Doing Philosophy A Practical Guide for Students

by Saunders, Clare; Lamb, Danielle; Mossley, David; Ross, George MacDonald; Cross, Julie

• ISBN13: 9780826498731
• ISBN10: 0826498736
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-07
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Doing Philosophy: A Practical Guide for Students explores the challenges and excitement of studying for a degree in philosophy. It presents practical strategies for developing the necessary skills that will allow students to get the most out of this fascinating subject. The guide examines what it means to think, read, discuss and write philosophically, giving advice on: Reading and analysing philosophical texts, Preparing for and participating in discussion, Choosing and answering essay questions, Constructing arguments, Avoiding plagiarism, Understanding technical terms and logic, Using libraries, the Internet and other resources.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. viii
Introduction	p. 1
Studying philosophy	p. 3
What is philosophy?	p. 3
What philosophers think about	p. 5
Why study philosophy?	p. 8
What does studying philosophy involve?	p. 10
Summary	p. 13
Reading philosophy	p. 15
What to read	p. 15
The reading list	p. 15
How to read	p. 27
Reading philosophically	p. 27
What makes reading philosophy challenging?	p. 48
Summary	p. 66
Taking notes	p. 69
Why is note-taking important?	p. 69
Recording what you have learned	p. 69
Engaging with the material	p. 70
Content - what should I write down?	p. 70
Summarizing material	p. 70
Evaluating material	p. 71
Recording your sources	p. 72
Method - how should I go about taking notes?	p. 72
Use your own words	p. 73
Use quotations carefully	p. 73
Leave plenty of room on the page	p. 74
Distinguish between different types of information	p. 74
Find ways to relate different pieces of information	p. 74
An example of effective note-taking	p. 75
Tailoring your methods to your context	p. 77
Making notes in lectures	p. 77
Making notes from your reading	p. 78
Making best use of your notes	p. 82
Reviewing your notes	p. 82
Comparing your notes	p. 83
Storing your notes	p. 85
Summary	p. 86
Discussion	p. 87
The value of discussion	p. 87
Active learning	p. 88
Contested subjects	p. 88
Roots of philosophy	p. 89
Discussion seminars	p. 90
Preparation	p. 91
The discussion itself	p. 94
Other forms of discussion	p. 98
Presentations	p. 98
Electronic discussion	p. 99
Summary	p. 100
Writing philosophy	p. 101
What to write	p. 101
The essay question list	p. 102
Preparing to write	p. 107
How to write	p. 107
What is philosophical writing?	p. 107
Structuring the essay writing process	p. 109
Planning your essay	p. 112
How to avoid plagiarism	p. 115
Writing your essay	p. 122
Example essay questions	p. 125
Example essay A	p. 126
Example essay B	p. 131
Example essay C	p. 135
Example essay D	p. 144
Example essay E	p. 150
Assessment and feedback	p. 157
The purpose of assessment	p. 157
Why bother with feedback?	p. 157
Sources of feedback	p. 158
Understanding your feedback	p. 160
Using your feedback	p. 163
Summary	p. 165
Resources	p. 166
Library resources	p. 166
Books	p. 167
Journals	p. 169
Copyright	p. 170
Referencing	p. 171
Internet resources	p. 172
Support systems	p. 175
Student centres	p. 175
Careers centres	p. 175
Disability services	p. 175
Philosophy societies	p. 176
Subject associations	p. 176
Some useful philosophical terms	p. 177
Metaphysical terms	p. 177
Epistemological terms	p. 178
Semantic/logical terms	p. 179
Index	p. 181
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