“I will argue that the liberation of marginalized communities requires a reconceptualization of identity and knowledge that challenges and transcends traditional notions of purity and separation, as advocated by Anzaldúa, Lugones, Dussel, and Zea.”

Write an argumentative essay to defend one main claim (your thesis), which can be stated in one simple sentence by completing the phrase “I will argue that…”

Use evidence to support the claims you make in your essay. Evidence for your philosophy essay in this course will fall into one of the following three categories:

1. Empirical evidence – must come from a reliable, reputable source
2. Philosophical evidence – must come from a peer-reviewed paper or book in philosophy
3. Your own experience or self-reflection

Please be sure to use the correct kind of evidence to support a given claim in your essay.

For example, if you claim that Mexican-Americans disproportionately suffer from Type II Diabetes, you should provide evidence from a medical journal, not from your personal experience or self-reflection.

However, if you are defending the claim that the concept of property is very closely related to a lack of freedom, you can use as evidence an argument another philosopher has already published in a peer-reviewed philosophy journal or book (2 above) or your own argument based on your own experience or self-reflection (3 above).

Please follow Writing and Formatting Requirements rigorously

Writing Requirements

• Your essay must have an introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography.
• Please do not use a “funnel” introduction.
• Your essay may have labeled sections, but this is not required
• Use quotations sparingly. No more than three or four quotations in the entire essay. Paraphrase and provide a citation instead.
• Always write in the active voice
• N.B. You may not use an LLM (ChatGP or similar) or AI Writer at any stage of the writing process. If you are interested in using that kind of tool, you must discuss it with me first.

Formatting Requirements

• Approximately 1,500 words in length
• Typed
• Line-spacing at least 1.5 lines, but not greater than 2 lines
• Margins at least 1.5”, but not greater than 2”
• Longer quotations (greater than three lines) should be indented from the main body of text
• Use a standard format for all citations. Strongly recommend using author-date format
• Do not use explanatory footnotes or endnotes. If it’s worth saying, say it in the body of your essay.
• Save as a PDF file for submission