Due to the brevity of the summer term, in lieu of a full research paper, you are required to submit a research proposal. This proposal will have several elements and steps. The proposal should be for research that addresses some element of the American philosophical tradition.
The most common sort of proposal in this area takes the form, broadly speaking, of “S’s theory of X,” where S is a major American philosopher and X is a topic of philosophical interesting, e.g., “James’s theory of truth,” or “Dewey’s theory of participative democracy,” or “Addams’ account of the problems of charity.” More historiographically-focused topics, as well as topics that address broader philosophical themes related to “pragmatism” or “philosophies of resistance” are also possible, but may be more difficult. Your topic should have some contemporary relevance.
1. Initial Research Proposal (due 6/12)
This is a 200-300 word description of a research topic. The initial proposal is relatively informal, and should explain as thoroughly as space allows what it is you wish to write about. It should be prose, not an outline or set of bullet points. It should at least include a primary research question, such as “Does Peirce’s theory of ‘evolutionary love’ contradict Darwinian evolutionary theory?” or “What resources can Royce’s views on loyalty and community provide for thinking about contemporary online communities?” It would be better for them to include not only a question but a thesis statement that answers the question, e.g., “Peirce’s theory of ‘evolutionary love’ does not contradict Darwin, if we consider the way that Peirce…”
Initial proposals should also answer the “So what?” question. One could, for instance, trace the interactions between Horace Kallen and Alain Locke over the idea of cultural pluralism, and try to figure out who influenced whom. But why would that be interesting to do? What possible upshot could it have? Perhaps it would illustrate some ongoing concern about race, power, mentorship, and credit that continues to be of interest in academic circles.
2. Final Presentation (on 6/28)
A 10 minute presentation of one’s research project. This should be a talk with an argument, i.e., a question, a thesis statement, and evidence presented in favor of the thesis. It is a preview of what the full research project would look like. Obviously, it will be incomplete and sketchy in various respects. But you should not tell us about what research you would do; you should present the product of your research-in-progress.
3 Final Research Proposal (due 6/30)
A. Proposal Abstract
This 500-1000 word document is a formal research proposal or abstract of your research project. It should set the context, give a thesis statement, explain the structure of the (planned) argument, and the evidence that will be presented. It should make reference to at least a few key primary and secondary texts. Like the final presentation, it should present your research project in brief. To an extent, then, it is preliminary and speculative; but you should do enough research to make it plausible. It should also have a more refined answer to the “So what?” question.
Note that a thesis statement is not a question or a statement of intent/purpose, but a clear, complete, declarative sentence. A thesis statement fills in the blank on a sentence like, “I argue that .” or “This paper argues that .” NOT “I will explore .” or “I will discuss __.”
B. Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography of at least 10 sources, with brief annotations of at least 100 words each. Sources should be a mix of primary and secondary sources, including primary sources that are not on the syllabus for the course. Annotations should briefly describe the content of the sources as well as the relevance of the source to the research project.
Citations must be correctly formatted using a major manual of style. If you are using a citation manager or exporting citations from a database, verify the accuracy of the formatting (there are often problems).
The sources should be major journal articles, chapters in scholarly books, or other appropriately academic resources.