Course Requirements

Evaluation

Judgment about the progress of your work is based on the quality and depth of critical and constructive thinking exhibited on tests and posts on readings. Your writing and comments should not consist merely of a statement of your religious beliefs or how you feel about the issues. Instead, your comments should express reasons, grounds, or evidence for your agreement or disagreement with the philosophers your read about. Your course grade is determined by averaging the points you achieve from the following scores:

Test I

: Philosophy of Life

Test II

: Philosophy of Religion

Test III

: Philosophical Ethics

Posts

Reading Posts on the Philosophy Forum discussion board (minimum of two critical and relevant comments on the readings per week for a passing grade). The purpose is to discuss your reasoning and/or objections to the readings with other students--not just to post your ideas or your summaries of the readings just before the due date. See Section 3.5 ``Grade Evaluation'' below for more information.

Your final course grade is assigned according to your final average as follows:

Class Tests

are given during the regular semester. There is no comprehensive final exam given in this class.

Semester Average

is determined by adding all of the take-home tests and the final grade average for your weekly posts and dividing by four. (In other words, your final average for Forum posts counts the same amount as a test gade.)

Comments

The final grade average for your weekly posts is the average of the three grades assigned for posts made before Test I, Test II, Test III.

Course Grade

Your grade for the course is based upon this numerical average in accordance with the corresponding letter grade in the table given below under the heading of Section 3.2 ``Grades'' in this Syllabus.

Grades

Judgment about the progress of your work is based on the above four scores. The course is essentially performance based and consists of a progressive series of concepts to be learned and mastered. For this reason, few students can do well in this course by ``cramming'' before exams. Normally, the course is not difficult if you study daily, keep up with the reading and homework daily, and do not attempt to learn a large amount of information at one time. This is the key to doing well in the course. (Reading, by itself, is not studying.)

Tests: Tests in this course are ``take-home'' tests and are submitted as attachments to email to your instructor. The tests are usually true-false, paragraph-answer, and essay-answer in form. The subject-matter is primarily based on the reading and homework assignments, especially the questions at the beginning of the readings. If you understand the questions at the beginning of the readings, you will do well on tests. If you have difficulty with these questions, then post your queries to the Philosophy Forum discussion board as your ``weekly reading post'' with your best interpretation in order to obtain other insights from the rest of the class.

Important: It is imperative that tests or parts of tests are not copies or paraphrases of notes or tutorials taken from the Web. All writing is to be the student's own work. Many persons believe that it is sufficient to briefly paraphrase the online notes and related Internet sources immediately prior to the due date of the tests. Surprisingly, the lack of understanding of what is read and written in such cases is evident from inadvertent inconsistencies, vague language, a rush to meet a deadline, and poor or inappropriate examples thought up ``on the fly.''

I realize that paraphrasing or copying was successful in high school and still might be in some college courses, but in this course little, if any, credit is given since I am unable to assess reliably your understanding of the philosophies studied.

The tests are neither based on memorized facts nor based on objective information derived from memorized arguments. Instead, the emphasis given in tests is on the operation and active transformation or manipulation of the concepts learned. Occasionally, some particularly difficult optional questions are included for extra credit.

On paragraph and essay questions, be sure to answer with complete sentences; answers provided as lists of phrases or the names of concepts, alone, do not reflect an understanding of the subject and will be given little, if any, credit. Example tests and lecture notes for previous non-WebCT classes are online at http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/. Test Review Worksheets are provided in the Appendix to this syllabus and form a good basis for studying ideas in the readings prior to tests.

Five points are deducted from tests for each of the following:
(1) Test sent to a different email address than that stated above.
(2) Test not sent as attachment to the email.
(3) Test not in a docx, doc, rtf, or txt file type (doc files are preferred)
(4) Test mailed late (per 12 hr. period)
(5) Email does not have subject, salutation, closing, or body stating what is attached. (6) Tests submitted more than once or submitted in separate emails or submitted in different files.

Grade Evaluation

Your final course grade is assigned according to your final average as described above in Section 3.2 ``Grades.'' The number of hours advised to study given below is usually an accurate guide to how well you will do in this class. If you study only before tests or try to complete tests without prior reading and, your doing well in the course is unlikely. Many students assume they can do well in philosophy without careful reading because they have been able to do so in other high school or college classes. Since these students have become habituated to passing courses without much study, they are often alarmed to discover our philosophy course is substantially different from what they have expected. Your Web course puts a substantial burden on you to take charge of your own learning.

A

(above 90 points) reflects approximately more than four hours study per day; a great deal of time, thought, and effort; and mastery of the subject.

B

(80 or above but below 90 points) reflects over three hours study per day above average time, thought and effort; and superior achievement.

C

(70 or above but below 80 points) reflects approximately over two hours study per day, average time, thought, and effort; and average achievement.

D

(60 or above but below 70 points) reflects cramming for examinations; minimum time, thought, and effort; below college level work; a less than adequate grasp of the course content; and less than satisfactory achievement.

F

(below 60) reflects little or no understanding of course content and unsatisfactory achievement.

FA

reflects one-third of required posts not submitted by due dates.

INC

can only be given in cases of sudden illness or other emergency situation. To be considered for an INC, email the instructor prior to the final test.

If, at the end of the semester, the mitigating circumstances of substantial hardship this semester caused you to receive low grades, you may petition for withdrawal or retroactive withdrawal from the course. Talk to your advisor for information about this option.

Online quizzes: Online quizzes are provided as study aids only and may be used for self-testing. They are entirely optional and from no part of your grade in this course.

Reading Posts: Subject of Posts Be sure to make your Subject reflect the content of the post and as precisely as possible. In this manner, specific posts can be much more easily located. Subject titles such as ``Test,'' ``Post,'' ``Question,'' ``Chapter 3,'' or ``Grades'' are much too imprecise. Construct a topic which accurately portrays the content of the message such as "Russell's enlargement of self,'' ``Problem of the Soul in the Socratic Paradox,'' or ``Socrates neglects unconscious thought.''

Rather than just naming the subject as very general category such as the name of a chapter or the name of a philosopher, please take a moment to state the subject more specifically as shown in the examples above. Do not refer to the readings by title rather than, for example, ``Chapter 2'' or ``this week's reading'' since your posts are accessed by persons at different times who are not familiar with the class schedule.

The comment should give reasons supporting the point of the post. Try to avoid comments such as ``I agree'' or ``I disagree'' unless reasons are given explaining why you agree or disagree. Philosophy is based on rational discourse rather than feelings of likes or dislikes. Do not state your religious beliefs unless you are providing rational or empirical evidence or support for your views. As noted above, a critical post should express reasons, grounds, or evidence for agreement or disagreement with the philosophies you read about. A critical post is an attempt to prove or elucidate some conclusion or point of view.
It is always relevant to state difficulty in understanding after an attempt to explicate a philosophical point of view in your own words. Asking for confirmation of your interpretation of the author is a standard way of posting. Note that your post must have critical content of some kind-even if your post is to ask for help in understanding a philosopher or reading. So the post can be anything that you agree with or disagree with in the readings and your reasons why you agree or disagree. You can also try to restate or clarify some point in the reading or ask for help in the interpretation.

Before reading the assignment, spend a moment as ask yourself what you already know about the subject. As you read, question the readings with your own ideas in mind. Question what you are reading, and mark or copy out passages which are either unclear or important. In this manner your reading is active: your ideas will either be supported or opposed by the writers. Consequently, specific issues should suggest themselves to you.

Here's a quick outline of some of the ways the ideas for posts arise together with what might be posted on the Forum.

1. There are conflicts of assumptions, theories, or approaches to a subject. -- You explain the conflict and then show which solution is adequate.

2. The author and some other writer with whom you are personally acquainted give different conclusions on the same subject. --- You contrast them and show which one has a stronger position.

3. Two different disciplines approach the same topic using different methods. --- You explain the different methods and describe the respective insights into the topics according to the method used.

4. The language used to explain something is uncertain, and the explanations are no more than rationalizations. --- You analyze the language and explanations. Then, you finish the reasoning or at least clarify the language.

5. Conclusions are offered, but no supporting arguments are given. --- If you agree, give detailed supporting reasons; if you disagree, give your reasoning.

6. Different parts of the text seem contradictory or in opposition.--- You can reconcile the difference or explain the intellectual development of the text or show that the opposition cannot be reconciled.

7. New facts, discoveries, or ideas demand that the text be modified or supplemented. --- You explain the new developments and show how the text can be modified.

8. You are sure that the author is mistaken or the author upsets you. --- Reconstruct your own point of view and evaluate it with respect to the author's point of view.

Threaded Messages If your comment is in relation to another post, click on the blue hyperlink ``Reply'' just above the message you are commenting on. You can practice such threaded messages anonymously by not logging in and using the Testing Lounge Area at the top of the Philosophy Forum board. You are expected to read all messages since the purpose of the Forum is class discussion of the philosophy readings.

Late Posts No credit is given for posts on readings from past or future weeks since the value of posting is for class discussion of current topics.

WebCT Discussion Board

The WebCT discussion board is not used in this class. Instead, we will be using the Philosophy Forum discussion board on the philosophy server at
http://philosophy.lander.edu/cgi-bin/forum.pl
for which you will need to register as described below.

Philosophy Forum

The Philosophy Forum discussion board is used in our class for the posting of questions of any kind, reading comments, and replies to comments. The minimum number of comments posted to obtain a passing score is two comments per week. Only critical comments about the reading selections count toward your ``Reading Posts'' grade as discussed above in the ``Evaluation'' subsection.

Signing up for the Philosophy Forum discussion board is a completely separate procedure from WebCT and is explained here.

1. On the Philosophy Homepage on the Web at http://philosophy.lander.edu/ (notice that there is no ``www'' in this URI or Web address), click on the ``Philosophy Forum" link.
2. From the Philosophy Forum page, click on the ``Register'' tab at the top of the page.
3. Fill in a username of your choice and your email address--taking care to remember the username you have chosen. In a few moments, a password will be sent to your email address. If you cannot find the email from Philosophy Forum in your Inbox, check to see if the message arrived in the Bulk Mail Folder in your email program. See Figure 1 for a screenshot of the register page.

   Figure 1: How to Register for Philosophy Forum discussion board

   
   

4. Click on the ``Register" button, and a login page will load. Log in with your username your have chosen and the password you have just received via email. Be sure to take note of your password--perhaps, by saving or printing out the email message. Next, click the ``Login" button. See Figure 2.

Figure 2: How to Login to the Philosophy Forum discussion board

Philosophy Forum Troubleshooting

Lost Password: If you lose or forget your password to the Philosophy Forum, click on the Login link on the upper-right of the Philosophy Forum Homepage. At the bottom of the Login page in a box labeled ``Request Password.'' Fill in your username in the username bar, and click the ``Request'' button. Your password will be sent to you via email.

Forgotten Username: If you have forgotten your username to the Philosophy Forum, click on the Login link on the upper-right of the Philosophy Forum Homepage. At the bottom of the Login page in a box labeled ``Request Password,'' fill in your account's email address in the username bar, and click the ``Request'' button. Your username will be sent to you via your account's email.

Forgotten Email Address: If you have forgotten your email address and you have posted to the Philosophy Forum at least once in the past, then find your message on the Philosophy Forum and click on your username. Your ``Profile Page' will load, and your email address will be displayed, if you chose not to hide it when you first registered for the Philosophy Forum.

Profile Page

When you log in to the Philosophy Forum discussion board for the first time, you must enter personal information on your Profile page. To accomplish this, log in to the Philosophy Forum board and click on the ``Option'' link at the top of the page.

When the Profile page loads, you can change your password to a more easily remembered password if you wish to do so. Choose a simple easily remembered password and record the password in your philosophy notebook or in the space provided below:

Username:
Password:

Also, on this Profile page, be sure to enter your real name so that your posts can be credited. Unless your real name is recorded here on the Profile Page, credit cannot be assigned to your posts since the recording program does not have a name to collate with your posts. See Figure 3. If you wish to hide your email address when you post, check the appropriate box on this page. If you hide your email address, other students cannot email you privately. If you do hide your email address, be sure to check your official Lander email account for class-related communications daily even if you do not normally use that email account.

If you click ``Options,'' you can find out how many times you have posted as well as find out about other personal data. To do so, click ``Info'' on the same line as your username on the Profile page. Next, click on the ``Posts'' link for a list of all your messages.

Figure 3: How to Find Your Posts

How to Post to the Philosophy Forum

1. From the Homepage at philosophy.lander.edu click on the ``Philosophy Forum'' link toward the middle of the left-hand column.
2. When the ``Philosophy Forum'' page loads, click on the Philosophy Forum board of interest. In the screenshots presented here, the names of the discussion boards are default names only. The discussion board for this class are under the heading in bold font: ``Online Introduction to Philosophy.'' Click on the blue link entitled `Online Philosophy Discussion/Post(Summer, 2011).
3. (You need to log in to the Philosophy Forum in order to post comments, but you need not log in just to read the messages posted. If you work on a public computer, be sure to log off the discussion board in order to prevent the possibility of someone else posting to the board under your name.)

   Figure 4: How to Post a Comment to the Philosophy Forum Board

   
   

4. If you wish to submit a comment to the Philosophy Forum, while on the Philosophy Forum homepage, click on the blue hyperlink ``Online Philosophy Discussion/Post (Spring, 2011)'' under the black font ``Online Introduction to Philosophy Course'' heading. When the page loads, click on the ``Post Topic" link. See Figures 4 and 5.

   Figure 5: How to Submit a Comment

   
   

5. Type in the space provided the title of your comment in the ``Subject" bar and the text of the comment in the ``Message Body" area. For practice, you can use the ``Testing Lounge'' discussion board anonymously.
   

Grades Online

You may access your grades online at any time on the philosophy server (not Lander's WebCT) with a username and password as described below (not your WebCT or Philosophy Forum username and password).

Username: Your username for the course is the first letter of your first name followed by your complete last name in lowercase letters and without spaces. For example ``Lauren Bouchett Satterfield'' would have the login username of ``lsatterfield'' with no limitation of number of letters as with some login programs.

Password: Your password is your Lander L-number (without hyphen). Type an uppercase L followed by eight digits: e.g., Lxxxxxxxx.

Where to Log In: From the Philosophy Homepage http://philosophy.lander.edu/ click on the yellow ``Introduction to Philosophy" link under the gray heading entitled ``Class Grades" as in Figure 9. When the Grades Login page loads do the following:

Figure 6: Where to Find Grades Online

1. Choose your class from the descriptions in the drop-down box. If you log in incorrectly, be sure to re-select your class from the drop-down box because an incorrect login will re-set the class to a default philosophy course. See Figure 10.
   

   Figure 7: How to Log in for Grades

   
   

2. Enter your username exactly as described above.
   
3. The login process is case-sensitive--be sure to use lowercase letters for your username and a capital or uppercase ``L'' in your L-number password. If you obtain the result of ``bad login," check to see if the Caps Lock key is on, or you have confused the letter ``l'' with the number ``1'' or with the capital letter ``I.'' Occasionally, the number ``0'' is confused with the capital letter ``O.''

Your Job

Our course is not difficult if you keep up with the assigned work.

A good place to see how to study in our course is the ``Notes on How to Study'' on the Web at

http://philosophy.lander.edu/study.html.

• Follow a study schedule.
• Take notes on posted comments.
• Take notes on the important points of the assigned reading.
• Answer all study questions.
• Make extensive use of the online lectures, sample problems, quizzes, and tests.

My Job

We will find that philosophy is quite essential in all fields of endeavor.

• I will attempt to create the conditions under which you can exercise your native curiosity.
• Class material will be varied, and I will try to use interesting examples.
• I will show practical applications for all the philosophical methods employed.
• I will provide online handouts and Web-based instructions for additional problem-solving support.

If I do my job correctly, our philosophy course will be one of the most valuable in your university career.

Class Policies

The following policies are explicitly stated here because these policies help protect fairness of the course evaluation for the class as a whole. Some of these policies are generally assumed in most classes at Lander University.

Make-Up Policy:

Make-up tests are provided for persons who cannot complete the test on time due to a verifiable emergency and a written excuse provided by an independent party. Contact your instructor before the test due date if you are unable to complete a scheduled test in time.

Academic Honesty:

Students are expected to do their own work in this course. To use another writer's or speaker's ideas without giving credit by means of standard documentation is plagiarism. All cases of academic dishonesty on tests or posts will be handled in accordance with the Academic Honor Code as presented in the Lander University Student Handbook. Important This policy includes the instructor's notes and tutorials on the Web.

If you plagiarize from any work including the online notes, you will receive a ``0'' for your answer. Almost every semester since this online course has been taught, some students do not pass this course because they copy work from the online notes or the Web without proper citation. Also, please do not attempt to submit tests completed after the due date and claim the email attachment did not go through in time. Computer and server logs clearly show dates documents are processed, saved and email sent. Any such academic dishonesty will result in a ``0'' assigned to the work and possible failure in the course.

Learning and Physical Disabilities:

If you have now or develop during this semester a physical or a learning disability and you want your instructors to make reasonable accommodations, you must contact the Student Wellness Center nurse and provide her with appropriate documentation. Once she is aware of your disability, she will inform all of your instructors each semester you attend Lander University unless you ask her in writing not to do so.

Telephone: +1 864 388 8885
E-mail: studentwellness@lander.edu

For on campus students, the Academic Success Center in room Learning Center 340 offers testing accommodations for students with disability who need extra time as well as a quiet room for testing during the year. Notify your instructor prior to the test date.

Center Telephone +1 864 388 8308

Web address http://www.lander.edu/asc/is-home.html

Closing of the University:

If hazardous weather conditions or any other state of emergency necessitate University closing, the information will be available from the Lander automated information system (telephone (864) 388 8400) or local radio and TV stations. Usually, however, the Internet and Lander's Web Server are available during inclement weather or other emergency. If Lander's Web service is down, the philosophy server will also be down. If access to the Lander domain is not possible immediately prior to a due date for a test or a post, additional time will be allowed for the completion of that assignment.

Appendices