Philosophy 2202

Prior to each class students should do the assigned reading for that class, attempting to answer the reading questions for that reading as they do so. Time permitting, students may also benefit from consulting the introductory section of the lecture notes for that class. This section sets the stage for the reading and supplies context.

At the start of each class one of the reading questions will be selected and students will be given 5 minutes to submit a handwritten answer.

An acceptable answer must be generated in class. Students may not submit a previously prepared list of answers or a cut-out from such a list.

Answers to reading questions receive full credit except in the rare case where they are so far off the mark that they could have been written by someone who did not do the reading

The grade for reading questions is considered to be a class participation grade. To receive the grade you must be present in class at the time the question is asked. Submitting answers on behalf of another student misrepresents the other student as being present when they are absent, and is an academic offense.

After each class, students should take some time to review the lecture notes for that class. Lecture notes go into more detail about the assigned reading than the overheads used for presentation in class. They begin with an introductory discussion that sets the stage for the reading and supplies context. This is followed by a copy of the reading questions, and then by a detailed analysis of the reading. Lecture notes close with essay questions. These are topics for further thinking and will not be assigned.

Answers to all the reading questions for a class will be posted later in the day after the end of the class. Posted answers are not necessarily the only correct answers.

When carefully done, the bibliography, reading list, and prospectus assignments will prepare students to write a good term paper. These assignments are not graded since they can be inattentively cobbled together in a matter of minutes. However, a 5% penalty will be assigned for each missing assignment. These are important assignments, which students must be motivated to submit, and any amount of work done on them is better than none.

Papers submitted in this course must deal with what 2-3 authors, writing today in peer-reviewed academic books or journals indexed in the Philosopher’s Index, have to say about what one or more of the figures studied in this course had to say about one of the topics taken up in course readings. For example, a paper on Locke’s views on property would be unacceptable, as the topic is not taken up in this course. A paper on Mendelssohn’s views on the immortality of the soul would be unacceptable, as Mendelssohn is not a figure studied in this course. A paper on Locke’s position on the Molyneux question would be unacceptable as it is not about what scholars writing today have to say about what Locke had to say about this topic. A paper about what Laura Berchielli, Journal of the History of Philosophy 40 (2002): 47-65 and Ralph Schumacher, Locke Studies 3 (2003): 41-62 had to say in opposition to one another about Locke’s reply to Molyneux’s question is an example of an acceptable topic. As identifying useful scholarly articles is essential for this assignment, the bibliography, reading list, and prospectus assignments are important preparation, and will need to be done carefully. Lower grades on term papers are most often due to the fact that I cannot follow what students have written, which is a consequence of their not having understood what they have read, which is in turn a consequence of not having done adequate preparatory research to identify sources that can be read with understanding.

In conformity with departmental policy, all written work must be submitted to turnitin.com.

No papers will be accepted after the last day of classes (April 8, 2015)

A passing grade on the final exam is a necessary condition for passing the course

The Department of Philosophy policies governing the conduct, standards, and expectations for student participation in Philosophy courses are available in the Undergraduate section of the Department of Philosophy website at http://www.uwo.ca/philosophy/undergraduate/policies.html.It is your responsibility to understand the policies set out by the Senate and the Department of Philosophy. Ignorance of these policies cannot be used as grounds of appeal.

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.