Philosophy First Essay Topic and Instructions
Essay prompts
The following are some general prompts for essay topics:
Topic 1
It is often said that business interests and the pressures of the marketplace stand in the way of the media disseminating information which is in the public interest. Drawing from the papers by Jackson and Lichtenberg, critically evaluate their proposals for dealing with this problem. (You can also draw from Chomsky here.)
Topic 2
Why are the communicative obligations of the media often defined and developed using the language of rights, especially the right to non-interference, and do you see any limitations in doing so? Put another way, what kinds of limitations, if any, should be placed on freedom of press? Critically discuss with reference to the papers by Lichtenberg and O’Neill. Mill, of course, can also be brought into this discussion.
Topic 3
The public’s “right to know” is often used to defend freedom of press and to justify journalists causing harm to others. Drawing from the papers by Ward and Meyers, discuss and critically examine the limitations of such a right and the connections between freedom of press and the harm principle. Specifically, what limitations, if any, do you think the harm principle should place on the liberty of the press?
Instructions and criteria of assessment
You must draw from at least two of the papers from the class syllabus. The point is to write an argumentative essay. Specifically, you need to:
(i) State your thesis explicitly (‘My goal in this paper is to…’).
(ii) Explicate the text (identifying, contrasting, and discussing the arguments made by the authors you are examining, and which relate to your thesis).
(iii) Provide analysis (with a view to supporting your thesis)
In other words, you will be evaluated on the how well you explicate the positions of the authors you examine, on the strength of the arguments you make in support of the position you are arguing for, and on how well you argue against rival positions. Make sure you reference all sources, including the papers in our course package, or any other sources used. The paper should be double spaced, 6 pages long.
Here are some questions you should keep in mind in writing your paper:
Does your paper have a clearly articulated thesis?
Is the thesis supported by arguments?
Are these arguments logically structured?
Do you make use of the primary texts in defending your thesis?
Have you anticipated potential criticisms of your position and demonstrated why your position is superior to rival interpretations?
Is your writing clear and to the point?
Is your writing technically flawless, free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?
Do you have proper documentation in a consistent style?
