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Instructions for Essay I
Introduction
One of the most fascinating aspects of virtue ethics is its emphasis on the value and significance of moral models. A moral model is someone who already possesses a fully-developed virtuous character and inspires others to develop the same kinds of virtues. Proponents of virtue ethics maintain that moral development involves imitating moral models. For example, if I want to develop a virtuous character, then I do so in part by imitating people who are already virtuous and internalizing habits associated with the character traits I especially admire. Of course, even when we have fully-developed virtuous characters ourselves, we still benefit immensely from observing and learning from moral models. Doing so is a key aspect of embracing the growth-oriented approach to life that is celebrated within virtue ethics.
As we know, the following character traits are examples of key virtues: courage, kindness, love, wisdom, generosity, creativity, resilience, determination, honesty, fairness, temperance, equanimity, dedication, trustworthiness, patience, loyalty, hope, gratitude, self-love, self-awareness, attentiveness, curiosity, authenticity, empathy, and compassion. Someone whom you identify as a moral model would possess at least some of these virtues and would inspire you to develop and/or strengthen the same virtues within your own character.
Writing this essay will involve focusing on someone whom you admire and regard as an excellent moral model. The moral model you choose should possess at least four or five of the virtues mentioned above or in Chapter Seven. This person could be someone whom you know personally, a public and/or historical figure (such as a writer, humanitarian, athlete, political leader, religious leader, etc.), or even a fictional character. I encourage you to choose someone who fully engages your interest and inspires you to grow in ways that promote your well-being and help you truly flourish.
Basic Instructions
Please divide your essay into two parts. In Part I, describe the moral model you have chosen. If possible, give us an overview of this person’s life. More importantly, convey the virtues that you especially admire in this person and offer illustrations of each virtue by providing concrete examples. For instance, suppose that I have chosen to write about my beloved grandmother, and suppose that I especially admire her courage, generosity, wisdom, and resilience. Then, in Part I of my paper, I would provide illustrations of each virtue. I would offer examples of courageous actions she took. I would illustrate her generosity by describing particular generous practices as well as individual acts of generosity. I would give examples of her profound insights and thereby illustrate the wisdom she possesses. Finally, I would describe challenges she has faced and ways in which she has been courageous and resilient in the face of challenge.
Part I of the essay should be at least 300 words in length. This length is simply a minimum; beyond 300 words, Part I can be as long as you like. Your writing should consist primarily of your own observations, ideas, and reflections, expressed in your own words. In this vein, please refrain from including lengthy quotes and/or summaries of other texts.
In Part II of your essay, describe what you have learned from the person on whom you are focusing. Here, you could address questions such as the following: In what ways has this person impacted your life? What key insights have you gained from this person? How has this person helped you develop and strengthen the character traits you have just written about in Part I? How does this person inspire you and encourage you to be the person you most want to be? How has this person helped you deepen your self-awareness? How has this person helped you identify meaningful goals and inspired you to work toward their realization?
Of course, you need not respond to all of these questions (though you can if you wish!). The main task in Part II is to write about what have you have learned from the moral model you have chosen and, more generally, how that person has impacted your life.
Part II of the paper should be at least 400 words in length. This length is simply a minimum; beyond 400 words, Part II can be as long as you like. Again here, your writing should consist primarily of your own observations, ideas, and reflections, expressed in your own words. We want to hear your own authentic, insightful voice!
Additional Instructions
The essay is worth 50 points. The rubric that will be used to assign points is just below this set of instructions. Please be sure to turn the essay in by the due date: Sunday, March 12th at 11:59 p.m. If you anticipate any problems in meeting this deadline or if any obstacles prevent you from doing so, please let me know as soon as possible.
Please make sure to abide by principles of academic integrity. An essay that includes plagiarized material would not receive any points. To review course policies on academic integrity, please see our course syllabus. Please keep in mind that any sentence or key phrase or clause that is reproduced from another source must be enclosed in quotation marks and the source must be cited. I highly recommend avoiding the use of quotes; your own words expressed in your own voice are far superior to quoted material. Like many courses at SPC, this course uses Turnitin plagiarism review software. If the software indicates that sentences or significant parts of sentences have been “lifted” from other sources, then I cannot give credit for the essay. Again, if you have any questions concerning plagiarism or academic integrity in general, please let me know.
When you are finished working on your essay, simply upload it and submit it. You can initiate the submission process by clicking on the blue rectangle (near the upper right-hand corner of this webpage) that highlights the words “Submit Assignment.” Please be sure that the document you submit is either an MS Word document or a PDF document. If you run into any difficulty in submitting your essay, let me know as soon as possible.
Here are some additional notes related to essay writing in philosophy:
Make sure that your essay is well-written. The essay should be organized into different paragraphs and structured in a way that makes it easy to follow. Sentences should be clear and grammatically sound. Please be sure to proofread your essay to eliminate typos. In philosophy, an essay is a more polished piece of writing in comparison with a discussion assignment.
If you would like to use a particular writing style format and you are familiar with the MLA format, please write in accord with MLA style guidelines. (However, if you are more comfortable with another format, feel free to use it. If you have not yet learned about different writing formats, do not worry! If you follow the essay instructions, all will be well.)
In writing philosophy papers, it is perfectly fine to speak in the first person. In the field of philosophy, you are entirely free to use the word ‘I’.
Of course, if you have any questions regarding the assignment, the writing process, or anything related to the assignment, please let me know. I am here to support you. I want the writing process to be as enjoyable and beneficial for you as possible. I hope that you thoroughly enjoy writing this essay and honoring the person about whom you write! I look forward to reading your essay!
The person I would like for you to write about would be my former boss. She is a owner of her own dental practice, a dentist and amazing human being not only as a dentist, but as a person. She hired me during my externship studying to be a regiestered dental assistant. She taught me so much. I admired her courage, genrosity, wisdom, resilience, kindness, and love. I became a fabulous dental assistant becuase of her and now I am currently going back to school in hopes to get into the dental hygiene program. I had to leave her practice due to my school sceduale but I still kept in touch with her. Today she is helping me get all my obsveration hours I need for my dental hygiene application. SO if you can just write and do your best on this that will be great, thank you
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