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, quizzes, homework, message boards, and the discussion list. Your course grade is determined by averaging the points you achieve from the following scores:

Test 1

Philosophy and Meaning of Life

Test 2

The Philosophy of Religion

Test 3

Philosophical Ethics

Quiz Average

Average of Best Ten Quizzes (including mwforum Philosophy Message Boards, Discussion, and Paper),

Final Examination

Comprehensive Three-Part Test (optional parts, to be averaged with any or all of the Tests 1-3 above)

Your final course grade is assigned according to your final average. A grade-calculation worksheet is provided for your convenience in the Appendix to this Syllabus.

Grades

Judgment about the progress of your work is based on the three test scores and quiz average. 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 attend class, keep up with the reading and notes daily, seek help on the message boards and do not attempt to learn a large amount of information in a short amount of time.

Tests

Tests are usually a combination of objective, short answer and essay questions. 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.

Even though tests are based on questions from the reading assignments, unlike the quizzes, 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. Some examples of the difference between the figurative knowledge used in quizzes and the operational knowledge used in tests are given in the Appendix to this syllabus. Occasionally, some particularly difficult optional questions are included for extra credit.

On 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, quizzes, and lecture notes, 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 for tests.

Quizzes

Quizzes can consist of three different kinds of work: (1) announced or unannounced in-class quizzes, (2) special problems assigned in class, and (3) posts to mwforum Philosophy Message Board for discussion, papers, and comments on papers.

In-class quizzes are short specific questions written in class on an explicit philosophical topic or argument. The quiz topic is usually announced in advance of the quiz, and the topic has been thoroughly explored in a previous class. See http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/quizzes.html for online example quizzes. Your quiz average is based on the highest ten scores from the following items. Note which ones are required and which ones are optional.

1. Web Practice Sheet-(required) homework assignment (cf. Appendix Worksheets)
2. philhelp Majordomo Discussion List-(optional) posts pertaining to the subject matter of philosophy beyond the purpose of this class (two points per post or comment per day, for a maximum of ten points)
3. mwforum Discussion Message Board-(optional) posts pertaining to class policies, procedures, or homework (two points per post or comment per day, for a maximum of ten points)
4. Philosophy Paper-(required) a short philosophy translation, a short analysis of a philosophy reading or position paper posted to the mwforum Philosophy Paper Message Board (one ten-point quiz grade)
5. mwforum Philosophy Papers Message Board-(required) comments on or about student papers posted to the mwforum Discussion Message Board (two points per post for a maximum of ten points)
6. Quizzes and Homework-in-class quizzes as scheduled in the syllabus, unannounced quizzes, and homework assignments.

philhelp Majordomo Discussion List

The Majordomo mailing list philhelp is an important part of our philosophy course. philhelp is a forum where you can discuss, argue, and debate any issue relating to a philosophical topic. Your ideas are automatically sent via email to other members of the list. You are encouraged to post questions, problems, or answers on any topic relating to philosophy, and you are especially encouraged to try out your philosophical ideas and theories. In addition, philhelp might be a good place to seek information about the meaning or interpretation of the subject-matter of philosophy, interesting readings, or a pre-evaluation of your philosophy paper.

For this aspect of the course, you will need an email account. Information on obtaining a Lander email account is available at http://www.lander.edu/its/students.html. Your email account information is listed under the "My Profile" section in WebReg. Your email and default password will be listed there.

If you prefer, I will be glad to help you become familiar with Web-based email in the Logic Lab, Learning Center M33, during the office hours stated at the beginning of this syllabus.

The Office of Computing Services has set up a server whereby you can check your email on the following Web page: http://student.lander.edu/mailman/mmstdol.cgi. Many students set up Web email accounts with a free Internet service such as http://www.hotmail.com/ or http://www.yahoo.com/. An extensive directory of free email accounts is provided at http://www.emailaddresses.com/, but the two mentioned above are usually rated the best free email services.

The most convenient way to join philhelp is to type in the following URL (the address) in your browser: http://philosophy.lander.edu/philhelp/index.html.

1. Type in your email address in the form on the left-hand side of the page and click the ``Submit Query" button as in Figure 1.

   Figure 1: How to Subscribe to philhelp

   
   

2. You will receive on-screen confirmation of your application, and you will receive verification in your email account within a few minutes.
3. Reply to the email with the authorization command copied and pasted as the first line in the body of the message. Make sure that there are no spaces or symbols in front of the authorization command. That's all there is to it.
4. You will receive a final reply welcoming you to the philhelp Mailing List in your email inbox.

To submit a message to philhelp, send it to philhelp@philosophy.lander.edu and Cc a copy to yourself to verify that the message arrived, as in the example in Figure 2. If you do not Cc a copy to yourself, you will not receive a copy of your own message. Within a few hours, however, your message will appear in the philhelp archives available from the ``Other Services" page http://philosophy.lander.edu/services.html.

Figure 2: How to Post a Message to philhelp

If email is new to you, please stop by the Logic Lab in the Learning Center M33 during office hours, and I will be most happy to show you how to use Lander's Web-based email, how to sign up for philhelp, and how to send email.

When you post messages to philhelp, please observe the following guidelines in order to obtain full credit. Again, only posts not related to class content are appropriate for posting to philhelp.

1. Include a clear and precise subject-line. Subjects such as ``test," ``quiz," ``problem," or ``question" are not specific enough to be of help for search engines. When responding to a previous message, type your subject-line with a ``Re:'' before the subject given in the subject-line of the previous message. A simpler way to respond to a previous message is by clicking ``Reply to All" in your email client; this click will automatically set the subject-line of your email so that your message is part of the appropriate message thread.
2. Spam, chain letters, flaming, and other kinds of inappropriate content are expressly prohibited and can result in the sender's suspension from the list. philhelp is moderated, so it could take up to 12 hours before your message is posted. Again, if you wish to receive a copy of your message, be sure to Cc it to your email address, as explained above.
3. Include your name and email address in the message body even though your name and address is in the ``From" line in the message header.
4. Finally, as should be usual with email etiquette, please do not use all capital letters in your posts and do not use attachments.

Your message to philhelp is archived on the philosophy server and can be accessed after a few hours. To see previous posts and to search for information in previous posts, click on the philhelp Archives link on the Philosophy Homepage or the Other Services page on the Philosophy Web. When the Archive page loads, scroll to the bottom of the screen, and click at the bottom of the screen on the INDEX for the month you are interested in. For specific directions, see the Web Practice Sheet in the Appendix and compare the composite image labeled Figure 3 with the onscreen page.

Figure 3: How to Access the philhelp Archives

mwforum Philosophy Message Board

The mwforum Message Boards are an important part of obtaining help in real time from your classmates and from your instructor. You are encouraged to post questions, problems, or answers on any topic relating to the course policies, procedures, or homework of our philosophy class. Your post is placed directly on the Philosophy Web and can be immediately accessed by anyone in the world. The Philosophy Message Board is a good place to obtain a pre-evaluation of your philosophy homework or to seek answers to homework problems.

The purpose of the mwforum Message Board is to discuss the daily class activities of our philosophy course: homework questions, homework answers, housekeeping matters, class procedures, assignments, test dates, and class policies.

1. On the Philosophy Homepage, click on the ``mwforum Message Board" link.
2. From the mwforum Philosophy Forum page, click on the ``Register" tab at the top of the page.
3. Fill in a username and your email address--taking care to remember the username you have chosen. For convenience, write your username in the blank space provided: . In a few moments, a password will be sent to your email address. See Figure 4 for a screenshot of registering.

   Figure 4: How to Register for mwforum Message Boards

   
   

4. Click on the ``Register" button, and a login page will load. Log in with your username and the password you have just received via email. For accuracy, you might want to cut and paste the password. Instructions on how to copy and paste are below under ``Paper Submission." Be sure to take note of your password--perhaps, by saving the email message or writing it here: . Next, click the ``Login" button. See Figure 5.

   Figure 5: How to Login to mwforum Message Boards

   
   

5. When the Philosophy Forum page loads, click on the mwforum Message Board of interest.
6. (You need to log in to the mwforum Philosophy Forum in order to post messages, comments, or papers, but you need not log in just to read the messages.)

   Figure 6: How to Post to the mwforum Message Board

   
   

7. When you wish to submit your paper, click on ``Intro. Papers" under the Intro. to Phil. heading. When the Intro. to Phil. Papers page loads, click on the ``Post Topic" link. See Figures 6 and 7.

   Figure 7: How to Submit a Paper

   
   

8. Type in the spaces provided the title of your paper in the ``Subject" bar and the text of the paper in the ``Message Body" area. You can ``copy and paste" your paper into the ``Message Body" area. With your mouse, highlight the text in your word processing program, and for the Copy press the Control Key and at the same time the letter ``C." For the Paste, click the mouse anywhere in the Message Body area, and press the Control Key and at the same time the letter ``V."

When you log in to the mwforum Philosophy Message Board for the first time, you may enter personal information on your Profile page. Any information entered here is available to the anyone in the class or, for that matter, anyone in the world. 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. See the composite screenshot in Figure 8. Next, click on the ``Posts" link for a list of all your messages.

Figure 8: How to Find Your Messages

Philosophy Papers

Your short philosophy paper, which counts as a required quiz grade, can be (1) a short translation of a passage in philosophy from Spanish, French, or German to English chosen from online texts or library sources (described in the Appendix), (2) a commentary on a short paper or essay on philosophy chosen from online texts or library sources (also described in the Appendix). Your paper is posted to mwforum Intro. to Phil. Message Board Papers, and other students can comment or ask questions online about your paper by posting messages underneath it.

The modern language option is an alternative to write a short translation of a work in French, German, or Spanish instead of doing an original philosophy position paper. If you choose to do a translation in place of a position paper, you must (1) consult with your instructor and (2) find a mentor (or professor) in your language. More information on this option is given in the Appendix to this syllabus.

Philosophy Chat

One of the services provided by the Philosophy Website is an pretenseless Chat program written by Tommi Leino with a CGI Web page written by John Archie. Jicra is a very simple IRC client Java applet-a one channel Chat room without IRC commands or other features. No special knowledge or skill is necessary to use this applet. The Philosophy Chat is available for student use at any time for any purpose (e.g., you are welcome to use the Chat for any group-project discussion in any class at Lander for the convenience of students both on and off campus). You can devise your own channel for Chat simply by having your group type in whatever specific name you choose for your group. We will use Chat in the default channel called ``philosophy" for online office hours on the evening before tests are given. The Jirca Chat program operates like this:

1. From the Philosophy Homepage click on the CHAT link in the lower-left corner of the page. See Figure 9.

   Figure 9: How to Open the Chat Program

   
   

2. When the login page loads, enter your screen name and your real name. Click on the login button. See Figure 10.

   Figure 10: How to Login to the Chat Program

   
   

3. When the Chat window loads, type your message in the bar at the bottom of the window, and hit the enter key, and your message can be read by all persons logged onto the chat. See Figure 11.

   Figure 11: How to Enter Chat Messages

   
   

Grade Evaluation

Your final course grade is assigned according to your final average as described above in the subsection ``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 for tests, your doing well in the course is doubtful. Many students assume they can do well in philosophy without doing homework and without studying outside of class 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.

A

(above 90 points) reflects approximately two hours study per class hour; a great deal of time, thought, and effort; and mastery of the subject.

B

(80 or above but below 90 points) reflects approximately one to two hours study per class hour; above average time, thought and effort; and superior achievement.

C

(70 or above but below 80 points) reflects approximately less than one hour study per class hour, 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.

FA

reflects attending fewer than 75% of class meetings.

INC

can only be given in cases of sudden illness or emergency.

Grades Online

You may access your grades online at any time on the philosophy server with the username and password handed out in class on a small slip of paper. From the Philosophy Homepage click on the yellow ``Introduction to Philosophy" link under the gray heading entitled ``Class Grades" as in Figure 12. When the Grades Login page loads do the following:

Figure 12: Where to Find Grades Online

1. Choose your class from 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 13.
   

   Figure 13: How to Log in for Grades

   
   

2. Enter your username exactly as written the slip of paper given out in class.
   
3. Enter your password exactly as it is written on the slip of paper given out in class.
   
4. The login process is case-sensitive--be sure to match the case of the letters--capital or lower case. 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 can confused with the capital letter ``O."

Confidentiality of student grades is a serious concern. For this reason, if you lose your password, your password will be replaced with a different one. Passwords are not issued to friends, over the telephone, or in email. Passwords will only be replaced in person at the computer in the Learning Center room M33 during office hours.

Your Job

Our course is not difficult if you keep up with the assigned work. If you seek help from me during office hours, the first items I will check are your posts to the mwforum Message Boards, your class notes, book notes, and homework problems--so that I can know where to begin. When a student claims he or she did not understand the subject well enough to ask any questions, take any notes, or attempt any homework, I am usually left with the impression the student has not attempted studying. 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.

• Come to class prepared.
• Take notes in class.
• Take notes on the important points of the assigned reading.
• Do all homework problems.
• Ask questions in class, on the discussion list, and on the message board.
• Seek help at the first sign of difficulty: philhelp, mwforum, and office hours.
• 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 lectures will be varied, and interesting examples will be used.
• I will show practical applications for all the philosophical methods employed.
• I will provide 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:

Unfortunately, the Humanities Division does not provide space for offering make-up tests and quizzes. No tests or quizzes can be specifically made-up per se during the regular semester in this course even though students have good reasons for missing class. Thus, prior to the final exam tests cannot be made-up for any reason. If you miss one or more regularly scheduled tests during the semester with an excused absence, your grade for that test or tests is established by the grade achieved on the appropriate section of the comprehensive final examination. An excused absence is granted for emergency situations only, and a written excuse must be provided. For example, if you had to miss the first test on ``Philosophy and The Meaning of Life'' because of a medical emergency, your grade on that test would be established by your grade achieved on the section of the final examination dealing with ``Test 1: Philosophy and The Meaning of Life.''

Late Papers:

Papers, commentaries, informal fallacy projects, or modern language translations must be posted to the mwforum Philosophy Papers Message Board by midnight of the due date or a penalty of 10% per day late is applied.

Plagiarism:

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 papers will be handled in accordance with the Academic Honor Code as presented in the Lander University Student Handbook. Cases of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be brought before the Honor Council where you will have an opportunity to explain your point of view.

Class Attendance:

Students are expected to attend all classes; there are no ``free cuts.'' In the case of unavoidable absences, you are responsible for making up work done in class. In accordance with University policy, if you attend less than 75% of the scheduled class meetings, you will not receive credit for the course. As a matter of fact, this policy is expressly in your interest, especially in this course, since attendance is essential for understanding and analyzing some of the complex argumentation discussed. Any student arriving late for class or leaving early from class will be counted absent from that class period. Specifically, if you take a quiz and leave before class is dismissed, you will not receive credit for that quiz. (This policy is important because understanding some of the complex reasoning process covered in this course is at the heart of doing well in philosophy.) Anyone missing class is responsible for obtaining the class notes and assignments from a classmate or from the Web resources. Additionally book notes, quizzes, sample tests, and class lectures are online at http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/. The mwforum Discussion List is also a good place to ask for information about assignments, subjects covered in class, or class policies--especially if you are hesitant to ask a classmate for assistance. In fact, posts to the mwforum Mailing List are the basis of an optional quiz grade. If you have questions about the subject-matter of philosophy by all means make use of the philhelp Discussion List. Finally, be sure to contact your instructor as soon as academic difficulties first arise.

Learning Disabilities:

If you have a physical or learning disability and you require special accommodations, be sure to contact Mr. Lafayette Harrison (Learning Center 345, telephone (864) 388-8814) and provide him with appropriate documentation. When Mr. Harrison is made aware of your disability, he will inform your instructors every semester unless you ask him in writing not to do so. For additional information, see the ``Disabled Student Information" on the Lander University Website at http://www.lander.edu/instructional_services/disabled.htm.

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 any of these other public sources:

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