Assignments and Assessment
Participation and Professionalism (20%)
In this class you are held to a standard of professional conduct relative to your position as students. This means that you will complete all assignments on time (or communicate with me in a timely fashion where this is not possible); keep up with the readings; participate fairly in discussion boards; and fulfill all other course requirements.
Module Quizzes (30%)
There will be 7 module quizzes consisting of 10-12 questions (multiple choice, true false, and short answer).
Pick a Philosopher (15%)
This assignment asks you to conduct a small amount of research on any philosopher of your choosing. There will be a question sheet that goes along with this assignment which asks you to answer questions as simple as ‘Where was the philosopher born?’ to slightly more complex questions like ‘What view or theory is the philosopher most known for?’ and ‘Do you agree with the philosopher’s most famous theory?’
*Bonus points will be awarded to students who either find a more obscure philosopher or who make a creative choice in the person they designate as a philosopher (i.e. someone might come to mind who you wish to identity as a philosopher, even if they historically were not identified that way).
Philosophical Observations from the Wild (10%)
This short assignment asks you to report on an instance where you observed philosophy in the wild (i.e. the real world, your life!). This can take the form of hearing a person make a philosophical claim in another class, in the dining hall, at your job; reading a popular article or social media post where someone seemed to be making a philosophical claim; watching a show/TV where some philosophical lesson was being taught; hearing a song with philosophical lyrics; and so on.
Other details:
· You will complete two observations throughout the summer semester: the first is due at the end of Week 3 and the second is due at the end of Week 6.
· There will be a template for this assignment that will be posted on Canvas. It will consist of four questions, and your answers to each question cannot be longer than 1 sentence; and no run-on sentences
o Each observation will be graded on a 4-point scale. Any reasonable response will get 4 points. A response will receive only 2 points if it goes over 4 sentences, if it is unclear what the philosophical content of the observation is, or if it is superficial.
Final (not an exam) (25%)
There are two options for the final:
· You can write a mini (~2-page) argumentative essay about one of the readings from the semester consisting of a brief introduction with thesis statement; brief explanation of the reading you will discuss; and then your critical argument about some aspect of the reading
· You can conduct a philosophical interview with a friend, family member, roommate, co-worker, and so on in which you (a) ask them a set of philosophical questions and record their answers (in your own words) and then (b) write a ~300-word reflection on the experience