SEMESTER TWO PROJECT

Analytical essay in Philosophy (IB Internal Assessment

Dr. VanderWilt
Philosophy 2 HL IB
Objectives:
IDENTIFY a relevant non-philosophical work that assists in the exploration of
a major issue in Philosophy
ANALYZE the non-philosophical work from ONE consistent accurately
summarized and validly applied philosophical perspective in a manner
consistent with a Philosophy or Philosopher
EVALUATE the non-philosophical work AND the chosen philosophical
perspective from a well-conceived, concise, and arguable (not asserted
alone) position on a single, select philosophical issue. PERSONAL beliefs or
statements of faith are not appropriate in this assignment; use language and
methods appropriate to philosophy.
REVIEW and ASSESS the work of at least THREE other students on this same
assignment using Turn-it-in.com peer review features
Assignment instructions:
Prepare an analytical essay of between 1600 and 2000 words in
Philosophy
This essay will be submitted to IB as your internal assessment in Philosophy
HL
Follow the model title page attached below. Your title page must include all
this material. Your IB Candidate number is given to you by Mrs. Cunha in the
IB Office. FAILURE to FOLLOW the model title page will result in a score of 0
(zero) in Category A
Number each page. FAILURE to number pages will result in a score of 0
(zero) in Category A
Use standard MLA references for cited material. BE SURE to use the proper
format for non-book and non-article resources such as works of art, images,
videos, television shows, song lyrics and so forth. FAILURE to use citations
and appropriately formatted references will result in a score of 0 (zero) in
Category A
The essay topic must correlate to any of the following: the CORE theme in
Philosophy, any of the OPTIONAL THEMES in Philosophy or any of the
PRESCRIBED TEXTS in Philosophy. This correlation (LINK TO THE SYLLABUS)
must be explicitly stated on the TITLE PAGE and followed through within the
course of the essay . FAILURE to declare and follow through on the LINK TO
THE SYLLABUS will result in a score of 0 (zero) in Category A
Suitable material for analysis includes: novels, plays, poetry, song lyrics,
films, movies, documentaries, television and radio shows, cartoons, paintings,
photographs, other visual images, newspaper articles, letters, internet sites,
advertisements, pamphlets, propaganda, sculpture, sacred architecture, texts
or performances of religious ritual
Suitable philosophical source material to frame your analysis include: any
materials found in the Sheed & Ward anthology, any materials found in the
Meister anthology, any ONE article found in a PEER-REVIEWED scholarly

journal using an online database supplied by our library or the OC Public

Library (EbscoHost, for example), or a chapter length excerpt from a booklength philosophical treatise (such as Descartes Meditations or Platos
Republic) in a standard translation. ALL SOURCE MATERIAL must be
appropriately cited, paraphrased and or quoted following MLA REFERENCE
standards for the works used (in other words, your PHOTO must use the MLA
model for referencing PHOTOS and so forth).
The essay must include a bibliography and references. Attach a copy of
the source material you used for the philosophical analysis. If the work is a
text over 200 words, plays, films, movies scenes, television scenes, radio
shows, or lengthier extracts from novels please include a 200 word summary
description of the pertinent features of the work. This additional material is
NOT included in the 1600-2000 word count limits. In other words, you cannot
use the 200 extra words to reach the 1600 word minimum, nor will it cause
you to lose points for exceeding the 2000 word maximum.
YOU WILL RECEIVE a mark of 0 (zero) in CATEGORY A if your essay is
fewer than 1600 words or more than 2000 words; the word count includes
only the text of your essay, not the title page, bibliography, references, or
200 word description of the material for analysis. YOU WILL RECEIVE a
mark of 0 (zero) in CATEGORY A if your essay does not follow the model
title page and include all required information and sections (references,
bibliography, etc.)
After all students have submitted their essays, you will complete THREE
peer reviews using the peer-review feature in turn-it-in.com. Your peer
reviews will be completed using the same IB Internal assessment rubric that
will be used to mark your Internal Assessment essays by both the internal
reviewers (Dr. VanderWilt, Mrs. Johnson, and Mr. Gentry) and by the external
reviewers who are blindly assigned by IB.
The assessment rubric is attached below.
YOUR FIRST DRAFT will receive an IB score only (0-30 points)
YOUR PEER reviews will receive 10 points for each review completed
appropriately and on time (up to 30 points out of 30)
YOUR FINAL PAPER will receive 30 points when it is submitted to turnitin by
the deadline. (40 points out of 40)
Calculating a Santa Margarita equivalent mark: Your IB estimate score
represents 30% of your mark for this assignment; if you complete the Peer
reviews and Final paper on time, you will have a minimum score of 70%;
expect to receive between 15 and 25 points on the rough draft if you
complete it on time. VERY FEW students receive 26-30 points since these
marks represent a degree of discrimination appropriate to a WORLD-WIDE
assessment of proficiency (e.g. Olympic versus Little League
assessment expectations)
YOUR IB SCORE on the FINAL PAPER remains confidential until it is released to
you by IB during the Summer; appealing your IB mark is handled by IB and
not by the teachers involved in scoring; all INTERNAL marks (the average of
the teachers marking the papers here at SM) are subject to ANONYMOUS
REVIEW and MODERATION according to standard IB procedures that are
applied ACROSS the WORLD. The teachers marking your work on campus

may NOT discuss your IB mark (and in any event, their mark is at best,
PROVISIONAL; and not necessarily indicative of your final mark)
LATE POLICIES for this assignment: LATE FIRST DRAFT = -50% of the
mark awarded; no guarantee you will receive meaningful comments from the
instructor or from peer reviewers in time to make changes; LATE PEER
REVIEWS = 0 (zero); no credit; because you have DEPRIVED a peer of their
need for appropriate commentary in the polishing and revision of their
papers; LATE FINAL PAPER = 15 points if received within one week of the
deadline; an IB mark will be submitted without penalty; you may have given
up the right to have your mark moderated / averaged by the internal
assessment teachers (thus, scored only by Dr. VanderWilt and not the other
teachers); 0 points if received after one week of the deadline; an IB MARK OF
0 (zero) will be submitted to IB as you will not have completed the paper in
time to submit a score (IB imposes an absolute deadline)

Deadlines for this assignment:

ALL PAPERS will be submitted ELECTRONICALLY; in addition please SUBMIT
THREE PERFECT copies of your paper (including ANALYTICAL SOURCE
MATERIAL) with your FINAL PAPER.
SUBMIT all your work through turnitin.com using the DOC, RTF, or PDF formats.
For this assignment THREE PAPER copies will be accepted ONLY on the FINAL
SUBMISSION.
E-MAIL copies will be marked LATE.
February 9 and 10, 2009: LIBRARY WRITING DAYS
February 19, 2009: Rough drafts are due, submitted to turnitin.com
March 2, 2009: LIBRARY REVISION and PEER REVIEW DAY
March 2, 2009: THREE Peer reviews are due, submitted to turnitin.com
March 6, 2009: Final submissions are due, submitted to turnitin.com and THREE
PERFECT paper copies

[Analytical Essay Model Title Page]

YOUR TITLE
YOUR SUB-TITLE
by
YOUR NAME
DATE COMPLETED

Link to Syllabus:
STATED THEME or PRESCRIBED TEXT as given in the PHILOSOPHY SYLLABUS

#### words [ACCURATE WORD COUNT not including auxiliary material]

IB Candidate Number: YOUR CANDIDATE NUMBER

Internal assessment criteria

Assessing the internal assessment exercise
These are the four internal assessment criteria that IB asks teachers to use when assessing the
internal assessment exercise at both HL and SL.

Expression

Has the student presented ideas and arguments in an organized way?

How clear and precise is the language used by the student?

To what extent is the language appropriate to philosophy?

Has the student met all the formal requirements (that is, has the student stayed within the word limit of 1,6002,000 words and provided
the following information)?
o

Title

Part of the syllabus to which the exercise relates

Bibliography and references

Number of words

A copy or description of the source material used for the philosophical analysis. Texts of over 200 words (poems, novels,
newspaper articles) and film/movie scenes or television scenes/radio shows (not the whole movie or show) must be described in
no more than 200 words.

Achievement
level

Descriptor

The student has not reached level 1.

or
All formal requirements have not been met.

The student expresses some basic ideas but it is not always clear what the argument is trying to convey. The use of language is
not appropriate to philosophy. All formal requirements have been met.

The student presents some ideas in an organized way. There is some clarity of expression but the argument cannot always be
followed. The use of language is not always appropriate to philosophy. All formal requirements have been met.

The student presents ideas in an organized way and the argument can be easily followed. The use of language is appropriate to
philosophy. All formal requirements have been met.

The student presents ideas in an organized and coherent way and the argument is clearly articulated. The use of language is
effective and appropriate to philosophy. All formal requirements have been met.

The student presents ideas in an organized, coherent and incisive way, insights are clearly articulated and the argument is

focused and sustained. The use of language is precise and appropriate to philosophy. All formal requirements have been met.

Knowledge and understanding

To what extent does the student demonstrate knowledge of philosophical issues?

To what extent does the student apply the skills of philosophical analysis to material of a non-philosophical nature?

How well does the student demonstrate an understanding of the philosophical arguments, concepts and perspectives used?

Achievement
level

Descriptor

The student has not reached level 1.

The student demonstrates a superficial knowledge of philosophical issues. There is only a limited application of the skills of
philosophical analysis to material of a non-philosophical nature. There is only a basic understanding of the arguments, concepts
and perspectives used.

The student demonstrates some knowledge of philosophical issues. There is a basic application of the skills of philosophical
analysis to material of a non-philosophical nature. There is a limited understanding of the arguments, concepts and perspectives
used.

The student demonstrates satisfactory knowledge of philosophical issues. There is a satisfactory application of the skills of
philosophical analysis to material of a non-philosophical nature. There is a satisfactory understanding of the arguments, concepts
and perspectives used.

The student demonstrates a good knowledge of philosophical issues, which is used effectively to support arguments. There is a
convincing application of the skills of philosophical analysis to material of a non-philosophical nature. There is a convincing
understanding of the arguments, concepts and perspectives used.

The student demonstrates a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of philosophical issues, which is used incisively to support
arguments. There is a compelling application of the skills of philosophical analysis to material of a non-philosophical nature. There
is a compelling understanding of the arguments, concepts and perspectives used.

Identification and analysis of relevant material

To what extent does the student identify stimulus material that is appropriate for philosophical analysis?

How effectively does the student analyse the stimulus material with the aid of supporting material from other areas of the course?

To what extent does the student identify and analyse appropriate examples and counter-arguments?

Achievement

Descriptor

level

The student has not reached level 1.

12

The student identifies appropriate stimulus material in only a limited way. There is little analysis and few or no examples are
given.

34

The student identifies and analyses some appropriate stimulus material and some appropriate examples are used.

56

The student identifies stimulus material that is nearly always appropriate. There is a satisfactory analysis of this material. The
examples used are appropriate and give some support to the argument.

78

The student identifies stimulus material that is always appropriate. This material is analysed in a thoughtful way. The examples
used are appropriate in their support of the argument. Counter-arguments are identified.

910

The student identifies stimulus material that is clearly appropriate and the implications of this material are analysed in detail. The
examples used are well chosen and compelling in their support of the argument. Counter-arguments are identified and analysed
in a convincing way.

Development and evaluation

Does the student develop the argument in a coherent way?

How well does the student develop and evaluate ideas and arguments?

How well has the student demonstrated that non-philosophical material can be treated in a philosophical way?

To what extent does the student express a relevant personal response?

Achievement
level

Descriptor

The student has not reached level 1.

12

The student develops ideas and arguments in a basic way with little or no evaluation of them. There is little evidence of a
philosophical treatment of non-philosophical material.

34

The student develops some ideas and arguments but the development is simple, or is asserted without support or reference.
There may be some basic evaluation of the ideas and arguments but it is not developed. There is some evidence of a
philosophical treatment of non-philosophical material.

56

The student develops ideas and arguments in a satisfactory way and evaluates them to some extent. There is evidence of a
philosophical treatment of non-philosophical material. There is some evidence of a relevant personal response.

78

The student develops ideas and arguments from a consistently held perspective. Evaluation of the ideas and arguments is
effective. There is good evidence of a philosophical treatment of non-philosophical material. There is good evidence of a relevant
personal response.

910

The student develops ideas and arguments from a consistently held and well-justified perspective. Evaluation of the ideas and
arguments is compelling or subtle, and convincing. There is a convincing philosophical treatment of non-philosophical material.
There is strong evidence of a relevant personal response.

FROM THE IB SYLLABUS IN PHILOSOPHY

Core theme
What is a human being?
One of the reasons we study philosophy is to search for a better understanding of ourselves, both as individuals and as
members of groups and wider communities. The core theme offers students the opportunity to do this from a variety of
perspectives. These perspectives ask quite different questions, for example: How can I be sure I really know the other?
What specific meaning does our consciousness of being mortal give to our life? Is there such a thing as a self? Awareness
of the human condition can inspire us to examine our characteristics and notions of person or identity. This then raises
questions such as: Are we self-conscious beings? How do we use language? How and why do we make value
judgments? Are we composed of mind and body? How do we combine reason, emotions and experiences in our
understanding of ourselves, others and the environment?
Possible topics for study
Interpretations of the human condition from diverse world perspectives: for example, Eastern, African, Latin American,
Western traditions
What, if any, are the relationships between mind and body?
Self-consciousness, language, agency, dreams, spirituality, imagination, intuition, passion, reason and emotion,
aggression, moral values, empathy, creativity
Could animals or machines be persons?
Human nature: individuality, universality, diversity
The question of self: Is it possible to know oneself? To know others? Solipsism and intersubjectivity
Freedom and determinism
Our existence in time and place; biological and social necessities; gender and social conditioning
Existential anxiety; meaning and meaninglessness; responsibility and authenticity

Optional themes

Theme 1: Grounds of epistemology

Theme 2: Theories and problems of ethics

This theme deals with ethical questions from a variety of perspectives. It is concerned with practical decision-making and
the way people think they ought to lead their lives. Ethics explores the possible grounds for making moral decisions and
examines notions such as freedom, values, responsibility and virtue. Ethics also entails a reflection upon experiences
such as friendship, hospitality and love. A study of applied ethics explores approaches to important issues, some of which
may be of international concern. This theme allows students to explore philosophically such questions as: Are there
fundamental moral principles that apply in every situation? How do we decide if a particular action is right or wrong? How
should we treat people? Are moral decisions culturally influenced? What do we mean when we say something is right or
wrong?
Possible topics for study
Do moral principles exist? Are they universal or relative to a particular situation or culture?
Are some virtues more important than others?
Self-interest versus the interests of others (ethical egoism)
Doing the right thing and doing the best thing (deontological versus teleological theories)
The greatest good of the greatest number
Duty, dharma
Principles for moral actionnormative ethics
The origins and nature of moral values
Is moral sense natural or cultural? Relative or universal? Subjective or objective?
What is the significance of calling something right or wrong?
Is moral behaviour found only in human beings?
Foundations for moral judgments: belief in a higher being, rationality, emotion, natural law, gender, environment
The nature of moral judgmentmeta-ethics
Bio-medical ethics
Environmental ethics
Distribution of wealthethical responsibilities to humanity
Applied ethics

 Theme 3: Philosophy of religion

Philosophy of religion examines the nature of religion, explores rational arguments for and against various religious views,
analyses the nature of religious language and explores the variety of human religious experience. This theme allows
students to explore philosophically such questions as: Can we prove the existence of a higher being through reasoning or
experience? Can morality be based on religious experience? What is the nature and scope of religious language? Can
religion give meaning to life? Is spirituality possible without religion or belief in a higher being? Could religion be seen as
only a social phenomenon?
Possible topics for study
What does the word God mean? The diversity of conceptions of the divine
Nihilism, atheism, agnosticism, post-theism
Arguments for and against the existence of God
Problems of evil and suffering
Religious language, ritual and symbol
Concepts of a higher being
The nature and value of religious experiences: from social conformity to personal commitment
The pragmatic view of faith: indoctrination, illusion, projection
Faith and motivation for belief, the post-modern view of faith
The human experience of evil: moral evil, natural evil
Sin, alienation and salvation
Religious experience and behaviour
Religion and politics
Religion and gender issues
Religion in a multicultural environment
Religion around the world

Theme 4: Philosophy of art

Theme 5: Political philosophy
Theme 6: Non-Western traditions and perspectives
Theme 7: Contemporary social issues
Theme 8: People, nations and cultures

Part 2: Prescribed philosophical text

The purpose of studying a prescribed philosophical text is to allow students to achieve an in-depth knowledge and
understanding of a challenging work, and to extend their overall comprehension of philosophy. The detailed study of a
philosophical text can be seen as another way in which students learn to do philosophy by entering into dialogue with
another philosopher. The text studied must be chosen from the 12 works on the IBO list of prescribed philosophical texts.
Students at both HL and SL are required to study one text. The teacher should select the text that is most suited to the
students, enabling them to offer a personal response to the text. In studying the prescribed text, students should develop
their ability to present a philosophical argument by testing their own position against the standpoint of the author, and
using the authors ideas to expand their own thinking on the issue(s) under discussion. Students are expected to develop
the skills required to undertake a critical analysis of the text. The study of a prescribed text should be from the text itself
and not from a commentary on it. Furthermore, it is advisable that the study be conducted in class under the teachers
instruction. Teachers are also encouraged to use philosophical texts other than the one chosen as the prescribed text in
support of teaching the core and optional themes.
IBO list of prescribed philosophical texts
N/A Bhagavad Gita
Confucius The Analects
Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching
Plato The Republic, Books IVIX
Ren Descartes Meditations
John Locke Second Treatise on Government
John Stuart Mill On Liberty
Friedrich Nietzsche The Genealogy of Morals
Bertrand Russell The Problems of Philosophy
Hannah Arendt The Human Condition
Simone de Beauvoir The Ethics of Ambiguity
Charles Taylor The Ethics of Authenticity