a) This course is not about your opinion. In fact, philosophy has nothing to do with opinions. Primarily philosophy concerns ideas and the arguments made justifying those ideas. We will be wholly concerned with observing these ideas and their arguments in the course texts. In other words, the course text will be the touchstone for all course activities. Imagine yourself as a zealous Christian evangelist: the course text is your Bible.2) Be prepared to discuss the assigned material, by having completed the reading before you come to class and having questions or comments to offer during class. Be prepared to talk in class.
a) Without having read the text before class you have no context from which to understand the ideas. Struggling to understand the reading is what you are supposed to do in this class. If you are not struggling, “you’re doing it wrong.”
b) One way to be prepared to talk in class is to formulate questions while doing the reading, or while discussing the material with others outside the class.3) Read the blog posts and comments before every class.
4) Please treat fellow students with kindness and courtesy in your interactions. However, you must also be able to constructively criticize their contributions to the course (class discussions or blog comments).
a) You are learning together and therefore you are responsible for assisting other students in struggling with the material. This is another reason why you must do the reading before class: if you are not prepared, you are letting your fellow students down.5) Take notes during class, of both what is and especially what is not written on the blackboard. Record the comments of other students. These notes will make writing your essay and preparing for your exams much easier.
6) You are not permitted to use laptops or any other electronic devices during class. Do not bring them to class or turn them off before you enter the classroom.
7) Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of every class. If you will frequently be late to class, inform the professor. Use the restroom before you come to class and do not leave the classroom during class meetings, unless you must.
a) More than 7 absences is grounds for failure for the course. Your attendance and participation grade will be proportionally affected by more than 3 absences. For example, if you miss four classes, you cannot receive an attendance and participation grade higher than a B; five, a C; six, a D.8) Turn in all work on time. All late work will be penalized accordingly. If you are having trouble meeting a deadline, contact the professor before the deadline passes. The professor will consider extensions only before the assignment is due (i.e., not the morning of), not afterward. Generally, extensions will be granted only in unusual and documented circumstances.
9) Students are welcome to appeal any grade they received on an exam or paper and the professor will review it again. However, if the subject of “changing a grade” is opened, students should be aware that they grade can go UP or D
