2001WINTERSyllabusFALL151Comp

You will need a password to reach the class site in BLACKBOARD. This will be provided the first day of the semester.

Texts and Supplies

(All are available in the MCCC Bookstore. They may also be purchased online at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.)

Each student must purchase the following three texts for this course:

1. The Enduring Questions, Rader, 7^th edition / Wadsworth / ISBN 0-15-506286-7

2. The Republic & Other Works, Trans. Jowett / Anchor Doubleday / ISBN 0-385-09497-3

Also students must have a recent version of MS Word or any other full-function word processor that saves in RTF (Rich Text Format).
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A realistic place to start is probably with this observation. Since we are working with technology, expect the technology to fail on occasion. We will almost certainly encounter times when the MCCC server is not working properly. We will probably face days when our home service is delayed or interrupted.

Most of the time, computers work, and they work well. Occasionally they fail.

Do not despair. Do not "flame." Relax. Leave a message on my voice mail. Once in a great while, we will have to make allowances for technical problems.

If the college Blackboard system goes down, as soon as it becomes available again, I will post an announcement on the course’s home page notifying you of any changes in due dates for assignments.

If your work is frequently late (more than two times) because of technical problems at your end, you will have to do your work on a reliable computer somewhere else, perhaps in one of the MCCC labs. If that does not work, you may have to drop the course (or purchase a new computer).

ATTENDANCE: You must work online several times a week and show evidence of this in the online classroom. I recommend that you visit our class site at least five days a week to check the announcements—visit every day if possible.

The most successful method of studying philosophy is through systematic and detailed discussions of each source. As much as possible we will be using group discussions and the Socratic method of learning. The Socratic approach requires that we continually question each premise in our effort to reach an understanding of any philosophical concept. If we are to speak intelligently, we must all have carefully read the assigned material by the assigned dates. For many people the assignments may require more than one reading. A second reading is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of commitment and dedication.

Study questions will provided for each reading assignment in the hope that they will facilitate our understanding and our discussion of each work. When asked to write out your answers to study questions, you must answer each question in your own words. Do not copy quoted passages from the reading. That will not indicate that you understand the passages you are copying.

Submitting assignments: Since perfect "attendance" can be achieved by working on your assignments any time of the day or night, seven days a week, you should have no "good" reason for missing the deadline for an assignment. Don’t blame it on the computer. Submit things early, and have a back-up computer available when yours fails.

But, of course, occasionally some people do fail to complete assignments on time: personal crises, computer crises, and failure to start the assignment until the last minute. When you fail to submit work on time, this has an impact on other people: it creates problems for your fellow students and your teacher.

In this class, more than in most, completing your assignments on time is essential. You cannot contribute to the dialectic of philosophy if you are not prepared and not present. Much takes place in this class that never appears on an exam. You adversely affect others if you do not complete your assignments on time. All assignments must be submitted on the day they are due. Late assignments will cause your grade to be lowered.

You will do best if you have no late work this semester, but if it is absolutely necessary, you will be allowed two late assignments with no penalty. However, after the second late assignment, every late assignment will receive a zero. No late assignments after the second are “excused.” There can be no valid excuses. I’m sure everyone who misses an assignment thinks he or she has a valid excuse, but this does not change the fact that you have missed an important part of the course. And you can no more make up for the late work than an athlete can make up for the game he missed. This is a group event, and it cannot be made up by an individual after the event has passed.

Follow the assignment schedule unless the instructor informs you it has been altered. Assignments are posted under the Assignments button on the Blackboard home page for this course.

[If a student is unable to get to campus for the two tests, he or she will need to make other arrangements to take the test locally. Contact the instructor if this becomes necessary. If arrangements cannot be made, the student will be required to drop the course.]

Be aware of the College’s policy on withdrawals as printed in the Student Handbook: If you drop any class before the end of the twelfth week, you will receive an automatic grade of W. If you drop any class after the twelfth week, you will receive an E in the course. This is now the policy in all MCCC courses.

I support the College’s emphasis on writing across the curriculum. Taking notes, answering study questions, writing summaries, and writing micro-themes can help one come to a better understanding of new and difficult concepts. In addition, all writing assignments, quizzes, tests, and research papers must be written in standard, edited American English. To this end, you should revise and edit your drafts until they are clearly college-level work in both content and form.

My office is C212. Feel free to call, visit, or email me during office hours. I strongly encourage and invite each student to make use of office hours to clear up any problems concerning his or her class work. If you cannot come to campus during the regular hours, feel free to make an appointment at a more convenient time. A phone call will almost always work better than an email. Please call 384-4155 if you have questions.

A) Your primary responsibility in this class is reading the assigned philosophers and writing your responses to those assignments. You will be asked to write frequently and vigorously.

If this were a typical M/W/F class, you would be expected to spend three hours each week in the classroom (not to mention your travel time to campus), and you would be expected to do two hours of homework for each hour you spend in class (six hours a week or more). Expect to spend nine to ten hours a week. This is the average for all college classes. Some take a little more time, some a little less. But the same holds for online classes. Expect to spend nine to ten hours a week. Some of you will need more time; a few may get by with less.

3) Check the “Ask the Professor” site (Discussion Board). If another student asks a question, you should check it out. His or her question might also apply to you.

I will try to post your assignments at least a week before they are due--usually two or three weeks before they are due. If you have trouble with any of the Blackboard functions, call me or email me. I will try to help. If all else fails, we will rely on email until the Blackboard functions are working again.

People will sometimes disappoint you. Others may not be as dedicated or as talented as you are. We will be working in peer-response groups. If someone is not carrying his or her share of the load, let me know, but be polite. Students can be dismissed from the class for bad netiquette.

STUDENT CONDUCT: Appropriate student conduct as defined by the Monroe County Community College Student Conduct Code will be expected of students at all times. See the MCCC Catalog.

Plagiarism: Any act of plagiarism will cause the student to fail the course.

We will make appropriate accommodations based on a student's disability. If you do have a disability but have not voluntarily disclosed the nature of your disability and do not have the support you need, you are invited to contact the coordinator of the Learning Assistance Lab, Dr. Cindy Riedel, at criedel@monroeccc.edu.

I am looking forward to getting to know each of you through your writing and in our individual conferences. If you write honestly and enthusiastically about a variety of philosophical topics, you will find the course to be a stimulating, educational, and rewarding experience.

Western Philosophy 152--Monroe County Community College

Dr. John Holladay, Humanities Professor

email jholladay@monroeccc.edu

Phone: Voice mail: 734-384-4155

Please call or email if you would like to make an appointment.

Texts and Supplies

(All are available in the MCCC Bookstore. They may also be purchased online at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.)

Each student must purchase the following three texts for this course: