Assignment: Truth Paper
From true
During this quarter, each student will write and revise a paper on truth in three parts. In addition, each student will serve as a peer reviewer within a small writing group.
Truth papers should be composed in whatever way is most comfortable, but they are "turned in" here in the wiki via the links on the Truth Papers page.
Each part of the paper should be about 1000 words in length when it is ready to be reviewed.
Contents |
[edit] Part 1: Your Initial Conception of Truth
[edit] Writing due Wednesday, April 11
The first part of the paper is meant to simply get you writing and allow you to record your starting point in this program with respect to the idea of truth. You are not expected to do any research for this part. Instead, you should use the ideas brainstormed in class on the first day to describe what YOU mean when you use the words "true" or "truth" or related words. What experiences have you had which defined these terms for you? How do you use these words in everyday speech? How are they used in modern society? Give some examples of phrases which illuminate the various different ways that people talk about truth.
This section of the paper is not meant to involve research beyond you and your life. We are not looking for dictionary definitions of truth or examples from encyclopedias. We want you to explore truth from an autobiographical perspective. This is not an easy task, but it becomes easier if you realize that there are no right or wrong answers. Focus on the exploration, and work to create an engaging, informative piece of writing. Don't fret! Don't procrastinate! Just sit down and get your thoughts on paper! Revise those thoughts once to organize and enhance them, and consider it done. You will have time to review and revise it later.
[edit] Peer Review due Wednesday, April 18
You will each be part of a group of four or five students who are responsible for commenting on the clarity and engagement of each other's papers. You may also discuss the ideas presented in each other's papers, but that is not part of the peer review process. You must provide feedback to each of the members of your group. Your comments should be posted on the "discussion" page associated with each paper you review.
For more details about the peer review process, read these suggestions.
[edit] Revision (ongoing)
After receiving feedback from your peers, you should be itchin' to change a few things in the first part of your truth paper, even though you will already be working hard on the second part. Do it! Revise! And revise your online version so that your peers and your instructors can see that you are working to improve your writing and your ideas.
[edit] Part 2: Researching Approaches to Truth
[edit] Writing due Wednesday, May 9
The second part of the truth paper gives you the opportunity to research what other thinkers have proposed as the nature or value of truth. Many philosophers have attempted to define and explain truth. Religions and cultures have attempted to explore truth. We will not be presenting these philosophical ideas in class, so it is up to you to find resources of interest to you and your reader. You may choose your sources, but your task is to both summarize and critique a particular approach to truth.
This writing is more formal than part 1, but it should still be personalized, grounded in the themes of this program, clear, and engaging. Don't just paraphrase what you find in some book or encyclopedia. Synthesize several readings with your own thoughts and create your own examples to support the conclusions you reach. It is also important that you provide proper citations of the sources you use to inform your writing. Remember, we don't want to read what someone else has already written about philosophical approaches to truth; we want to read YOUR take on the ideologies of the past in relation to YOUR current conceptions of truth. If you find yourself just rearranging the words of someone else's article in an encyclopedia or other source, then you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing. It will likely be useful to use quotations from other authors (with appropriate citations), but the synthesis of ideas should come from YOU.
This section should require the most time and effort. Do not procrastinate! Begin your research early so that you can survey several possibilities before deciding what you want to explore more thoroughly. Write a few pages each week and then spend the last week editing what you have collected.
[edit] Peer Review due Monday, May 21
Once again, you will be asked to read and comment on the papers produced by the other students in your writing group.
For more details about the peer review process, read these suggestions.
[edit] Revision (ongoing)
After receiving feedback from your peers, you may need to do a bit more research, and you should need to do some revision to improve the clarity and engagement of your writing. You can do all this while working to complete part 3.
[edit] Part 3: The Impact of This Program
[edit] Writing due Wednesday, May 30
The two big ideas we are exploring in this class are Einstein's theory of special relativity and Goedel's insight into the limitations of logic and deductive reasoning. Both of these ideas should make you think twice about what counts as "truth." The third part of the truth paper is a summary of how the material in the True, but not Obvious program as well as the writings of your peers has altered your view of truth. How do you view truth now that you have worked your way through the program? Specifically, how do the works of Goedel and Einstein relate to truth, and how have they changed the way you think about what is true or what is taken-as-true?
Although this writing should be very personal, it is not supposed to be informal. By this time, you should have quite a bit to say even though you may have very unfinished, unsettled ideas. Your task is simply to represent, as best you can, the ideas about which you are confident as well as the the ideas which you still find confusing. Your efforts should be directed toward saying it in as engaging and clear a manner as possible. Translating your own thoughts into clear, engaging writing can be difficult. Use specific examples from class to illustrate your ideas. And remember to keep your paper focused on the big picture -- Truth. When you delve into the details of Einstein's and Goedel's ideas, lead the reader by the hand and bring him or her back quickly to the main themes of your paper. Take some time to work on it. Play with different ways of getting your point across. But don't be timid. Tell us what YOU think!
[edit] Peer Review due Wednesday, June 6
Once again, you will be asked to read and comment on the papers produced by the other students in your writing group.
For more details about the peer review process, read these suggestions.
[edit] Revision
Oops, there is no time for revision. But hopefully you will continue to work on your own ideas about truth in light of what you have learned in this program!
