PHI 208 Week 1 Assignment and Discussion

Ashford 2: - Week 1 - Discussion 1








Referencethe DiscussionForumGradingRubric forguidanceonhowyourdiscussionwillbeevaluated.






 
WeekOneDiscussion


Complete this week- “The Graduate”https://bridgepoint.equella.ecollege.com/curriculum/file/1e7aa7ea-801b-4b47-a55e-c8cf6597af26/1/GraduateScenario.zip/story.html scenario. You will notice that there are multiple arguments presented to influence your perspective on the issue confronted in the scenario. You confront arguments every day. In our digital age, however, they do not merely happen in face to face gatherings. Media and social media are often used to convey arguments. View the examples provided in “The Graduate Scenario” activity as well as those presented in this week- required multimedia resources to see what arguments in the media may look like. Then, on your own, find an example of an argument from a media source. Within the course of your posts this week, make sure to do all of the following:

•	Include a link or bibliographical information for the source in your discussion post.  
•	Determine the issue that is being discussed and the conclusion that is drawn on that issue.  
•	Explain the reasons that are given for that conclusion in the example that you identify.
•	Finally, explain whether or not you were convinced by the argument. If you were convinced, explain why you found the argument strong or sound. If you were not convinced, explain why you found the argument weak and lacking.
You must post to this discussion on at least four separate days of the week and your posts must total at least 600 words as you address the questions noted above. Your first post must be completed by Day 3 (Thursday) and the remainder of your posts must be completed by Day 7 (Monday).  You must answer all aspects of the prompt at some point during the week.  Also, be sure to reply to your classmates and instructor.  Try to attempt to take the conversation further by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or responding to the posts that they make to you.  Keep the discussion on target and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can. 

Guided Response: Review your classmates’ posts. As you respond to one another, view the sources that your classmates chose to discuss. If you see reasons supporting the argument that have been overlooked, add those reasons to your discussion response. If you think that there is a different conclusion that is being presented than what your classmate described, provide that alternate conclusion. You might also consider responding to the argument that is made and supporting your responses with evidence and logical reasoning. Use evidence drawn from other sources to support your claims.

For further instruction about how to address discussion prompts in the new format, please view the key terms and Discussion Videos visible on the right in Week 1 Discussion 1.


The AshfordWritingCenter (AWC)  hast wokinds of tutoring available to you.
•	LiveChat - Ifyouhavewriting-relatedquestionsabout a topicbeforeyoudraft a discussionpostorsubmit a writtenassignment, youwillnowbeabletochatlivewith a tutorfor a short (upto 20 minute) conversation. LiveChatwillbeavailableMondaythroughFridayfrom 10:00-11:00 amand 4:00-5:00 pm (PST). AWC LiveChat
•	EmailPaperReview - Ifyouhave a draft, partialdraft, orevenifyou’rehavingtroublegettingstarted, youcancomplete a submissionformandemailyourpapertothe AWC forreview.
o	WritingTutorswilldotheirbesttoreturnyourpaperwiththeircommentswithin 48 hours, notincludingSaturdaysandSundays. Pleaseplanaccordinglyifyouwouldliketoreceivefeedbackbeforeanassignmentduedate. AWC EmailPaperReview
What do you believe is the strongest argument against relativism that was presented the readings for the week?  Outline the argument presenting the reasons the author gives for thinking that relativism is inadequate.  Finally, discuss relativism with your classmates in general.  What are some relativistic beliefs you have held?  Do you believe that they can be justified or do you plan on re-evaluating those beliefs now that you have learned more about relativism? 
Ashford 2: - Week 1 - Assignment




ThesisConstruction



Pleasereadtheseassignmentinstructionsbeforewritingyourpaper, andre-readthemoftenduringandafterthewritingprocesstomakesurethatyouarefulfillingalloftheinstructions.



Overview

ThefollowingassignmentisanexercisedesignedtohelpyouwriteyourFinalPaper. Inthisexercise, youwilldothefollowing:
•	Identify a topicofinterestfromthe list, andnarrowitdownto a particular, concreteethicalproblemorquestion.
•	Provideanintroductioninwhichyoubrieflyexplainthetopicandtheparticularquestiononwhichyouwillfocusyourpaper.
•	Explainthreeethicallysignificantissuespertainingtothisquestionthatwouldneedtobeconsideredwhenaddressingit.
•	Usethe Thesis Generator in theAshfordWritingCentertoconstruct a thesisstatementthatarticulatesyourpositiononthetopicasyouhavedefinedit. (https://awc.ashford.edu/writing-tools-thesis-generator.html)
Instructions

Theexercisemustbeatleast 400 wordsinlength (excludingtitleandreferencepages) andformattedaccordingto APA styleasoutlinedintheAshfordWritingCenter. Besuretoincluding a titlepageandreferencepageasnecessary. Yourexercisemustbeorganizedtoaddresseachofthefivepartsbelow. Numbereachpartaccordingly.
1.	PartOne: ThesisStatement

Usethe ThesisGenerator intheAshfordWritingCentertoconstruct a thesisstatementthatarticulatesyourpositiononthequestionasyouhavedefinedit. Thiswilllikelybethelastthingyoudointhisexercise, butyourthesisshouldbeplacedatthetopofthefirstpageafterthetitlepage.



Yourthesisshouldclearlystateyourpositionandprovide a concisestatementoftheprimaryreason(s) drawnfromthethreeissuesyouraiseinPartTwo. Forexample, havingidentifiedthreeimportantissuesthatneedtobeconsidered, youmayfindthattwoofthemsupportyourview, andwhileonemaypresent a challengetoit, thatchallengecanbeovercome.

 
2.	PartTwo: Provide a BriefIntroductiontotheTopic

Yourintroductionmustmakecleartothereaderexactlywhatethicalproblemorquestionyouareaddressingwithinthistopic, andwhatyouconsidertobetheboundariesofthequestion.



Forexample, a paperoncriminalpunishmentmightconsiderwhethercapitalpunishmentshouldbeusedaspunishmentforcertaintypesofcrime, oritmightconsiderthebroaderquestionofwhetherthecriminaljusticesystemshouldfavorretributionoverrehabilitation. Ifyouwerewritingonthistopic, youwouldneedtospecifywhichofthese (orsomeother) specificquestionyouintendtodiscuss. (Note: Youmaynotwriteoncriminalpunishment, thisisjustanexample. Moreexamplesaregiveninthe "NotesandAdvice" section.) Youshouldaimtofocusyourquestionasnarrowlyaspossible.



Thefinalsentenceofthisparagraphshouldprovide a briefsummaryofthethreeethicallysignificantissuespertainingtothisquestionthatyouintendtoaddress.

 
3.	PartsThree, Four, andFive: ExplainThreeEthicallySignificantIssuesPertainingtoThisQuestion

An "ethicallysignificantissue" is a featureofthetopicandcircumstancesthatmustbetakenintoaccountwhenreasoningaboutthequestion. Forexample, ifyouwerewritingoncriminalpunishmentandfocusingonthequestionofwhetherdrugusersshouldbeimprisoned, ethicallysignificantissuesmightincludethemonetarycosts, thesocialcosts, theimpactontheperson, theeffectonthedrugtrade, andsoon. Andeachofthese, inturn, wouldhavesub-issues, negativeandpositivesides, etc. Yourtaskistobeasspecificasyoucaninexplainingtheethicallysignificantissue. SeetheInstructorGuidanceforfurtherinformation.



The first sentence of each paragraph must be a topic sentence that clearly states what issueyouwillbeconsidering. Theremainderoftheparagraphshouldaddresstherelevanceandimportoftheethicallysignificantfeatureofthesituation. Eachparagraphshouldbefocusedon a distinctissue.