A paper over the material in Chapter 4, “Do We Survive Death?,” in Problems from Philosophy by James Rachels.
The format below is to be followed for every paper. Each Protocol Paper must be 950 words in length (minimum), single-spaced. You can also find a sample paper below written as a protocol to another Unit reading assignment—The Value of Philosophy. You do not submit a protocol paper on that reading. You can refer always back to this Unit if you have questions about this assignment.
Use the following protocol in preparing response papers to assigned readings. Each heading should be listed to indicate which part of the protocol you are following. (Example: Write “THESIS,” and then list your thesis. In the next paragraph write “SUMMARY,” etc.).
Protocol for Response to Readings
THESIS: In a single sentence, state the author’s main point or claim of the chapter. (Make sure you do not quote this.) The remainder of your paper will need to relate to this thesis in some way.
SUMMARIZE: Using the main points of the article, write a brief summary of the assigned material. (Remember not to plagiarize by taking material from the textbook without using quotation marks.) MAXIMUM 100 words!
QUOTES: Directly quote from the chapter/article. Which quotations really took your attention? Which quotations perplexed you? Which quotations did you particularly like or dislike? Agree with or disagree with? MAXIMUM 100 words!
ASSUMPTIONS: Underline a statement or idea from the chapter with which you disagree. (Make sure you properly cite it with page number.) After the statement or idea, give two (2) assumptions the author makes that you believe lead to that conclusion. Next, give two (2) assumptions the author makes that are different than yours.
QUESTIONS: List the questions that you have after reading the chapter/article. Are there particular things that you didn’t understand? What other questions are raised for you? (Notice the plural, meaning your response should include several questions.)
CONNECT: In what way can you connect this article to your own life experience? How do you connect it with other aspects of your college work? How does it connect to the other parts of this course?
