Right Answer Writing Question

if you do use an external source, you must cite it

Please respond to the prompt below in no more than four (double-spaced, 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, one-inch margin) pages. Do not use a cover sheet and put only your student ID number, the prompt you are answering, and the words “Assignment #1” at the top of the page. You should up-load an electronic copy to bCourses through the “Assignments” tab by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8.

Prompt:

Many people (including her own parents) believe that Rachel Dolezal’s claim that she is black is false. If this belief is correct then it would seem that a constraint on an adequate theory of race and racial identity is that it ought to be able to why Dolezal’s claim is false. Discuss whether Appiah has (in the readings we have discussed) the resources to explain why Dolezal claim is false, and whether a social constructionist account of race is in a better position than Appiah to explain why Dolezal is mistaken. (You need not discuss the views of all of the constructionists we have talked about—Taylor, Haslanger, Gooding-Williams; focusing on the views of one of them would be fine.)

Further Important Instructions:

Please be advised that how clear, well-written and well-organized your response is will be considered in the assignment of grades. So, make sure to leave some time for proof-reading before you submit your assignment.

You should feel free to discuss the prompt with classmates, but it is extremely important that when it comes time to write up your assignment you find a quiet place by yourself to work. To avoid any appearance of plagiarism, do not collaborate in writing your responses. External sources are not likely to be helpful in completing this assignment, but if you do use an external source, you must cite it. Policies about plagiarism can be found in the syllabus. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, do not hesitate to ask.

For the sake of saving space, you do not need to treat this assignment as an essay (with an introductory paragraph and a conclusion). If it feels too awkward to you to not have an introductory paragraph, you should limit it to two or three sentences. Concluding paragraphs are unnecessary unless you are making a further point that has not been made in the body of your essay. (In other words, there is no need to sum up what you have already said.)

You should consider your target audience a reasonably intelligent friend who does not know anything about readings, much less anything about the metaphysics of race. This means that you should really be thinking in terms of explaining the arguments and ideas in a clear and well-organized way.

Your written response should be in your words, rather than the instructor’s words or the words of the author whose ideas you are discussing. If you quote or paraphrase, make sure to put a page number in parentheses and use quotations marks if it is a direct quote. There is no need for a works cited page, so long as you are discussing the class readings.

Finally, we do not have a “right” answer in mind that we are looking for. We are looking for a clear and thoughtful discussion of the relevant issues that shows you have a good grasp of the material and have thought about it carefully.