Topic outline

  • Assignments

    Instructions for Writing the Essay

    The general format of the essay is free. Please adhere to good academic practice. The scope of the essay should be as follows:

    • Course essay (3–5 pages 11px font such as Times New Roman, spacing 1, or 900–1500 words)


    The essay should not include your name, email and student number as they will be anonymously peer reviewed.

    Submit the essay through the links below by the given deadlines.

    Deadline and topic for the essay is:

    • Course essay: an original development of a philosophical idea relevant to you as the writer. Deadline 1.12.2023 at 16:00.

    Please choose a philosophical idea (for example “what the mind is”, “why we exist”, “what is the good life”) that you find personally relevant and discuss it in more depth, using the tools and concepts learned on the course, but expanding beyond them. The tone of this essay should not be simply referencing existing thinkers but be more similar to actual philosophical writing. In this essay you will be practicing original philosophical thought. The emphasis should be on what you think about the topic, although you can support your argument by referring to others.

    Please keep in mind the principles of writing original philosophical essays:

    • Do not hide behind bearded busts; refer to authorities only when it is critical to your argument.
    • Use technical terminology sparingly and only when a non-technical expression does not serve the purpose of expressing the nuances of what you have to say. 
    • Focus on clarity of argumentation and the relevance of each part of the argument for your conclusions.
    • Write about a topic you truly care about.
    • You can use ChatGPT or other generative AI to help formulating your argument. If you use AI, you need to specify that you have used the AI on the paper and be in particular mindful about inserting your personal point of view in the essay.

    The essays will be peer reviewed. After submitting your essay, you will receive two essays from your fellow students to review and evaluate. You will be asked to give feedback for the essays, focusing on what your peer has done well as well as offering suggestions for improvement. You will need to submit your review of the two essays in one week after the submission deadline, in other words, 8.12.2023.

    Instructions for the Learning Diary

    Write 1–2 paragraphs of each lecture, highlighting key learnings and reflecting on both the lecture content and the discussion. The entire learning diary should not be longer than 4 pages. Submit the Learning Diary through the link below.

    Deadline for the Learning Diary is 15.12.2023 by 16:00.

    • Assignment icon
      Learning Diary Assignment
    • Assignment icon
      Absence Compensation Essays Dropbox Assignment

      You can submit your compensation essays/reflections here.

      Please write 1/2–1 pages (150–300 words) of reflection about the topic of the class you missed. Make sure you refer to the topics on the course slides and refer to at least one of the readings for the missed class.

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