.Directions for the Collaborative Research Projectand Poster PresentationThis is an individually centered and collaborative group project butit is an individually centered collaborative research project. It willrequire that you produce an essay thatengages with our readings orother relevant philosophical readings that we have not covered

PHM 4041- HANDBOOK5in class and focuses on topics that we address.It will be due atthe end of the term but a series of steps need to be completed beforethen.During the beginning of the term, I will divide students into differentgroups. Each group has to choose a group leader(s) or chair(s) and hasto brainstorm about how to approach the topic.1(1) The first step in the process is for each member of the group towrite their section of the collaborative paper. So, each membershould write their own critical, analytical essay. The papershould argue for a position or critically evaluate a claim or aconcept involved in your topic.Your paper should focus on aspecific aspect of the general topic you have chosen. Your papershould have a brief introduction stating your main thesis. Inthe main part of your paper you will expand on the thesis ina coherent, and thoughtful manner.2It should be about3-4page(s)s, and it would be a complete paper in itself.This paper will become part of the larger group paper at theend of the process.(2) The second step in the process is that you are going to shareyour paper with every member of your group.•It is a requirement that you read the papers of allother people in the group and they read yours.•All member s of the group need to use the pdf titledPeerReview Questions forIndividual Papers( located onModule 0 and in this document) to do the peer evaluation.•Once your peers read your paper, they will make com-ments. You need to take seriously their comments andmake appropriate changes to the draft of your paper that1I have relied heavily for directions on this project on Nancy Stanlick’s ‘Individual-Centered Collaborative Research: Method and Theory,’ inTeaching Phi-losophy, 30:1, pp: 85-1102More information about how to write a philosophy paper follows later.

PHM 4041- HANDBOOK6you submit to them. They, in turn, need to take yoursuggestions seriously as well.•Then you need to finalize your individual paper. Youwould need to upload your final individual paper to Can-vas. Attach to your individual paper must be the formtitledChecklist for Indiviual Papers. The form is lo-cated on Module 0 and in this document.(3) The third step in the process is to compose the collaborativepaper. All group members have to come together to decidehow to write as a group the introduction and the conclusionand compile the works cited for the larger collaborative paper.This should be the easiest part of the process. Since youknow what you have written and the others have written, theintroduction should talk about how the various ‘takes’ you haveon your common topic go together. A way to do that would befor each student to come up with a 2-3 sentence summary orabstract of their own individual paper for the collaborative in-troduction and a 2-3 sentence statement of implication of thecontent of their individual paper for the collaborative conclu-sion.Students then work together to produce a ‘seamless’ and co-hesive introduction and conclusion to the final paper, the bodyof which is composed of their own individually written papers.You also going to decide whose paper goes first, second, andso on. Ideally the introduction of the final collaborative paperis composed of the bulk of the parts of the introductions thateach of you wrote to your own papers. The same is true foryour conclusion. The works cited is a compilation of all theworks that everyone used. Your collaborative introduction willbe about 2-3 page(s)s, your conclusion about 1 and your workscited will be about 1-2 page(s)s.

PHM 4041- HANDBOOK7(4) The last step in the process is to compile the final collaborativepaper’s contents and post the file on Canvas. The group chairtakes all the files with all the individual papers, as well as theintroduction, conclusion and works cited that all of your helpedto write and compiles all this into a coherent whole in one pdffile. The group chair submits the group’s paper on Canvas.(a) The paper must have a title page(s) that includes the titleof the collaborative paper, including the names of all peoplewho are part of the group and whose papers appear in thefinal collaborative paper.(b) Next comes the introduction. The introduction shows thenames of the authors of the introduction. If there is some-one in the group who did not participate in the introduc-tion, then that person’s name is not to be included as theauthor of the introduction to the final collaborative paper.(c) Then come the individual papers written by each memberof the group. The first paper will show the title of thatindividual’s paper as well as their name. Then the body ofthe paper. The same goes for the next paper, and so on.(d) The next section is the conclusion for the collaborativepaper. This, too, needs to show the names of the peoplewho contributed to writing it.(e) The final section is the works cited page(s).5.1.Some Notes on and Grading the Collaborative Project.The individual paper that you will write becomes part of a larger grouppaper that contains the papers of others in the group of which you area member.•No member of a group determines what you will write. What youwrite in your own paper is your business.

PHM 4041- HANDBOOK8•Group members are to read each others’ work, make suggestionson editorial content and work collaboratively with each other on writ-ing the introduction, conclusion and works cited page(s) for the finalcollaborative paper.•The grade that you will receive is based on the following: (i) yourown paper, and (ii) your contribution to the collaborative paper. Yourown paper must satisfy the following and will be graded according tothe following criteria:(1) it has clear purpose and thesis or main idea in the introductoryparagraph that explains how you plan to substantiate the thesisin the main part of the paper. (up 25 points)(2) in the main part of the essay, the thesis is supported with ade-quate reasons and evidence. (up 25 points)(3) it is organized clearly and coherently, and uses a variety of ex-amples. (up 25 points)(4) it addresses all parts of the assignments. (up 25 points)•Your group grade is determined by the following: I will read theentire group project and assign a grade to the finished product. Thegrade is determined by taking the sections of the paper, i.e.,(1) introduction (up 25 points),(2) individual papers (depending on the grade that each paper re-ceived),(3) conclusion (up 25 points),(4) works cited (up 25 points), adding up the scores on each section,and dividing by the number of sections of the paper.•Then I will take your individual paper grade and add that to thegrades for the introduction, conclusion and works cited. That is thendivided by 4. This is your individual grade for the group paper.•Your individual grade is not determined by the individual gradesof others in your group. Your individual grade is based on your ownpaper and the collaborative elements of the larger paper. Your indi-vidual grade is determined in part by the collaborative process. But

PHM 4041- HANDBOOK9your individual grade is not adversely affected by a poor grade on anindividual paper written by someone else. Also, a person who writes asubstandard paper is not given credit for the good papers written byothers.•If you do not contribute to writing the introduction, conclusion,works cited, you will not get credit for those sections of the collaborativepaper.What I expect to see is a very nicely done, properlyformatted and well-written final collaborative paper.