Term Paper Topics

Last Update: Sunday, 27 March 2022

To the Instructor:
Discuss this at approximately 3 weeks into a 15-week term.

Further discussion of any topic covered in class. For example:
1. A critical examination of (someone else's) published answer to one of the questions listed on the syllabus.
2. Your answer to one of the questions listed on the syllabus, including a defense of your answer.
A critical examination of any of the required or recommended (or any other approved and relevant) readings.
A critical study of any monograph (that is, a single-topic book) or anthology (including special issues of journals) on the philosophy of CS.
A critical, but general, survey article on the philosophy of CS that would be appropriate for an encyclopedia of philosophy or an encyclopedia of CS.
A presentation and well-argued defense of your "philosophy of CS", that is, your answers to all (or most) of our questions, together with supporting reasons.
Other ideas of your own, approved by me in advance.

For help with writing a philosophical paper, see:

Wolff, R.P. (1975). A simple foolproof method for writing philosophy papers. From his About Philosophy (Prentice-Hall).
Chudnoff, E. (2007). A Guide to Philosophical Writing. Harvard Center for Expository Writing, Cambridge, MA.

and a wonderfully dynamic slideshow:

For general advice on how to write, on grammar and punctuation, giving citations, etc., see my website "How to Write"

The paper should be a maximum of 10 double-spaced, single-sided pages (that is, about 2500 words) (not counting the bibliography).

Deadlines:

Two weeks from today: Proposal and reading list due.
- Your proposal and reading list must be approved by me before you begin your research and writing.
- Because the term paper is optional, you do not need to commit yourself to it even if you turn in a proposal.
Final paper will be due on the last day of the course.