%

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PI2015TextsII(10ECTS)

Assessment:2essays(oneforeachoftheComponents1and2)—50%

Examination:2examinationquestions(2hourstotal)—50%

JuniorSophister

ModulesStudentsmusttakemodulesequivalentto60ECTS.StudentsmayselectSIXmodulesfromthefollowing,threeineachterm:

PI3002PoliticalPhilosophy

PI3003TopicsinAncientPhilosophy

PI3006TopicsinAnalyticPhilosophy

PI3007MoralPhilosophy

PI3008PhilosophyofReligion

PI3009LogicandPhilosophy

PI3013TopicsinContinentalPhilosophy

PI3017Metaphysics

AssessessmentandExaminationsPI3002PoliticalPhilosophy

PI3003TopicsinAncientPhilosophy

PI3006TopicsinAnalyticPhilosophy

PI3007MoralPhilosophy

PI3008PhilosophyofReligion

PI3009LogicandPhilosophy

PI3013TopicsinContinentalPhilosophy

PI3017Metaphysics

Assessmentandexaminationsforeachoftheabovemodulesisasfollows:

Assessment: Essaysx2—50%

Examination: 1x3hourexamination—50%

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SeniorSophister

ModulesStudentsmusttakemodulesequivalentto60ECTS.

StudentsarerequiredtowriteaTHESIS(15ECTS),

sittheGENERALPAPER(5ECTS)andtakeSIXSEMINARS,threeineachsemester.

Further,oftheTHREEseminarsinagivensemester,TWOareat5ECTSandONEat10ECTS.

Studentsmayselectfromthefollowing:

PI4124(10ECTS)/PI4024(5ECTS)AncientPhilosophy

PI4128(10ECTS)/PI4028(5ECTS)PhilosophyofLanguage

PI4140(10ECTS)/PI4040(5ECTS)Epistemology

PI4141(10ECTS)/PI4041(5ECTS)PostKantianPhilosophy

PI4142(10ECTS)/PI4042(5ECTS)Metaphysics

PI4146(10ECTS)PI4046(5ECTS)Idealism

PI4147(10ECTS)/PI4047(5ECTS)PerceptualKnowledge&Justification

PI4148(10ECTS)/PI4048(5ECTS)Neurophilosophy

AssessessmentandExaminationsPI4124(10ECTS)/PI4024(5ECTS)AncientPhilosophy

PI4128(10ECTS)/PI4028(5ECTS)PhilosophyofLanguage

PI4140(10ECTS)/PI4040(5ECTS)Epistemology

PI4141(10ECTS)/PI4041(5ECTS)PostKantianPhilosophy

PI4142(10ECTS)/PI4042(5ECTS)Metaphysics

PI4146(10ECTS)PI4046(5ECTS)Idealism

PI4147(10ECTS)/PI4047(5ECTS)PerceptualKnowledge&Justification

PI4148(10ECTS)/PI4048(5ECTS)Neurophilosophy

Assessmentandexaminationsforeachoftheabove(10ECTS)modulesisasfollows:

Assessment: Seminarpaperx2–60%

Examination: 1x2hourexamination–40%

Assessmentandexaminationsforeachoftheabove(5ECTS)modulesisasfollows:

Assessment: Seminarpaperx1–60%

Examination: 1x1hourexamination–40%

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ExaminationProcedures

CollegeRegulationsForlinksandinformationregardingexaminationspleasegototheAcademicRegistrywebsite.Thereareanumberoflinksavailableonthispagewhichyoumayfindhelpful.CollegeGeneralRegulationsandinformationisavailableintheCollegeCalendar.

IndividualPapersinPhilosophyIndividualexaminationpapersaregradedusingthefollowingclassifications.

I 70‐100

II.1 60‐69

II.2 50‐59

III 40‐49

F1 30‐39

F2 0‐29

OverallGradeinPhilosophyForinformationonhowtheOverallgradeinPhilosophyiscalculatedpleaseseethecollegeCalendar;https://www.tcd.ie/calendar/

PermissiontoDefer/ExcusedAbsencefromAnnualExaminationFreshmeninbothPatternsandJSinPatternAtakethesupplementalexaminationiftheyhaveanexcusedabsencefromallorpartoftheannualexamination.Thepaperstobetakenatthesupplementalaredeterminedbythefollowingrules(whicharedesignedsoastominimisethechancesoffailureandtheassociatedneedtorepeattheyearand/orbeexcluded):

• Anypaper(s)nottakenattheannualexaminationforexcusedreasonsmustbetakenatthesupplemental;

• AgradeofF2inanypapertakenattheannualexaminationimpliesthatpapermustbetakenatthesupplementalassupplementalexamination;

• Whenapaperatthesupplementalexaminationisbeingtakenasafirstattemptbecauseofexcusedabsencefromtheannualexamination,workdoneduringtheyearforwhichcreditwouldnormallybegivenwillbetakenintoaccountasifitweretheannualexamination.Papersbeingrepeatedbecauseoffailureattheannualexaminationwillincludenocreditfortheworkdoneduringtheyear.

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AvailabilityofResultsOverallresultswillbepublishedontheTSMnoticeboardattheNassauStreetentrancetotheArtsBuildingandonthestudentsprofileonmy.tcd.ie.

• Anystudentwhofailstoreceivehis/herresultandwhoseresultisnotonthenoticeboard/my.tcd.ieshouldcontacthis/hertutorimmediately.

• Innocircumstanceswillresultsbegivenoverthetelephone.• Studentshavearighttodiscussexaminationscriptsprivatelywiththeindividual

examiners.Astudentwhowishestodososhouldconsulttheappropriateexaminers,(e.g.viaemail)withinareasonabletimeaftertheresultshavebeenannounced,inordertoscheduleameeting.StudentswishingtoanappealagainstaresultshouldconsulttheirCollegetutorsaftertheyhaveseentheexaminer(s).Suchactionmustbetakenimmediatelyaftertheresultsarepublished.

• Examinationscriptsareheldbyexaminers,ordepartmentaloffices,foraperiodof13months.Thisperiodof13monthsbeginsonthedayofthepublicationoftherelevantexaminationresults.Scriptscannotbereleasedtostudents,butstudentsmayviewtheirownscriptsinthepresenceoftherelevantexaminer.

• DatesforthepublicationofresultsandappealswillbenotifiedviatheTSMnoticeboard.

ConductofExaminations,TestsandotherCreditedWorkDepartmentalstaffadheretothefollowingproceduresinrelationtomodulesgiventoSHPPhilosophystudents.

• Tests/essays/projectsarehandedbacktostudentsasquicklyasthemarkingprocesswillallow,andthegapbetweensubmissionandreturnofworkshouldneverexceedsixweeks.

• Examinationpaperswillbeafairandreasonablereflectionofthematerialcoveredduringtheyear.Guidelinesconcerningthebroadformatofthepaper,andthetypeofquestiontobeset,willbeprovidedtostudentsasearlyaspossible,oftenbyreferencetopreviouspapers.

• Ifexaminersand/orcompetentdeputiesareunabletobepresentattheexamination,(e.g.duetoexamtakingplaceinmultiplelocations)theywillbereadilycontactablebytelephone.

ScholarshipExaminationThePhilosophycomponentoftheexaminationconsistsoffour2¼‐hourpapersasfollows:

PhilosophyPaper1

BasedonPI1010,PI1011(CentralProblemsofPhilosophyA&B)andPI2010(HistoryofPhilosophyIIA).

PhilosophyPaper2

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BasedontheworkofaPhilosopherchoseninconsultationwiththeDepartment

PhilosophyPaper3

BasedonPI1003andPI1004

PhilosophyPaper4

BasedonaspecifictopicchoseninconsultationwiththeDepartment.

Allpaperscarryequalmarks.

http://www.tcd.ie/Philosophy/undergraduate/scholarship‐exams/

NoteonwritingessaysPREPARATION

a.Allowyourselfenoughtime

Dosomepreliminaryreadingassoonaspossible.Giveyourselfenoughtimetowritebothroughversion(s)andafinalneatfinishedcopy.Trytofinishthefinaldraftwithatleastafewdaystospare.Thiswillallowyoutoputtheessayawayforacoupleofdaysbeforereadingitafresh.Reviseandwritethefinalcopy.

b.Howtousereadinglistsandthelibrary

Donotspendlonghoursreadingpassively,oneitemafteranother,inthelibrary,anddonoteventrytoreadeverythinginthereadinglists.Usereadinglistsintelligently.

Beforeyoustartreadingatall,askyourselfwhatquestionsyouareaddressingandwhatyouarelookingforandtryingtofind.Askyourselfwhetherabookisonetobereadrightthroughorwhethersectionswillmeetyourpurpose.Whenyouhavereadoneitem,andbeforeyoumoveontothenext,askyourselfhowthesequestionshavebeenclarifiedandmodified,whatnewquestionshavearisen,andthelike.Onlythenshouldyoumoveontothenextitem.Inotherwords,lookforreadingthatyoucangenuinelyandactivelyengagewith,andthenconcentrateonit.(Rememberthatwhentheessayquestionconcernsaparticulartextorasksyoutoconsideranauthor’sviews,youneedtoreadtheoriginaltext,notmerelysomeoneelse’scommentsonit.)

Lookingforgoodreading,andstayingwithitonceyouhavefoundit,isanimportantandrewardingtaskinitsownright.

c.Whattoread,andhow

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Thereisnotonetypeofreading,buttwo.

Theonetypeisbyfarthemostimportant:lookforafewkeytextsthatyouthinkdeservededicatedandextendedreading,andtakeyourtimewiththem.(E.g.‘IshallspendtheChristmasbreakreadingDescartes’Meditations’,or‘oneortwoarticlesbyDavidson’,or‘thisdialogueofPlato’s’,etc.)Youmaygraduallyfindthatsomereadingsyouwanttoreturnto,overmonthsandevenyears.

Theothertypeismuchlessimportant:readingthisorthatsecondaryliterature,forthepurposeofseekinghelpandclarificationwhenwritinganessay.Thiskindofreadingservesausefulpurpose,butalimitedandclearlysecondaryone.

Donotconfusethesetwokindsofreading!

d.Howtotakenoteswhenreading

Whenyoutakenotes,donotjustpassivelysummarizethereading.Rather,takenotesprimarilyofwhatyoufindinterestingandrelevantforthequestionsyouareaddressing.(Ifnothingemerges,readanotheritem.)

e.Discussingwithothers,andreadinggroups

Thisisvital.Philosophycomestolifeonlythroughdiscussion.Sotrytobalancereadingwithdiscussing.However,discussionscanbeawasteoftime,orworse(‘barstoolphilosophy’about‘God,theworld,andthisandthat’),ifitisnotproperlyfocused.Sowhenyoustartadiscussion,agreeinadvancewhatquestionsyouwanttoconcentrateon,trytoarticulatetheseascarefullyasyoucan,andthenstaywiththemforthatdiscussion–donotjumpfromonethingtothenext.(Philosophicaldiscussionshouldnotbemodelledondebatingsocieties.)Agoodwayofensuringgoodandfocuseddiscussionistostructureitaroundapieceofreading,somakeareadinggroupofit.

f.Howtoturnnotesintoanessay

Anessayisnotsimplythewritingupofnotes,butthereisanextendedandcreativeprocessbetweenthenotesandthefinishedessay.Thisprocessbeginsby‘distilling’thenotesyouhavetaken,fromlectures,readings,anddiscussions,intoasetofclearlyformulatedquestions,thoughts,andreferences(includingquotations)–alwayswiththeessaytopicclearlyinmind.Onlywhenyouarehappythatyouhave‘distilled’theessenceofyourlabourscanyoubegintowritetheessay.

WRITINGTHEESSAY

1.Engagedirectlywiththeessaytitle,asthetitleisformulated.

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Thismeans,iftheessaytitleisaquestion,thenengagewith,address,andanswerthequestion.Ifthetitleisaquotationfollowedby‘discuss’,thendothesame.Donotusethetitlemerelyasanoccasiontotalkabouttherelevanttopic.

Forexample,supposethetitleis‘How,ifatall,isthemindrelatedtothebrain?’,thenyouneed,attheveryleast,toclarifywhatyoutake‘themind’tomean,‘thebrain’tomean,somewaysinwhichthetwomaybethoughttoberelated,whetheryouthinktheyarerelatedandwhy,andhowyouthinktheyarerelatedandwhy.Whatyoushouldnotdoisusethistitlemerelyasanoccasiontoreportonsomeviewsinthephilosophyofmind.

2.Decide,beforeyouevenbeginwritingtheessay,andstateclearlyearlyintheessay,howyouunderstandtheessayquestion,andwhyyouthinkthisquestionisinterestingandpotentiallyimportant,andhowyouwanttoaddressit–whatangleandfocusyouwanttotake.

Theemphasishereisverymuchon‘decide’.Writinganessayshouldbeamatterofactivelyengagingwithaquestion,notpassivelyreportingonsomematerial.Intheintroductiontoyouressay,statesuccinctlywhatyourmainpointandyouroverallstrategyare,thengetdownquicklytothesettopic.(Donotgiveenormousvaguemeanderingintroductions.)

3.Makesurethescopeofyouranswerismanageable,sothatyoucandevelop,properlyandthoroughly,eachpointyoumake.Makesure,inotherwords,thattheessayisASFOCUSEDASPOSSIBLE.

Anessayshouldbeastructuredargumentwhichsustainsoneortwocentralpoints,i.e.theonesyoudecidetoconcentrateon,andyoushouldcarefullydevelopthem.Attheoutset,clearlyarticulatewhatthesepointsare,sothatthereisnounclarityastowhatyouareintendingtoshow,andhowthestructureoftheessayandeachparagraphinitcontributestoestablishingthatclaim.Onlyinthiswaycanyouensuretheessaystaysproperlyfocused.Askyourselfhoweachparagraphyouwritecontributestodevelopingyourpointandansweringtheessayquestion.

Asaruleofthumb,eachparagraphshouldhaveoneandonlyonetopicwhichisfullydeveloped.(Bewareofalotofanaemicparagraphsofonlytwoorthreesentenceseach;theyareprobablynotfullydeveloped.)Likelinksinachain,eachsentenceshouldbeclearlyandlogicallylinkedtothetopicofthatparagraph.Likewise,everyparagraphshouldbeclearlyandlogicallyrelatedtotheprecedingandsucceedingparagraphs.Wherenecessary,usetransitionstoensurethereaderisfollowingyouandknowswhereyouareinyourargumentandhowyougotthere.

Thealternative,whichyoushouldsimplyavoid,isthattheessaybecomesalistofpoints,oneaftertheother,withnovisiblelinkbetweenthemandnoadequateattentionandcaregiventoanyoneofthem.Toavoidthis,youwillneedtolimitthescopeoftheessay–yourmottoshouldbe:bettertodooneortwothingsproperly(withcare,patience,attention,focus,…)thantodomanythingssuperficially.

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4.Youcannotbetooclearinadifficultsubjectlikephilosophy.Writenotforyourlecturerbutforanintelligentinterlocutorwhodoesnotknowanythingmuchaboutthetopic.

Thisisvital.Donotassumeanything;donottakeanythingforgranted.Startingwiththeessayquestion,butalsothroughouttheessay,clarifykeyterms,setthingsupandexplaintheissueforthereaderandcommandtheirinterest.Forexample,ifthequestionis‘How,ifatall,isthemindrelatedtothebrain?’,youwillneedtoexplainwhatismeantby‘themind’,‘thebrain’,and‘therelation’.Ofcourse,youwillneedtoexplainthisnotingeneral,buttotheextentthatyouthinkthisisnecessarytoaddressthequestion.

Anindispensabletoolforbothgoodargumentandclearexpressionisasensitivityto–evenapassionfor–thecarefulandcorrectuseofwords.Donotusewordsaboutwhosemeaningyouareuncertain.Donotadoptthevocabularyofsomebookyouhavejustconsulted.Useyourownvocabulary,avoidjargonand,ofcourse,makesurenottoforgetbasicbutcrucialthings,suchasaccuratespelling,punctuation,andgrammar,whichareallaidstoclarity.

5.Distinguish,andlinkup,expositionandcriticalengagement.

Exposition(e.g.thepresentationofaparticularvieworargument)isimportant,andshouldbedonewithparticularcare.Themorefocusedtheexposition,thebetter.

Expositionshouldservetheoverallessay,thatis,theengagementwiththequestion.Itshouldnotbeameresummary–amerelytextbookexposition.

Expositionshouldbedistinguishedfromcriticalengagement.Thesaferuleisnottodobothinasingleparagraph.

Expositionshouldproperlylinkupwithcriticalengagement.Itshouldprepareforthatengagement.

Criticalengagementcantakemanyforms.Obviously,itcanbethatyoustateyourownviewonthequestion.Ifso,however,youneedtodefendthatview,toconsiderobjectionstoit,toaddresssuchobjections,etc.However,criticismcanalsobethatyoustate,honestly,thatyoucannotmakeupyourmind,andwhy;oritcanbethatyouindicatethat,andwhy,youthinkthereissomeambiguityinsomekeyconceptscontainedintheessayquestion,oreveninthequestionitself;oritcanbethatyoudosomecarefulcriticalanalysisofaparticulartext…andsoon.Inalloftheaboveformsofcriticalengagementthecoreofyourdiscussionshouldbeadefenceoftheansweryougivetotheessayquestion.Defineyourpositioncarefullyanddefenditwithreasons,arguments,and(textual)evidence.

6.Whenyourefertoaview,argument,ortheory,dosoaspreciselyandspecificallyaspossible,andcriticallyassessit.

Oftenaquotationisideal.However,avoidjuststringingtogetherquotations.Quotationsshouldbeshort,andshouldservesomeparticularpoint.Aquotecanillustrateacertainviewforyou,oritcanshowthataparticularpersonholdsacertainview,butaquotecannotproveapointforyou,nomatterwhatgreatthinkeryouarequotingfrom.

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Onotheroccasions,acarefulreconstructionofanargument(withreferencestothesource)maybewhatyouneed.Sometimesacombinationofbothisrequired.However,youshouldneverjustparaphrase,summarise,orquoteviewswithoutcomment.Thisisofnovalue:anyonecanread.Ifyourefertosomeone’sviews,youmustcriticallyassesstheworthoftheseviews.

Similarly,whenyourargumentdependsonfacts,donotinventthem.Findoutwhatreallyarethefacts.Donotengageineconomicsorsociologyorpsychologywithoutlicence.Doyourhomeworkbyaskinganeconomist,sociologist,etc.,orbyconsultingareputablebookoneconomics,sociology,andsoon.

Beingpreciseandspecificmeansthatyoushouldavoidgeneralorvaguereferencesorsummaries,andavoidtradinginwildgeneralizations,dogmaticassertion,unarguedmoralizing,orpureinvective,–philosophytakesplaceonpaper,orindialogue(withanotherorwithoneself),notintherealmofnebulousideas,half‐bakedtheories,generalities,‐isms.

7.Whenyourefertoaview,argument,ortheory,refertotheprimarysource.

Itisvitalthatyoudirectlyengagewiththetheories,arguments,orviewsthattheessayquestionrefersto.Forexample,iftheessayquestionasksyoutocompareBerkeley’sandRussell’sviewsontheproblemofuniversals,thenyoucannotwritetheessaywithoutreferringto(insomeoftheaboveways)andcriticallyengagingwithBerkeley’sandRussell’sviewsastheyareexpressedintheirwritings.Itisnotenoughtobaseyouressayon,say,Hospers’accountoftheirviewsinhisIntroductiontoPhilosophicalAnalysisoranyothersuchsecondarysource.Toputitbluntly,torelyononewriterasyoursourceofinformationregardinganotherwriter’sviewsistorelyonhearsayratherthanevidence.Secondarysourcesareoftenhelpful,buttheycannotbeasubstitutefortheprimarysources.

8.Thinkoftheessaynotleastasapieceofcraftsmanship.

Anessayshouldbesomethingthatisenjoyabletoread,andtoreadcloselyandperhapsevenrepeatedly.Thismeansthattheessayisnotsimplyasummaryofyourlecturenotes,orofwhatyou’vereadandthought.Itisaproductthatemergeswhenyouturnallthis–carefully–intoapieceofcraft.Soyouwillneedtoworklongandhard–throughseveraldrafts–atturningyournotestothefinishedproduct.

9.Includeproperreferences,footnotes,andbibliography.

Thisisimperative.Ifyouquoteapassage,summarize,orrefertoaview,youneedtobeaccurateinyouruseofquotationmarksandincludeproperreferencestoyoursources.Otherwiseyoumaybeguiltyofplagiarism!

Yourreferencingshouldbeconsistentandaspreciseaspossible.Youshouldprovidealltheinformationthatisrequiredforthereadertolocatetheparticularpassageyouarequotingfromorreferringto,i.e.,youmustincludepagenumbers!Forexample,whenreferringtoorquotingRussell’sclaimthat“[a]llaprioriknowledgedealsexclusivelywiththerelationsof

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universals”,yourreferenceshouldbeto:Russell,TheProblemsofPhilosophy,p.59,or:Russell,1912,59(not:Russell,TheProblemsofPhilosophy,Ch.10,or:Russell,1912,or:Russell,Ch.10).

10.Formalities

Pleaserememberthefollowingwhensubmittingyouressay:

• Youarerequiredtosubmitbothahardcopyandelectronicone.

• UsethePhilosophyDepartment’sessaycoversheetandcompleteallthedetails,includingyourTeachingAssistant’snameandthenumberandtitleofthecomponentforwhichtheessayisfor–thishelpsimmenselywithdistributingessaystomarkers!(Essayswhicharesubmittedwithoutaproperlyfilled‐outcoversheetwilltakelongertoprocessandmaybereturnedtoyouforre‐submission.)

• Staywithintheassignedwordlimit.Longeressaysaretypicallytooambitious,orrepetitive,orfullofdigressionsandyourmarkwillsufferaccordingly.

• Usethefollowingformat:in‐textreferencesandbibliography;footnotesratherthanendnotes;1.5ordoublespacingforthemaintext,singlespacingforstand‐alonequotationsandfootnotes;12pointtypeforthemaintext,10pointforstand‐alonequotationsandfootnotes;justifiedwidemarginstoallowfordetailed,andsomoreuseful,commentsfromyourmarker;numberedpages(exceptfirstpage);wordcountfortheessay(notcountingfootnotesandbibliography);sheetsstapledintopleftcornerclosetotheedge(nobindersrequired).

ForfurtherdetailspleaseseetheReferencingStyleSheetbelow.

11.Resources

Forfurtherdetailsonhowtowriteaphilosophyessay,howtopracticeyouressaywritingskills,andhowtoreviseaphilosophyessaythroughseveraldrafts,pleaseseethefollowing:

PeterHorban(SimonFraserUniversity):WritingaPhilosophyPaper

http://www.sfu.ca/philosophy/resources/writing.html

JimPryor(NewYorkUniversity):GuidelinesonWritingaPhilosophyPaper

http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html

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JoeCruz(WilliamsCollege):PaperWritingStrategiesforIntroductoryPhilosophyCourses

http://web.williams.edu/wp‐etc/philosophy/jcruz/jcruz/writingtutor/

REFERENCINGSTYLESHEET

Eachpieceofwritingyouproduceshouldcontainreferencestoallandonlythoseworksthatyoudiscussorrelyon.Youshouldnotsimplyreproduceyourreadinglistinthebibliography.Itisnottheretoshowhowmuchyouhaveread,butonlytogivethefulldetailsofworksyourefertointhetext.Ifyoufoundsomethinginterestingwhilepreparingforyouressay,butendupnotusingit,donotputitinyourbibliography.

Yourreferencesshouldenablethereadertoidentifyyoursourceswithnoscopeforerror,anditisyourresponsibilitytomakeitaseasyaspossibleforyourreadertolocateanypassageoftexttowhichyourefer.

Therearetwobasicapproachestoreferences.Thetraditionalapproach(suchastheOxfordandVancouversystems)istoincludefullreferencesinfootnotestotherelevantpassagesofthetext,aswellasafullbibliographyattheend(bibliographyandfootnotes).Inrecenttimesparentheticalreferencingsystems(suchasHarvard)arebecomingstandardinmanyphilosophicalpublications.Inthisapproach,citationsareenclosedinparenthesesandembeddedinthetextandafullbibliographyisgivenattheendonly(bibliographyandintextreferences).

Whileyoushouldfamiliariseyourselfwithboth,youshouldusethesecondoftheseapproaches(bibliographyandintextreferences)foryouracademicwork.Thefirstapproachlooksmessy,asareference‐ladenpagecansoonendupwithtenorfifteenfootnotesatthebottom.

Therearemanydifferentcitationstylesinuseforformattingbibliographiesandin‐textreferences.Theyareallinprincipleequallyvalid,providedthattheyareconsistentandthattheyincludeallthenecessaryinformation(author,year,publicationdetails),inaneasilyrecognisableform.Youshouldfeelfreetouseanyofthestandardsystematicconventions;youcancopystylefromanyphilosophybookorjournalsuchasMind.Hereisadescriptionofoneofthemostwidelyusedcitationstyles.

A.Theformatforabibliography

Forabibliographyofworksreferredto,setthemoutinalphabeticalorder(byauthor'ssurname).Wheremorethanoneworkbyanauthorislisted,orderthemchronologically.Theyearofpublicationiscitedimmediatelyaftertheauthor'sname.Ifthereismorethanoneworkbythesameauthorinthesameyear,use'a','b','c',etc.attheendoftheyeartodifferentiatethem.Titlesofbooksandjournalsshouldbeinitalics;titlesofarticlesshouldbeinsinglequotationmarks.Placeofpublicationandpublishershouldbeincluded(forbooks)asshouldpagenumbersofarticlesinjournals.Themaintypesofentryareformattedasfollows:

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Journalarticle:

Craig,E.1982.'Meaning,Use&Privacy'.Mind91:541–564.

I.e.Author'ssurname[comma]author'sinitials[withfullstops]yearofpublication[fullstop]articletitleinsinglequotes[fullstop]journaltitleinitalicsfollowedbyvolumenumber[colon]pagenumbers.

Authoredbook:

Quine,W.V.1960.Word&Object.Cambridge,Mass.:TheMITPress.

I.e.Author'ssurname[comma]author'sinitials[withfullstops]yearofpublication[fullstop]booktitleinitalics[fullstop]placeofpublication[colon]publisher.

Editors,translatorsandeditioncanalsobeindicatedafterthebooktitle,whererelevant.

Editedcollection:

Lepore,E.ed.1986.Truth&Interpretation:PerspectivesonthePhilosophyofDonaldDavidson.Oxford:Blackwell.

I.e.likeauthoredbooks,adding'ed.'aftereditor'snameandinitials(or'eds.'ifthereismorethanone).

Articleincollection:

Quine,W.V.1975.'Mind&VerbalDispositions'.InS.Guttenplan,ed.Mind&Language.Oxford:ClarendonPress.

I.e.Author'ssurname[comma]author'sinitials[withfullstops]yearofpublication[fullstop]articletitleinsinglequotes[fullstop][In]Editor'sinitials[fullstop]editor'ssurname[comma][ed.oreds.,ifmorethanone]booktitleinitalics[fullstop]placeofpublication[colon]publisher.

Ifthearticlehadalreadybeenpublishedpriortothecollectionyouareciting,replace'In'with'Reprintedin'.

B.Howtorefertoworkswithinone’stext

Referenceswithinthetexttoaworktakethefollowingform:(Quine1960,p.20).Ifitisclearfromthecontextwhichauthorisbeingdiscussed,thereferencecanbeabbreviatedto(1960,p.20);ifitisalsoclearwhichworkisdiscussed,allthatisneededisthepagereference(p.20).Example:

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Therehasbeenmuchrecentphilosophicaldiscussionoftheemotions(Oakley1992;Taylor1985).Philosophershaveattemptedtoprovidecharacterisationsofthetypeofmentalentitythatemotionsare;inaddition,theyhaveofferedanalysesofparticularemotions,suchaslove,jealousy,prideandfear.GabrieleTaylorhasmadeastudyofthe'emotionsofself‐assessment',whichincludepride,shameandguilt(1985).InherstudyshetakesissuewithDavidson's(1976)well‐knowncognitivetheoryofpride.SherejectsDavidson'saccountforitsinsistenceon“aformofrationality[...]whichisnotnecessaryforanunderstanding[...]oftheemotionalexperienceinquestion”(Taylor1985,p.5).

ThisStylesheetisanadaptationoftheoneprovidedbyUCLonwww.ucl.ac.uk/philosophy/LPSG

COMMONMISTAKES–Style,Grammar,Spelling,Punctuation

Arunonsentenceisoneinwhichtwoormoreindependentclausesareimproperlyjoined,thisisusuallydonewithacommafault.Thissentenceisarun‐onsentence,thefirstsentencewasaswell.Breakthepassageupintoseparate,shortersentences;theuseofsemi‐colonscanhelptoo.

Asentencefragmentisanincompletesentence.Likethisone.Somethingtobeavoided.Asarule.Makesureeachsentencehasasubjectandpredicate(withafiniteverb).

Mistakesintheuseofapostropheshavebecomequitewidespreadinstudents’writings,andsuchmistakesdistractthepersonmarkingyouressayfromproperlyconsideringyourideas.Whensomethingbelongstosomeoneorsomething,oristheirpossession,youmustuseanapostrophe.Whenthepossessorissingle,the‘s’followstheapostrophe:Theman’scoat.Whenthepossessorsareplural,theapostrophefollowsthe‘s’:Thegirls’books.[Compare:Themen’scoats]Whennamesendwith‘s’,eitherpositionisacceptable:James’dog,orJames’sdog;however,beconsistent.Donotuseapostropheswithpossessivepronouns:his,hers,its,ours,yours,theirs.Forexample,‘it’s’isacontractionmeaning‘itis’;‘Its’isthepossessive:“It’seasytoteachthisdogitstricks.”

Donotusecontractionsinacademicwork;forexample,‘It’s’,‘don’t’,‘won’t’,‘who’s’,‘you’re’,etc;instead,use:‘itis’,‘donot’,‘willnot’,‘whois’,‘youare’,etc.

‘e.g.’means‘forexample’,followwithacommaandoneormoreexamples.‘i.e.’means‘thatis’:followwithacommaandarestatementorclarification.Itisoftenbetterstyletoavoidsuchabbreviationsandtowriteout‘forexample’and‘thatis’infull.

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Avoidusing‘as’tomean‘because’;ithasameaningcloserto‘like’.Forexample:“Humanscanseeasfarastheeyecansee,becausethatishowwearestructured.”

Incorrect:“…,asthatishowwearestructured.”

Donotbeginsentenceswithconjunctions,e.g.,‘But’,‘And’,etc.

‘That’/‘,which’:

Correct:“Iunderstandthatyoustudyphilosophy,whichisanexcellentsubjectthatwillserveyouwell.”Incorrect:“…,thatisanexcellentsubjectwhichwillserveyouwell.”

Somecommonconfusions:

accept/except,passed/past,advice/advise,patience/patients,affect/effect,peace/piece,allusion/illusion,personal/personnel,breath/breathe,plain/plane,choose/chose,practise/practice,cite/sight/site,precede/proceed,complement/compliment,presence/presents,council/counsel,principal/principle,descent/dissent,quiet/quite,device/devise,rain/reign/rein,elicit/illicit,raise/raze,eminent/immanent/imminent,respectfully/respectively,everyday/everyday,right/rite/write/wright,fair/fare,stationary/stationery,formally/formerly,their/theyare/there,then/than,its/itis(it’s),weather/whether,loose/lose,whose/whois(who’s),your/youare(you’re)

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