WRITTEN PRECIS OF PHILOSOPHICAL TEXTS FOR HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

Bob Corbett
Fall 2000

There are five written precis required of each student. The texts and due dates are:

1. Aug. 30 precis on Rene Descartes' meditation # 3.
2. Sept. 18 precis of Baruch Spinoza's Ethics.
3. Oct. 2 precis of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
4. Nov. 6 precis of David Hume's Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding.
5. Nov. 15 precis of Immanuel Kant's Prologomena.

THE ASSIGNMENT; PREPARATION HINTS; GRADING CRITERIA

• ASSIGNMENT:  Write a two-page (single spaced, small margins on all four sides) precis of the assigned material. The first page must be an analysis of ONE SINGLE argument of the author's which you claim to be central to the whole of the work we are reading. The second page should then be as careful a summary of the rest of the text as you can fit within the space limits. The first argument MUST be at least 3/4 a page and may not go onto page 2 in any circumstance. The whole page must be exactly 2 pages long. The paper is 100% analysis and not a single word of evaluation should be anywhere in the paper.

• PRE-PREPARATION TASKS:
  1. Read the essay with care.
  2. Figure out the central claim of the essay. Decide on which is the central argument of the text on which you will focus the first part of your essay.
  3. First work on getting the thesis statement down to one sentence of about 15 words.
  4. Then figure out what are the primary arguments or considerations which the author offer for this thesis.
  5. Figure out the over view of the whole which you will present in the second section.
  6. Think it through.

• THE PRECIS ITSELF:
  1. First present the author's central thesis. This should be in one short sentence.
  2. Second, detail the reasons and considerations which the author gives for that thesis.
  3. These first two tasks may not be more than one page, not even by a word, and must be at least 3/4 the page.
  4. In the space left, to the last line of page two, explain the whole of the reading so that we get a sense of it as a unit.
  5. There may be no page three.
  6. The precis must not contain a single word of evaluation.
  7. The paper must be carefully edited. It must be two pages, exactly so, no more no less. Absolutely not ONE word of the first section may carry over to the second page, but it must be 3/4th of the first page minumum.
  8. The paper must be single spaced and with no more than 12 point type and with small margins on all four sides, no more than an inch at the top and bottom and less on the two sides.

• THINGS I WILL ESPECIALLY NOTE AND LOOK FOR IN GRADING THE PRECIS:
  1. Is the thesis of the essay analyzed stated early in the paper in a single short sentence?
  2. Are the arguments of the author for the central thesis accurately reported?
  3. Is the argument presented in clear and articulate language in the student's own words without a single quote from the author in question and none of the language too close to the author's original. In a word -- is this all in the student's language?
  4. Is the first section at least 3/4 the page, but not carry on to the second page?
  5. Does the summary of page two accurately and persuasively represent the author's text?
  6. Is the paper EXACTLY two pages, singled spaced with small margins and normal sized type?
  7. Is the paper carefully proof-read, in standard English and with a minumum of errors of grammar, spelling or missed typos?

• THE GRADES THEMSELVES:
  • A grade of A will mean: The central thesis of page one is indeed the central thesis of the author and is completely accurate to the text. It is done in detail of at least 3/4 a page but not more than 1. The second section gives an accurate sense of the whole, and the paper exactly two pages long. The whole of the paper was in standard English with a minimum of errors and a spalsh of style and taste.
  • A grade of B Both the analysis of the central thesis and overview analysis of the whole are quite accurate and the paper meets ALL the basic requirments of size and form. However, the paper is not quite as exceptional as an A paper would be expected to be; or conversely, the content is quite brilliant, but there are excessive lapses in the form.
  • A grade of C will mean: A genuinely good paper that is primarily accurate and the form and style are strong. However, the paper lacks any glimpses of something beyond the expected, the reasonable expectation of college work. It is just that. Normal, good, solid work with neither noticeable weaknesses nor special moments of brilliance.
  • A grade of D will mean: Some more serious deviations from the criteria expressed above. These might be in inaccuracies of the anaylsis, noticeable lapses in form or special weaknesses in the use of the English language.
  • A grade of F may mean anyone of three things:
    1. The paper was not turned in on time.
    2. Significant failures to meet the assignment at the level of reasonable university level expectations of thought, attention to detail, attention to the time guidelines or presentation expectations. (Specifics will be pointed out).
    3. Some of the particular aspects of the assignment were ignored (length, form, separate of sections, etc.) or presented in quite unacceptable forms.

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