The purpose of the Philosopher Analysis Assignment is to evaluate beliefs and actions that have influenced educational developments throughout history. From historical examples presented in the current course, candidates will propose one of them as a model of educational philosophy and practice. The selected model will be compared to opposing views and analyzed through a personal philosophy of education. The analysis will address issues of metaphysics, epistemology, and practical implementation and will offer a critique from a Biblical worldview perspective. As candidates research and conduct the analysis, they demonstrate knowledge of educational ideas of the past, consider the relevance of the philosopher, analyze the philosopher in light of their own educational beliefs, and critically analyze the philosopher’s beliefs and actions.
Write an analysis of the beliefs of the educational philosopher you chose in your Topic Proposal Assignment. You will present the cultural context of the individual, analyze the various aspects of the philosopher’s beliefs and actions, present critiques in opposition to the individual, persuasively convey why this individual’s ideas and actions are relevant, and relate implications that may be applicable to today’s field of education. Though your personal beliefs serve as a lens for your analysis, this assignment is not per se your personal philosophy of education and should rarely use first-person pronouns, if at all. Without plagiarizing, you may draw ideas from the Annotated Bibliography Assignment, textbook readings, videos, and discussions. However, this is a new and different assignment. You may not submit a previously written assignment that has been submitted for another course. Doing so would be self-plagiarism. Your analysis should be based primarily on readings and studies you have recently conducted in this current course. As a philosophical analysis, the assignment should present ideas in a persuasive manner. Avoid first-person pronouns (e.g., I, me, we, us) and second-person pronouns (i.e., you) because they tend to soften and weaken the declarative strength of your writing. Rely more on third-person plural (e.g., people, educators, students, they, them) and think in terms of strong, declarative statements of “ought” and “should.” Avoid beginning sentences with “I think that” and “I believe that.” Also avoid “for me” and “to me.” You will discuss what the individual believed to be the purpose and outcome of education. What long-range impact did the individual hope to make on individuals and on society? Though your primary focus will be on beliefs, you may briefly discuss the practices and methods the philosopher implemented. Length: This paper is to be at least 1,300 words in length from the introductory paragraph to the conclusion. This does not count the title page, abstract, or reference pages. Citations and References: Cite at least five sources throughout the paper and list them on the reference page. One of your sources is required to be the course textbook. Other sources may be course videos, academic journal articles, books, and textbooks from other courses. You may incorporate articles from your Annotated Bibliography Assignment and other course assignments as appropriate. After ensuring that current course materials are cited, you are encouraged to cite sources from other courses, such as textbooks or articles. Structure: To ensure the manuscript meets the requirements of the Philosopher Analysis Grading Rubric, you are to include the elements listed below. Note the required headings are to be placed in the same order in your paper as they appear in the outline below. 1. Title Page • Pagination: In APA, all pages are numbered. The title page should be page 1. • Title: The title should not be the name of the assignment (i.e., Philosopher Analysis). It should be a phrase drawn from the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. It should provide the reader a hint of the topic and the main idea supported throughout the paper and may be phrased in a clever, unique fashion. The first letter of all words should be capitalized except for articles (e.g. a, an, the), conjunctions (e.g., and, but), and short prepositions (e.g., of, about), unless they appear as the first word, which is always capitalized. Center and bold your title and position it near the middle of the page or slightly above the middle. • Other Information on Title Page: All other information on the title page should comply with current APA requirements. 2. Abstract: The heading of the abstract should be centered and in bold font. • Place the abstract after the title page and before the introduction. • Do not indent the first line. • The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper. It should present the main idea, main supporting ideas, and the main conclusion/implication.
The purpose of the Philosopher Analysis Assignment is to evaluate beliefs and actions that have influenced educational developments throughout history. From historical examples presented in the current course,