Term Project - Detailed outline

Assigned: June 1, 2007
Due: June 8, 2007 (hard copy at the beginning of class, e-copy by 5:00pm)
One per person

The detailed outline (and the research you do in order to complete it) is, without a doubt, the most critical component for the success of your term paper and your presentation. This is where most of your work takes place.

How many outlines? Each person will turn in one separate outline; each representing an opposing view on the controversy. You and your teammeate should coordinate efforts throughout the process to ensure that your team presentation will be an organized, unified, and cohesive effort.

Objectives. Don't look at this as a hurdle. It is intended to be an incredibly useful tool, one that helps to ensure that your term paper and your presentation will be well organized; and that your paper includes all of the required elements. Keep your thesis in mind as you decide which arguments, evidence, refutes, risks, etc. you will include in your outline.

Help. As before, I will be able to provide some assistance. I can help discuss or evaluate ideas. But, I will not be able to critique an entire outline. For this assignment, you can also ask your other COMP 380 students to serve as a critical reader.

Cover sheet: Your cover sheet should include, at minimum:
* Section Number
* TEAM Number
* Brief Topic Title
* Team member names

Include a better developed Summary Statement in your outline. (A sample summary statement for a different topic can be found here if you'd like). By this time in your research, your description of the controversy, and especially your thesis statement, should be far more developed than the Summary Statement you turned in earlier; some of those were pretty skeletal or "weak"; some were stated far too extremely (on either end of the spectrum); however, a few were fairly well developed.

Organization. Outlines can be organized is various ways, just as there are many ways in which to organize a philosophy paper. The sample outline that we've provided uses an organization based mostly on the suggested methodology for writing philosophy papers. You certainly do not have to follow the sample outline in its precise order, just be sure you stay organized and focused on your thesis throughout. For example, you may prefer to address a risk of your position immediately following a particular related argument. Or, you may prefer to start the main body by examining objections to your thesis. You have some flexibility here; just be sure it includes all the required elements, and that it is well organized.

Also keep in mind that your outline may include the division headings/subheadings (Intro & statement of thesis, etc.) as shown in our sample outline, which we think you will find helpful, and your outline can also use casual language and sentence fragments, but your term paper should not do either of these!

You are encouraged to take your final draft outline to the Writing Center, for a guilt-free consultation.

If you do a thorough, solid outline, your term paper will be far easier to write.

Grading. A grading rubric for the outline can be found here.