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NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
SYLLABUS
Use these links to go to sections of the syllabus.
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS . Week-by-week reading and writing assignments.
COURSE INFORMATION. Course description, instructor information, course administration, grades.
PAPERS: EXAMS AND EXTRA CREDIT . Instructions for getting, writing, submitting, and reviewing writing assignments.
CLASS DISCUSSIONS. Instructions for the class discussions course requirement.
EXTRA CREDIT. Instructions for extra credit opportunities, including the topics and format for extra credit papers.
NWFSC P OLIC I ES . Required or recommended NWFSC policy statements, including attendance and incompletes.
Enjoy thinking!
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS
Week Topics & Reading Assignments Writing Assignments
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Aug 19 Course introduction: Syllabus, 1-23Egoism and social contract: 558-565
Aug 26 Virtue ethics: 469-482 (Aug 26: drop-add ends)Sep 1: XC1 due
Sep 2 Deontology: 489-502 (Sep 2: Labor Day)Sep 8: XC2 due
Sep 9 Utilitarianism: 503-514, 581-585 Sep 15: XC3 due
Sep 16 What should I do review Sep 22: Exam 1 due
WHAT CAN I KNOW?
Sep 23 Appearance/reality: 126-133, 181-186, 105-117 Sep 29: XC4 due
Sep 30 Rationalism: 186-197, 147-152, 166-175 Oct 6: XC5 due
Oct 7 Empiricism: 197-230, 152-157 Oct 13: XC6 due
Oct 14 Kant: 230-244, 255-259
Oct 21 God of the philosophers: 49-81, 88-91 Oct 27: Exam 2 due
WHAT AM I?
Oct 28 Self-identity: 285-300, 377-379, Nietzsche handout, 310-313, 244-246
(Oct 30: last day to withdraw)
Nov 4 Mind-body: 332-358, 365-372 Nov 10: XC7 due
Nov 11 Mind-body continued (Nov 11: Veterans Day)Nov 17: XC8 due
Nov 18 Freedom and responsibility: 381-385, 392-421, 434-436, 436-441, 303-310, 521-526
Nov 24: XC9 due
Nov 25 Freedom and responsibility continued Nov 27-Dec 1: Thanksgiving
Dec 2 What am I review
Dec 9 Exam 3 at scheduled final exam or another time and place with proctor
Week: the Mondays of the semester. These are not due dates.Topics & reading assignments: the reading assignments for each week. Writing assignments: due dates for exams and extra credit papers. You will submit Exam 1 and Exam 2 to Turnitin.com. Exam 3 is an in-class exam. XC assignments are extra credit papers submitted to Turnitin. XC1 is the first opportunity to submit an extra credit paper, XC2 the second opportunity, and so on.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 2 of 13
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
COURSE INFORMATION
Course description
Introduction to Philosophy (PHI 2010) is about thinking for yourself about right and wrong, knowledge and reality, and self-knowledge.
You will study some of the greatest questions, ideas, and thinkers ever.
PHI 2010 is a three credit-hour course.
Your section is a 100% online course using Desire2Learn (D2L) and Turnitin. To succeed in this course, you must have these computer skills:
Use a word processor to write papers.
Use an internet browser to access course information on the course’s web site, to take part in class discussions on the website’s bulletin board, and to submit papers to Turnitin.
Send and receive email using D2L and your college email account.
Instructor Information
Dr. Charles Myers
729-6027 (office), 678-1971 (home)
Room J-123, Niceville Campus
Office hours
Monday & Wednesday: 9:30-11:00, 2-2:30
Tuesday & Thursday: 11-2
By appointment
Course Materials
The required text is Robert C. Solomon, Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings, 10th ed., Oxford, 2012.
Assignments, handouts, and other materials will be sent to your NWFSC email address.
The textbook publisher provides chapter summaries, self-tests, links, and other resources at Student Resources for Solomon’s “Introducing Philosophy” (http://www.us.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199764860/student/?view=usa).
Course Goals And Objectives
The course is organized around three philosophical questions
What should I do?
What can I know?
What am I?
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 3 of 13
The objectives of the course are
To learn to frame issues, bring conflicting answers to bear, and resolve the issues.
To learn about some of the greatest thinkers and ideas ever.
The broader goals of the course are
To benefit from applying philosophical methods to real-world issues.
To develop a lifelong interest in entertaining ideas.
Course Requirements and Grading Procedures
The course requirements are three exams and participation in class discussions on the class D2L website. There are also opportunities to write papers for extra credit.
Your course grade will be your grades on the three exams plus extra credit points.
Grades are based on these percentages: A, 90 and above; B, 80-89; C, 70-79; D, 60-69; and F, below 60.
Each of the three exams is worth 100 points. Each extra credit assignment is worth 3 points.
A course total of 270 points and above is an A; 240 to 269, B; 210-239, C; 180-209, D; below 180, F.
The discussions requirement to take part in class discussions on the course website.
The requirement is to make at least one contribution to the “what should I do” topic, at least one contribution to the “what can I know” topic, and at least one contribution to the “what am I” topic.
Participation in class discussions is graded on a pass-fail basis. You must satisfy this requirement to complete the course. Your participation will not otherwise affect your course grade except that exceptionally good participation may receive extra credit points.
Course Administration
D2L
The syllabus, assignments, and other course materials are posted on the course D2L website (http s ://d2l.nwfsc.edu/ ).
Class discussions take place on D2L.
Turnitin
Submit all papers (except the one in-class exam) to Turnitin (www.turnitin.com).
All of your grades will be on Turnitin.
Your section’s Turnitin class ID is 6614585. The class enrollment password is think.
My goal is to read your extra credit papers within two days of the due date and to grade your exams within ten days of the due date.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 4 of 13
I will email you at your NWFSC email address. Send email to me from your NWFSC email address.
Do not use D2L’s built-in email. The College has disabled it.
For help with college email, call 729-5396 or email [email protected].
My goal is to respond to an email from you within one school day of receiving it. If you do not receive a response within a day, please email me again.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 5 of 13
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
PAPERS: EXAMS AND EXTRA CREDIT
There are three required exams and also opportunities to write papers for extra credit.
Getting the Assignments
Assignments for the exams and extra credit papers will be posted on the course D2L website. Instructions for extra credit assignments are also included in this syllabus.
Exams
In the three exams you will review ideas we have studied and have the opportunity to learn more about them by applying them to a particular case.
The first two exams are open-book, untimed, take-home essay exams covering ideas we have studied that you will submit to Turnitin.com.
You will write the third exam during the final exam period. See the “proctored exam” section below for information about taking this exam.
You must complete all three exams to complete the course.
Your objective in the exams is to show that you understand and can use ideas we studied. Make specific references to philosophers and ideas the assignment covers.
Give reasons to support your answers. Do not simply state your opinions.
Unless the assignment says otherwise, you can write excellent exams using only the text and class materials. I encourage you to use other sources if you will learn more by doing so. If you use sources other than our text and class materials, you must follow the directions for citations given below in “Academic Integrity: Documenting Sources.”
Usually the assignment is to apply ideas we studied to a newspaper article. It is impossible for any article to tell the whole story. Articles are incomplete and may be skewed. For the assignments, however, you may take the facts as presented in the article. You may do additional research on the subject of the article but are not required to do so.
Do not use long quotations. In assignments for this course, you will learn more by putting ideas into your own words than by using even very good quotations. Long quotations do not show how well you understand and can use ideas we studied.
In general, the more details you explain about ideas we studied, the better. And the more details you use from the article you are writing about, the better.
Be sure Turnitin’s word count for your paper meets the minimum word count requirement for the assignment.
Turn in your take-home exams by the due date. I will accept Exam 1 and Exam 2 up to two weeks after the due date with a penalty of 10% (one letter grade). You must complete Exam 3 before the end of the term.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 6 of 13
Extra Credit Papers
Extra credit papers are graded on a pass-fail basis. If you address the assigned topic and meet the minimum word requirement, you will receive credit.
The “Extra Credit” section of this syllabus describes the topics and format for extra credit papers.
As with the exams, if you use sources other than our text and class materials, you must follow the directions in “Academic Integrity: Documenting Sources” below.
Late extra credit papers will not be accepted.
Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, etc.
I mark errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., and also make editing suggestions. I do not deduct points for these errors.
Your paper will of course make a better overall impression if you minimize errors by proofreading and editing your paper.
Academic Integrity: Documenting Sources
The first two exams and all of the extra credit papers are take-home, open-book, and untimed.
Your papers must of course be your own work. But you can discuss your papers with anyone and use any materials to write the papers.
If you use anything to write a paper other than our text and class materials or if you receive substantial help writing your paper, you must say so in your paper. Citing the sources you use does not weaken your paper. It is standard academic practice to cite any source you use or help you receive. If you fail to do so, you will not receive credit for the paper.
If you have help writing your paper, put a note like this at the end of your paper: “Joe Green helped me edit my paper.”
If you quote from any source (including the text), use quotation marks. In a course like this, however, you will learn more and write better papers by putting ideas into your own words.
If you quote, paraphrase, or otherwise use anything other than the text or class materials, use footnotes or parenthetical notes to identify the source. Use any format you wish (APA, MLA, etc.). For internet sources, include the URL. For references to our text, it is enough to give page numbers in parentheses.
Look at the originality report that Turnitin generates for your papers to be sure you have not inadvertently used material without citing it. If you have created the appearance of plagiarism, correct your paper and resubmit it to Turnitin.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 7 of 13
Using Turnitin
Submit the first two exams and all extra credit papers to Turnitin.com.
Set up Turnitin for this course
If you already have a Turnitin profile, add this class to it. If you do not have a Turnitin profile, go to www.turnitin.com and click on the new user link. For your Turnitin profile, use an email address you check regularly, preferably your NWFSC email address.
The Turnitin class ID for your section is 6614585.
The Turnitin class enrollment password for this course is: think
Turnitin has tutorials at Student Training (http://www.turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training).
Submit your paper
You can find instructions on how to submit a paper on Turnitin’s online help page.
Select “single file upload” from the “choose a paper submission method” menu.
Important: After you have uploaded your paper, Turnitin will ask you to confirm that you have selected the correct paper. After determining that you have uploaded the correct paper, you must scroll down and click “submit.” Do not skip this step. Turnitin will give you a receipt confirming that your paper is on Turnitin.
Check your originality report and word count
Soon after you have submitted a paper, Turnitin will generate an originality report.
The originality report will show a percentage that Turnitin calculates might not be your original work. Click on the icon to look at the originality report. Be sure you have not inadvertently submitted material you found on the internet or elsewhere as if it were your own work. If you have created the appearance of plagiarism, correct your paper and resubmit it (which you can do up to the time the paper is due).
Also check Turnitin’s calculation of your word count. I will use this word count to determine whether you have met the minimum word requirement for the paper.
Review your graded paper
When I have graded an assignment, I will email the class that you can find your grade and my comments on Turnitin. Click on the GradeMark “view” icon to open your paper.
Let me know if I failed to enter a grade for your graded paper.
Review comments I added in the body of your paper.
On exams, also review the “rubric scorecard” where I evaluated sections of your exam.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 8 of 13
Proctored Exam (Exam 3)
NWFSC requires at least one proctored element in an online course. In this course the third of the three exams (Exam 3) is the proctored element. You may take Exam 3 during the final exam period either in person or online. The first two exams you will write on your own and submit to Turnitin.
After the first two weeks of classes, I will ask you to confirm your preference for in-person or online proctoring. You may change your preference by notifying me up to two weeks before the exam period begins.
In-person options
On-campus Option: Exam 3 will be proctored in J-313 on the Niceville Campus on Saturday, December 14, at 8 am and again at 10 am. You may take the exam at either time. A photo ID is required.
Off-campus Option: Students can contact a local college or university in the area and inquire about proctoring services. In some cases there is an additional fee. Base education offices often provide proctoring services for military students and their families for no additional fee. The student must provide the instructor with the contact information of such a proctor upon notification, and the instructor will determine whether the proctor has been approved under NWFSC criteria.
Online Option
Students can take the exam online between December 7 and December 14 utilizing ProctorU and paying a fee, which can be paid directly to the site by credit card. You can sign up and log in at NWFSC ProctorU (http://www.proctoru.com/portal/nwfsc/ ) . You must have an internet connection, a webcam, and a valid form of photo ID. To learn more, go to How Online Proctoring Works (http://www.proctoru.com/howitworks.php ) .
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 9 of 13
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
CLASS DISCUSSIONS
Participation in online class discussions is a course requirement.
Participation is graded on a pass-fail basis. You must complete this requirement to pass the course, but it will not otherwise affect your course grade.
When you click on “discussions” on the navigation bar on our website, you will find a “topic” for each of the three big questions around which the course is organized.
The course requirement is to make at least one contribution to each of the three topics while we are studying that topic. That is, make at least one contribution on the question “what should I do,” at least one on the question “what can I know,” and at least one on the question “what am I.”
Philosophy is dialogue. It is persons talking to each other critically, energetically, and respectfully about things that really matter. Thanks to the discussion feature of D2L, we can in philosophical dialogues that can be as interesting and productive as discussions in a classroom.
I will sometimes post messages on the discussions board to begin discussions on a particular topic. But you do not have to wait for my post. Start the discussions without me if you want. If you have questions about the things we are reading or the questions we are considering, post them, and I’ll answer them there as if we were in a traditional classroom.
Your contributions do not have to be lengthy. Often a couple of sentences will do. And your contributions do not have to be amazingly insightful. As we try out ideas, it is certain we will say some things we change our minds about later. Just keep the conversation going as we kick ideas around.
An objective of this course is to think for yourself, and to do that we will use the Socratic method. No matter how good something sounds, no matter how many authorities say that’s the way it is, no matter how popular an idea it is, you must still think for yourself. Always be ready to ask of anything, “Yes, … but …?” So expect me and other students to challenge what you say, and challenge what others say, including me. We test ideas by challenging them and seeing how well they stand up.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 10 of 13
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit papers are optional. You may submit a paper for all, some, or none of the nine extra credit opportunities in the course.
Submit your papers to Turnitin. The labels on Turnitin for these extra credit opportunities are XC1, XC2, XC3, and so on.
To take advantage of an extra credit opportunity, submit your paper by the due date shown in the schedule of assignments and on Turnitin.
Each paper must be at least 500 words (excluding quotations).
Extra credit is pass-fail. You receive credit if you write at least 500 words and address an assigned topic.
Learn something and have fun!
For each of the nine extra credit opportunities, choose either A or B:
A. Philosophy Bites
Go to Philosophy Bites or Philosophy Bites Archives (http://philosophybites.com/ or http://philosophybites.com/archives.html) and listen to any podcast you have not already written an extra credit paper about.
Then write a paper about the podcast in this format:
Identify by name the podcast you are writing about.
Write one or two paragraphs summarizing the podcast.
Write one or two paragraphs about whether the podcast makes any practical difference. What difference, if any, does the podcast make in the way you will live your life or think about the world?
B. Read More of the Textbook
Read at least five pages from our textbook that are not in the course reading assignments and that you have not already written an extra credit paper about.
Then write a paper about those pages in this format:
Identify by page number the pages you are writing about.
Write one or two paragraphs summarizing the reading.
Write one or two paragraphs about whether the reading makes any practical difference. That is, what difference, if any, does the reading make in the way you will live your life or think about the world?
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 11 of 13
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGEINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (PHI 2010) ONLINE, FALL 2013
NWFSC POLICIES
These policies are required or recommended for all NWFSC courses, but there are differences among your courses. You should review the policies applicable to this course even if they seem familiar from your other courses.
Support Services. If you have a disability for which accommodations may be appropriate to assist you in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Support Services in the Student Services Center on the Niceville Campus. The counselor for Students with Disabilities may be reached by calling 729-6079 (TDD 1-800-955-8771 or Voice 1-800-955-8770) or by email at [email protected].
Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Academic Integrity. Students are responsible for adherence to all college policies and procedures, including those related to academic freedom, cheating, classroom conduct, computer/network/e-mail use and other items included in the Northwest Florida State College Catalog and Student Handbook. Students should be familiar with the rights and responsibilities detailed in the current Northwest Florida State College Catalog and Student Handbook. Plagiarism, cheating, or any other form of academic dishonesty is a serious breach of student responsibilities and may trigger consequences which range from a failing grade to formal disciplinary action.
Turnitin. Northwest Florida State College subscribes to Turnitin, an online plagiarism detection and prevention service. By enrolling in this class, you are consenting to upload your papers to Turnitin, where they will be checked for plagiarism. Papers submitted to Turnitin are saved as source documents within the Turnitin database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism in other papers.
Videos. This course may employ lecture capture software to provide you with videos of your instructor’s lectures/PowerPoints/notes/demonstrations, etc. You are not required to watch these. These videos can be viewed with a standard Internet connection. If your home Internet connection is not adequate, please remember that any NWFSC open lab is available to you. You need only take your own headphones with you.
Social Networking Sites. This class may use a social networking site to build community and enrich students’ overall experience. Your instructor will notify you if the course uses such a site. Participation in this site is optional and not a required element of the class; all essential course information will be presented in the classroom or in D2L, Tegrity, etc., depending on the class (traditional or distance). The instructor takes careful precautions to safeguard students on the Internet; however, as with many Internet interactions, risks still exist. By choosing to participate in the class’s social networking site, you accept responsibility for the information you post and assume the risks associated with social networking sites.
Changes. In the event of unusual or extraordinary circumstances, the schedule, requirements, and procedures in this course are subject to change. In such cases, students will be provided with written notice sufficient to plan for and accommodate the changes. If changes to graded activities are required, students will not be penalized as a
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 12 of 13
result of the adjustments but will be responsible for meeting revised deadlines and course requirements.
Class Attendance. It is NWFSC policy that regular and prompt attendance is expected in all classes. Because this class involves class discussions, you will neither benefit from these activities nor contribute to the class as a whole unless you access the course website regularly and participate in class discussions. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor and arrange to complete any missed work. Excessive absences will be reported to the Office of Financial Aid. Federal regulations require that students receiving Title IV aid must attend classes and have verified attendance in order to receive financial aid funds. This general policy applies to the student absent from class traveling as a member of a college group, or club or for personal reasons. For this course, “excessive absences” is defined as failing to access the course website for 10 calendar days.
Incomplete Grades. At the discretion of the instructor, an incomplete grade (“I”) may be awarded when the student is unable to finish the required work because of unforeseen extenuating circumstances such as illness or TDY assignment. To receive an “I” grade, the student must have successfully completed a significant portion of the required coursework (at least two of the three exams) and be able to finish the remaining work without attending class. An “I” grade will automatically convert to a grade of “F” if the student does not complete the remainder of the coursework by the established deadline.
PHI 2010 Syllabus, p. 13 of 13
