Homework on Paper Comments


Thank you for helping your partner. All good philosophers need to have their work read and commented on by other people. By turning your critical eye on your partner's ideas and writing, you do them a huge service, and I'm sure they appreciate it.

Here is how to help:

* As you read, note everyplace where you do not 100% understand what the paper is saying and/or why it is saying it. This is really important - one of the hardest things about writing is realizing when one is being unclear, because the author knows what they are trying to say. Pointing out when you (the reader) don't quite get what someone means, or why something is relevant, or how an argument fits together, is one of the most helpful things you can do for a writer.
* Also note everything that you worry might not be true, and why you are worried about it.
* Note everything that is not obviously true (even if you think it is true) and not sufficiently argued for.

You do not need to note spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes - it's not your job to proofread the paper.

Now, take a look at the grading standards for the paper. Copy everything and and paste these into a new document. For each line in the grading standards, tell your partner if they 100% conformed to what this entry says. If they did not 100% meet that standard, explain to your partner why they do not meet this particular standard. Be as specific as possible. The notes you took while reading the paper will help. But also think about the overall argument - does it do enough? Does it engage enough with what we discussed and read to be convincing? Can you think of serious problems? This should all go into what you say (there is an entry for each of these in the grading standards).

Please note: almost no one meets all of the grading standards on their final paper, much less their first draft. Almost no papers are perfect, and most drafts will fail to live up to a great many of these standards. If you have not pointed out a number of serious concerns, then you have probably not read your partner's paper closely. You really want to help your partner, so if you mostly say nice things, look at their paper again.


Email this to your partner, and cc me.