Assessment 2: Source-Based Analytical Essay and Seminar Discussion Portfolio (2026)

Discipline Area: Philosophy, Classical Studies, Political Science, History, History of Education

Level: Upper-Level Undergraduate (Year 2–3) or Honours

Weighting: 40%

Length: 1,500–1,800 words (essay) + 4 weekly discussion posts (300–400 words each)

Submission: Learning Management System (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle)

Citation Style: MLA (default for Philosophy and History) or APA where program-mandated

Assessment Rationale and Alignment

The task requires students to demonstrate:

Close reading of primary texts.
Analytical comparison grounded in textual evidence.
Engagement with at least two peer-reviewed secondary sources.
Clear argumentative structure rather than descriptive summary.
Scholarly citation practice.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, students will be able to:

Interpret and analyse key arguments in ancient philosophical texts.
Compare competing conceptions of knowledge, virtue, justice, and political order.
Construct a sustained thesis supported by primary textual evidence.
Integrate contemporary scholarly debate into classical analysis.
Communicate arguments in clear academic prose consistent with disciplinary standards.

Assessment Task Part A: Source-Based Analytical Essay

Essay Prompt (Select One)

“Virtue is knowledge.” Evaluate this claim in relation to Socrates and assess how Plato develops or revises it in Republic. Contrast both positions with Aristotle’s account of virtue in Nicomachean Ethics.
Compare Plato’s theory of Forms with Aristotle’s critique of separate universals. What are the epistemological and political implications of their disagreement?
Does the “Allegory of the Cave” in Republic provide a defensible account of political authority? Analyse the argument and assess it alongside Aristotle’s conception of citizenship in Politics.

Core Primary Text Options

Plato, Republic, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Meno.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, Metaphysics.
Xenophon, Memorabilia (for historical Socrates).

Requirements

1,500–1,800 words.
Clear thesis statement in introduction.
Close reading of at least two primary texts.
Minimum of two peer-reviewed secondary sources published between 2018 and 2026.
Formal academic structure: introduction, argumentative sections, conclusion.
Page numbers for all primary text citations.
No excessive block quotations.

Analytical Expectations

Do not summarise plot or biography.
Engage directly with arguments and conceptual distinctions.
Address at least one plausible counterargument.
Demonstrate conceptual clarity regarding terms such as virtue, eudaimonia, justice, knowledge, form, causation.

Assessment Task Part B: Weekly Discussion Portfolio

Submit four discussion posts across Weeks 2–5. Each post must be 300–400 words.

Weekly Structure

Week 2: Socratic Method and the examined life.
Week 3: Justice in Republic.
Week 4: Aristotle’s Golden Mean and moral habituation.
Week 5: Ideal state versus practical constitution.

Discussion Post Requirements

Advance a clear interpretive claim.
Reference at least one passage from the week’s primary reading.
Engage one peer’s argument with substantive critique.
Avoid unsupported opinion.

Marking Rubric (Essay Component – 30%)

Criteria	High Distinction / A (80–100%)	Distinction / B (70–79%)	Credit / C (60–69%)	Pass / D (50–59%)	Fail (<50%)
Argument and Thesis (25%)	Original, precise, sustained thesis; rigorous reasoning.	Clear thesis; well-supported argument.	Thesis present but underdeveloped.	Descriptive rather than analytical.	No coherent thesis.
Textual Analysis (25%)	Insightful close reading; accurate interpretation.	Strong textual support.	Adequate textual engagement.	Limited or surface-level reading.	Misinterpretation or absence of textual evidence.
Comparative Insight (20%)	Nuanced conceptual comparison.	Clear and competent comparison.	Basic comparison.	Minimal analytical link.	No meaningful comparison.
Use of Scholarship (15%)	Integrated, critical engagement with current research.	Competent integration.	Limited integration.	Minimal or mechanical use.	Absent or inappropriate sources.
Structure and Academic Style (15%)	Logical organisation; precise academic prose.	Clear structure.	Generally coherent.	Weak organisation.	Disorganised; citation errors.

Marking Rubric (Discussion Portfolio – 10%)

Analytical depth (40%)
Textual engagement (30%)
Peer interaction quality (20%)
Clarity and professionalism (10%)

Academic Integrity and AI Policy

Students may use AI tools for brainstorming or grammar checking. Analytical claims, textual interpretation, and argument construction must be independently produced. All external assistance must comply with institutional policy.

Sample Analytical Response Guide

Socrates’ claim that virtue is knowledge rests on the premise that wrongdoing results from ignorance rather than malice. In Apology, he insists that no one willingly does wrong because to do so would harm the soul, which every rational agent seeks to preserve. Plato extends this claim in Republic by locating virtue within the rational ordering of the tripartite soul, where justice emerges when reason governs appetite and spirit. Aristotle rejects the reduction of virtue to knowledge alone and instead grounds moral excellence in habituated character shaped by practice and deliberation. Moral virtue, he argues, is a state concerned with choice and lies in a mean relative to us, determined by reason (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics II.6). The contrast reveals a shift from intellectualism to ethical naturalism that carries significant implications for political education.

Scholarly References

Annas, J. 2020, Virtue and Law in Plato and Beyond, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Available at: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/virtue-and-law-in-plato-and-beyond-9780198850679

Brown, E. 2018, ‘Aristotle on the Choice of Lives’, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, vol. 54, pp. 1–34. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198810802.003.0001

Frede, D. 2021, ‘Plato’s Ethics: An Overview’, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics/

Leunissen, M. 2022, ‘Aristotle’s Practical Philosophy’, Philosophy Compass, vol. 17, no. 3. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12813

Rowe, C. 2019, Plato and the Art of Philosophical Writing, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108595902