Course: Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 201/F09) — Instructor: Steve Naragon
Course Requirements
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Attendance. If you do not plan to attend class and participate constructively, then you should withdraw from this class. A course on philosophy is by its nature aimed at self-examination and discussion; consequently, doing well in this class requires being there. Missing class does not directly affect your grade, although students with poor attendance typically do quite poorly in the class. On the average, students missing more than two classes during the semester receive grades below the class average.
Exams. There will be three non-cumulative exams over the readings and lectures. [Makeup: Exams missed due to an excused absence are to be taken as soon as possible or else will be forfeited. It is your responsibility to see me about this.]
Journals. Much of your time in this class will be spent reading texts and writing journal entries (500-700 words each). You need to write on five of the ten journal assignments given on the assignment schedule. These will be evaluated using this rubric.
Journals will be submitted in drop-boxes found on ANGEL. Be sure to drop the journal in the appropriate box: Each journal assignment (J1 through J10) has its own drop-box; you will need to write only five of these journals (for instance, you might choose to write J1, J3, J4, J7, and J9). I will include the grades of only the top five journals that you submit, so you can write more if you want to make up for a journal that received a low grade (for some or many of you, however, it might be more sensible to write any of the extra journals as “Extra Credit” journals — see below). For further directions and the actual assignments, see the Writing page.
Late Policy: Because you are permitted to choose from a set of assignments, no late journals will be accepted; but you are always welcome to complete any of these assignments for extra credit (if you do this, be sure to drop it into the “EC” journal drop box).
Extra credit Journals. See the Writing page for directions.
Discussion Forums. There will be four discussion forums, and each student is required to post one entry per forum (400-600 words each) as well as comment on two posts per forum (100-150 words per comment). These will be evaluated using these rubrics.
You may write additional comments to increase your score for this grade item.
These forums will take place on ANGEL. Due dates are found on the assignment schedule. NB: You are encouraged to make these postings as early as you wish; you can always modify them later. The due date for the comments is always a few days after the due date for the postings; feel free to write these comments as soon as there are postings. See the Writing page for more directions.
Quizzes. There will be a brief quiz about every other day, given at the beginning of class on the readings for that day and previous class sessions. At the beginning of the term, there will also be a group of quizzes to be taken online (see the "Course Materials/Quizzes" on the ANGEL course site. These exercises help keep me informed of your grasp of the material, and should also help motivate you to keep up with the readings. The online quizzes at the beginning of the semester are intended to help you solidify your understanding of the material on logic.
Makeup: Missed in-class quizzes can be made up in my office until the end of the following day, but it is your responsibility to make this arrangement.
Grading. The set of three exams is worth 51% (17% per exam); the set of journals is worth 20%; the set of discussion forum postings and comments is worth 20%; and the set of quizzes is worth 9%.
I use the following letter grade conversion scale: A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D-(60-62), F (0-59).
Cell Phones. 
Please do not bring these to class. If you do bring a cell phone, it needs to be turned off and put away, preferably at the bottom of a very deep pocket or book bag. If you are unable to part company with your cell phone, or are unable to keep it turned off and stowed, then please do not come to class. Thank you.
Cheating and Plagiarism. Plagiarism consists of submitting the statements, ideas, opinions, or findings of another as if they were your own. It is not plagiarism to copy from or paraphrase a source as long as this is acknowledged and the source is cited. Cheating and deliberate plagiarism will result in automatically failing the class. For more information, see the college Catalog.
Students with Disabilities. Manchester College, in compliance with federal guidelines, is committed to providing students with disabilities an access to programs and activities that is equal to the access provided to students without disabilities.
If you believe that you need an accommodation due to a disability, please contact Bonnie O’Connell, the director of services for students with disabilities, to establish your eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. It is your responsibility to seek this accommodation. Students whose accommodation requests are approved will be given confidential letters to deliver to their professors that verifies the nature of the student’s disability and documents the need for auxiliary aids and services and/or academic adjustments/accommodations. Students are encouraged to meet with each professor early in the semester to discuss the academic implications of the disability as they relate to the specific course and to request appropriate accommodation. The Disabilities Office is located in the Success Center (second floor of the Union); please telephone 982-5076 to schedule an appointment.
Manchester College // Registrar // Department of Religion and Philosophy // Last updated: 8 Sep 2009