Life
Pandemic! Political chaos! Economic meltdown! Climate apocalypse! We've all had a rough few years lately, and some of us continue to face significant challenges in our personal as well as academic lives. I'm committed to doing all I can to make this class a positive part of your year, and to responding with understanding, empathy and flexibility if complications arise for you this semester. The most important thing is to get in touch with me sooner rather than later if you're struggling. And the other most important thing is for all of us to be kind and patient with each other.
Attendance and Participation
You'll get the most you can out of the course only if you attend each class. I'll be keeping track of attendance, and your participation grade will be impacted if you are absent without good reason. But if you have a pressing need to miss a class, that's okay: just email me in advance so I know what's going on.
I encourage you to participate actively during class meetings, by, for example, making comments, asking questions, responding to other students, engaging in assigned activities, and listening actively. I know that some find it harder than others to talk in class: let's meet if you find you're struggling to enter the discussion, and we can workshop ways to make that easier for you.
Read the required reading
It's hard to participate effectively in a philosophy class if you haven't read the assigned material in advance. I've tried to keep the readings to a reasonable number of pages per class to make this requirement not too taxing. In return, I expect you to do your part in reading the material, and coming to class prepared to discuss what you've read.
I'm happy to recommend additional readings if you're particularly interested in a topic, but you don't need to do outside reading to do very well in this course.
Reading philosophy is a learned skill, and it takes a lot of attention and energy (see the helpful advice here). I strongly advise you not to do it at the last minute. Often you won't really understand a reading unless you read it twice before class.
Class discussion / Content warning
Philosophical discussions can roam widely and unpredictably, including into areas that are personally and politically sensitive. Please be attentive to the possible impact of your comments on students who may have special vulnerabilities. Our aim is to talk freely to each other, but with empathy and sensitivity where needed.
Some themes in our readings and discussions (e.g. poverty, war, human rights violations, racism, injustice, etc.) may be distressing to you personally, too.
If you're finding class material or discussions troubling, in a way that's interfering with your engagement in the course, I encourage you to get in touch with me so I know what's going on for you and we can chat about how to make it better.
Papers
Extensions will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances. Contact me well in advance if possible.
No rewrites allowed.
Although I don't give *written* comments on drafts, I strongly encourage you to meet with me to talk about outlines or drafts of your papers before they're due, or to ask shorter questions about assignments over email.
Grading criteria
I will provide detailed advice on how to write philosophy papers when the paper topics are handed out. In the meantime, the following can be taken as a rough guide of what I am looking for in a good paper:
1. Understanding. Your paper should, minimally, demonstrate a basic understanding of the theories or ideas covered in the course. This means both that there should be no substantial errors of interpretation and that you should go beyond merely repeating the points covered in class, in order to demonstrate a genuine grasp of the material.
2. Clarity and organization. The argument you give in your paper should be
clear and easy to understand. There should be an identifiable central thesis,
your writing style should be simple and straightforward, and your paper should be
structured in a clear and logical fashion, with no material that is irrelevant to the thesis included.
3. Evidence of critical ability. Your paper should demonstrate at least some degree
of critical thinking on the topic covered. Criticisms do not need to be extraordinarily original, but they do need to show that you have thought carefully about the topic and are able to see arguments on both sides of the question.
Grades will be applied as follows:
A-range: The paper fulfills each of the above 3 criteria to an excellent-to-truly-exceptional degree.
B-range: The paper fulfills each of the above 3 criteria to a good-to-very-good degree.
C-range: The paper fulfills some of the above 3 criteria to a fair-to-good degree, but exhibits some significant problems in relation to at least one of them.
D-range: The paper shows serious deficiencies in two or more of the above criteria.
Or, as David Foster Wallace used to put it:
A = Mind-blowingly good; A- = Extremely good; B+ = Very good; B = Pretty good; B- = OK; C+ = Mildly subpar; C = Seriously subpar; D = Downright bad; F = Obvious.
Plagiarism
is an academic offense that the College takes very seriously. In order to avoid being accused of plagiarism, be sure to reference any materials that you quote or paraphrase. The particular format that you use for references is unimportant, provided that it is clear and consistent throughout. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
More info on the Honor Code here.
Generative AI Policy
To be honest, I am still working out to what extent AI is or is not useful for the kinds of philosophy courses I teach. At the moment, what is at the forefront of my mind is the obvious threat that reliance on AI poses to the independent reasoning and writing skills that are the core of philosophy, and that my courses are fundamentally designed to help you develop. Currently (and for the duration of this semester), I am taking a cautionary approach, and we will be going old-school. All use of GenAI (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and similar tools) when working on your writing assignments for this course is prohibited. Any violation of this policy will constitute an Honor Code violation. I apologize if I sound old-fashioned or tyrannical: my standing mode is to respect and trust my students, and my sole motivation here is to teach you philosophy the best way I can.
The Pink Guide
You can find my general advice about taking philosophy classes here.
I will try to respond to your email within 48 hours. After that, feel free to send me a gentle reminder.
BUT I try not to reply to emails on weekends, so, if you want a prompt reply, it’s best not to send me an email past 3 p.m. on a Friday.
It’s also best not to send me an email with a complicated question about a paper less than 48 hours before the paper is due (remember, everyone else is doing that too!) Plan ahead.
Disability Accommodations
I have a disability myself (solidarity!), and it's very important to me that all my students have all the resources they need to succeed in this course.
If you have a disability or medical condition, either long-term or temporary, that means you need academic accommodations in this seminar, please contact Disability Services to get a letter outlining your accommodation needs, and submit that letter to me.
Disability Services can be reached at disabilityservices@wellesley.edu, at 781-283-2434, by scheduling an appointment online at their website www.Wellesley.edu/disability, or by visiting their offices on the 3rd floor of Clapp Library, rooms 316 and 315.
You should request accommodations as early as possible in the semester, or before the semester begins, since some situations require significant time for review and accommodation design.
If you're unsure but suspect you may have an undocumented need for accommodations, I encourage you to contact Disability Services about that too. They can provide assistance including advice, screening and referral for assessments.
Situations evolve, so don't be shy about contacting me at any point in the semester if something new comes up.
Get in touch!
It's important that we stay in touch about any questions or concerns you have across the course of the semester. Come and visit during office hours or email me for an appointment if you have a question about the course, are experiencing difficulties, or would like to chat. I’d love to see you!
Content Warning
This course covers a wide range of fundamental and urgent questions about human social life. Please be aware of that, in your own case as well as those of your fellow students.