Philosophy in Literature and Film Free Essay Example

There is empirical evidence that shows that we can be biased despite our best efforts. Because of this I don’t want you to include your name on your paper, or on your Turnitin account. You should only use your ID numbers. If you already have a Turnitin account with your name on it, just go to the Turnitin profile settings and change your name to your ID please.

DUE DATE: By midnight on April 7 (Sunday night) on turnitin.com . You can only submit once.

For further instructions, see Announcements on Facebook (also please ignore the due dates on the Turnitin website itself).

RULES: Write your own work: Plagiarism or any other form of passing someone else’s words as if they were your own is seriously wrong. To avoid it, just make sure you that when you copy things word for word, you put them in quotation marks . And any text or resource you use should go in a list at the end titled Works Cited’ or Bibliography’.

If you are still unsure about what counts as plagiarism, ask me. If you plagiarize, you will receive a 0 on the assignment, and further lose 5 points from your participation grade. There are also no second chances if you plagiarize.

• Quotation: When you quote a text, put quotation marks and tell me where the quote is from, like this blabla (Plato p.12). If you paraphrase someone else, you don’t need quotation marks but you have to include the source and page number in brackets.
• Working together: You can prepare your ideas together, but please don’t write your response together.
• Formatting and size: The paper must be double spaced, should be between 1500 and 2000 words. If you go under the limit or over (+ or -200 words), I will grade the answer more strictly because I expect that either you are making your points very concisely (if too short), or you’re elaborating important extra detail (if too long).
• Using extra readings: Each question gives you the option to use one extra reading. For the first, you can use Walton’s Fearing Fictions, for the second Chalmers’ The Matrix as Metaphysics.

GRADING CRITERIA: Below are the criteria I will be grading your paper on. I’ll give you letters on your paper to tell which of these you did well, along with the numerical grade:

C = clearly written. This means that your sentences are readable, and that you say what you’re trying to say in a way that is precise, and captures your intended meaning.

O = organized. This means that the flow of ideas in the essay is clear, and the reader is not lost. It also means you have paragraphs with clear functions.

U = accurate. This means you described the positions you discuss without mistakes.

X = Good explanation. This means you did a good job of summarizing or explaining the positions in the text.

E = Good examples. This means that your examples were original, or well deployed.

Q = Good quotations. This means that you quoted relevant parts of the text, and were well deployed.

A = Good argumentation. This means that you showed clear grasp of how to defend an idea, either because you defended your own position on a subject, or because you presented the text’s argument forcefully.

R = Good responses. It means that you raised good objections or further arguments to attack or supplement the arguments from the class texts.

D = Deep analysis. This means that you went beyond a basic analysis of the work, and proposed an analysis that ties themes, concepts, or ideas that are not immediately obvious.

Essay : Pick one of the below questions and answer it. Unlike the previous assignment, where the aim was to defend a view through an argumentative essay, here your aim is to give a clear exposition of the philosophical view in question, and analyze one or more scenes/themes of the movie or short story in detail, using the philosophical view. Remember, depth is more important than breadth. What I want you to show is how a given movie/short story can be viewed through a given philosophical framework. Your thesis should look something like this: In this essay I will consider (X)’s (theory Y). I will explain the theory, then show it can be applied to (Character Z)’s situation in (movie M).

Artworks : You have two options. You can either use a new artwork (suggested in the question), or you can use any of the artworks from class for any question. Please stick to only one artwork per paper unless your paper’s thesis requires a comparison of artworks. If you cover a new artwork, I’ll go a little easier grading you. But make sure not to write on the artwork if you don’t really see the philosophical view in it, the paper’s analysis of the artwork still has to make sense.

From class, you can use any of: Game: Wreden – The Stanley Parable Short Stories: Tiptree – And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill’s Side; Twain – Letters from the Earth Movies: Herzog – Encounters at the End of the World; Godard – Vivre Sa Vie; Ray – Jalsaghar (The Music Room); Baki – The Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow Questions :

1. In class we saw that there are different positions we can hold on free will. Explain either the hard determinist or soft determinist view, making the case for it, and showing how it can be applied to your chosen artwork. (Additional artwork you can use: Minority Report, the short story: , or movie: ).
2. In class we discussed the existentialist view of human nature. Focusing primarily on Sartre, explain how existentialists think we should view human nature, and how acknowledging this affects how we live. Make sure to use supporting quotes from Sartre’s text. Apply this analysis to a scene(s) in your chosen artwork (Additional artwork you can use: Taste of Cherry: ).
3. In class we discussed De Beauvoir’s view of women’s condition, and how women should understand themselves from an existential point of view. Present De Beauvoir’s claims about women’s condition, and how she thinks women can overcome this condition with existentialism. Back up your discussion with relevant quotes from the text. Finally, apply this analysis to a scene or more in an artwork. (Additional artworks you can use: The Virgin Suicides: )
4. In class we discussed Sartre’s concept of bad faith. Explain what bad faith is, its different forms, and why we appeal to it. Make sure you quote at least some parts of Sartre’s text. Finally, apply your discussion to your chosen artwork (Additional artworks you can use: The Act of Killing: )

Good Luck!

Remember! This is just a sample.

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