Cosmetic Surgery

Comments on how to compose your essays for Frameworks:

First, find out how you reacted to the reading and come to terms with why you think and feel abut it the way you do. Then look at the essay assignment.

Essay 1 – Philosophical discussions on selfhood and the body are part of how we as humans narrate our existence. What strikes you as important when you think about the body and the self? How does the body/ your body matter to you and influence your outlook on life? How does it connect with how you understand yourself, your identity, your desires and your social field? What parts of your body and bodily function connect with how you see yourself being and acting as the person you wish to be? Write a 2-page essay on these questions.

Try to find the most compelling angle (argument/ thesis) from which to propose your reaction to the paper. This means that you have to make choices that are entirely up to you. No one can tell you what you find important and what irrelevant, but strong reactions are usually an excellent gauge to assess which line of argument to pursue in a paper.

You may have reacted to the reading from a moral vantage point; perhaps liked or identified with a character; perhaps you were baffled by the story but you liked its style; perhaps you were opposed to its “textual politics”, its length, its unfamiliarity, its religious or ethical implications.

Do not merely summarize the reading. Instead, make sure to tell me exactly how you build your argument and why you chose the passages you did as evidence. A list of flashy quotes from the text may point to what you find noteworthy, but it is not enough in a formal paper. Instead, try to analyze and comment on the aspects of the story you choose to highlight. This means asking “why”: why do I think what I think? Why am I reacting to the reading in the way I do? Why are my quotes so interesting to me and how do they support my position or ideas? These are effective starting points.

Next, keep in mind that there are certain conventions in academic writing. For example: there are clear and stringent punctuation and spelling rules. Familiarize yourself with them and use the spell check function in you computer! In your formal response paper, your punctuation, spelling and grammar account for part of your grade. Ask a friend to proofread your paper or try to develop editing techniques that work for you. You can get help at the Writing Center.

Always, always save your work and email a copy to yourself!

Please use the following style of heading:
———————————————————————————————————————————
Tobey Blass Blass – 1
Frameworks, Fall 2020
Prof. Soheila Ghaussy

Essay 1: The Self, the Mind, and Brain Death
[YOUR TEXT]

Type your paper and be consistent when you reference quoted material. Make sure that your paper is neat and readable, has you name on every page and all the pages are stapled (not just folded) together. I don’t accept loose, coffee-stained or otherwise messy papers. Make sure your printer gives you a crisp printout in BLACK ink. Also keep in mind that all words in titles are capitalized (except prepositions and conjunctions, for example: “Mind and Body: Ideas on the Self”), and works of art, a book, a film, a play, etc. are either underlined or italicized. In a film like Osama, the figure of Osama is therefore differentiated from the title Osama by this very convention, and it helps your readers to understand what it is that you wish to refer to. Remember that long quotes are indented, and that all quoted material must be properly referenced, page number and all. Avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism! Papers that are not properly annotated and show evidence of plagiarism receive an automatic F and have additional serious consequences.