Human Conduct and Self-Discipline in the Analects and Beyond

Papers are evaluated on a scale running from A+ to C- or No Credit (NC) for unacceptable work.
Permission to rewrite papers will be given at my sole discretion.
A Thesis exhibits independent and original thought, is well developed, and clearly focused on all aspects of
the assignment
Argumentation is interesting, insightful, and well organized
Supporting evidence is thorough and relevant
Narrative and description kept to minimum needed for analysis
Conflicting evidence and counter-arguments are consistently acknowledged and accounted for
Introduction clearly announces the thesis and sets out how the issue will be presented
Conclusion emerges logically from main arguments
Footnotes are used when needed; footnotes and bibliography use consistent and appropriate format
Well organized and well written with thoughtful, precise language
Errors of style and structure are few and minor
B Thesis is adequately developed, addresses all aspects of assignment, but is derivative
Argumentation is strong but may demonstrate occasional omissions or failures
Supporting evidence is less thorough and/or relevant than in top category, but is still substantial
More narrative or description than is necessary at the expense of argumentation
Conflicting evidence and counter-arguments are usually acknowledged and treated
Introduction adequately presents thesis
Conclusion is logical extension of arguments in rest of essay, but may be somewhat weak or
unpersuasive
Footnotes usually used when needed; footnotes and bibliography use consistent and appropriate format
Satisfactorily organized and clearly, if not elegantly, written
Errors of style and structure are few but detract from the presentation
C Thesis exists but needs further explication or definition and is not sufficiently focused on assignment
Argumentation is confused and difficult to follow or assertion dominates over argumentation
Supporting evidence is adequate but sparse, or its relevance is not always made clear
Too much narrative or description at expense of analysis
Little concern for conflicting evidence and counter-arguments or they are not refuted convincingly
Introduction overly terse, lengthy, or confused to be effective or does not agree with conclusion
Conclusion is insufficiently related to arguments in paper
Footnotes are not always used when needed; footnotes and bibliography may sometimes use inconsistent
and/or inappropriate format
Adequate organization and style but structural flaws or mechanical errors compromise the presentation
NC Thesis is unclear, unproven, or even missing and fails to address the assignment
Supporting evidence is irrelevant or missing; essay relies on assertion rather than demonstration
Narrative or description far outweigh analysis
No treatment of conflicting evidence or counter-arguments
Conclusion fails to draw on arguments in the paper or is missing
Footnotes and/or bibliography are absent or improperly formatted
Deficient organization, mechanics, and style result in an incoherent paper
Deviates from prescribed format for assignment
Inappropriate/non-academic style
Paper is plagiarized in part or whole
Paper lacks a completed (and accurate) “Checklist For Papers”
Please respond to one of the topics below in an analytical essay. Take time to consider your
approach, develop a thesis, organize the information you plan to introduce in order of
effectiveness or importance, and support your statements with literary evidence from the
source(s) at hand.
Essay Topic A: Heroic Conduct and Civic Obligations at Odds
Aristotle once said that “the man who is incapable of working in common, or who in his
self-sufficiency has no need of others, is no part of the community, like a beast or a god.”
The conduct of Achilles and Agamemnon in the Iliad validates Aristotle’s fears: both men
have strikingly different conceptions of the moral obligations appropriate to themselves
and remain steadfast in their convictions.
In your paper consider the extent to which Agamemnon and Achilles’ moral
obligations are truly in conflict. How people who hold such opposing views on
morality (and life in general) avoid the kind of tragic conflict portrayed in the epic?
Essay Topic B: Moral and Religious Obligations at Odds
Antigone and Creon have strikingly different conceptions of the moral and religious
obligations appropriate to citizens of Thebes. Are these two conceptions necessarily in
conflict (if not in the situation described in the play, then in other plausible human
situations)? If not, why not? If so, how can people who hold such different views avoid the
kind of tragedy portrayed in Antigone?
ESSAY TOPIC A: Human Conduct and Self-Discipline in the Analects and Beyond
Living up to the expectations of the Master in Confucius’ Analects demands extraordinary
self-discipline. Compare and contrast the recommendations for human conduct offered in
the Analects to the code of conduct that Krishna explains to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita or
to the code of conduct articulated in the Jataka stories.
Evaluation Criteria:
The following criteria will be taken into consideration in evaluating your paper:
a. The clarity of your argument in the introduction and throughout the paper
b. The analysis and discussion of your thesis and the ideas you introduce as supporting
evidence
c. Your facility with language, especially the analysis and relation of your ideas to the
topic
d. Your facility with grammar and the conventions of critical writing
e. The effectiveness and depth of your argument overall—its introduction,
development, analysis, argumentation, and conclusion
Writing Mechanics:
• Your paper should 5-7 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, and neatly presented.
Consult the MLA style for writing academic papers and the checklist for academic
papers on our course blog:
https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eng2800spring20a/?page_id=3421