Dorje on Consumerism and Greed
Response Paper Description
A critical response takes as its starting point some idea we studied or passage from a reading, and your
thoughts about it. These entries are not a stream of conscious expression of your feelings about the
material, neither are they a summary of what we read or discussed in class.
They are for serious intellectual engagement with the material. These responses are likely to be one of the most valuable components of your education in this class because they provide you with an opportunity to explore what matters to you in some depth and on a consistent basis.
• They should be approximately 650-700 words.
You may find it easier to think of these a short
response papers rather than journals. Responses that fall significantly short of this mark will be
penalized.
• They should be well focused.
You should focus your attention on a single idea or argument, or a relationship between related ideas.
• 1/3 Explanation 2/3 Analysis.
Most of your response should be focused on your analysis of the ideas from class. However, it is important to explain what those ideas are in addition to analyzing them.
Sample Kinds of Response Paper –
• Argument –
A careful examination of the reasons why one agrees or disagrees with an idea discussed in class. A good argument will explain the reasons offered in favor of the idea as discussed in class/reading. Next, it will offer necessary supplements, or counter arguments. If you are thinking about majoring in philosophy, you should get comfortable writing this kind of paper.
• Relation –
A careful explanation of how some idea that we studied relates to an idea studied in another class, or that you have encountered elsewhere. A strong relation response will carefully explain both ideas, and the relationship between those concepts.
• Application –
An application of a concept to a problem or event in one’s life, in the world more broadly, or what happens in a book or movie. This requires a careful explanation of the concept, an account of how the concept applies to the problem, and why it has the implication that it does.
• Reflection –
An exploration of how one and why one thinks about the concepts, with a particular emphasis on how and why your thinking has changed, developed (or not) in light of what we study.
This again requires a clear explanation of the idea we studied, your thoughts about it, and a
careful explanation of how and why you think as you do.
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