Note: the Philosophy department runs an in-house peer-tutoring program, Home Base, that offers you optional meetings with senior philosophy students while you work on your assignments for this course. This year's tutors are Julia Xie, Danielle Ellis, Elizabeth Murno and Galeta Sandercock. Info about how to set up appointments will be given in class.
Assessment for this course is divided into five components:
1. Short Assignment (15%)
You'll write a short piece (800 words) on the subject of the first unit of the course ("Knowledge")
Instructions will be distributed on September 20, and the assignment will be due, 2 weeks later, on October 4.
2. Paper 1 (25%)
A list of topics drawn from the units on "Aesthetics/Ethics" and "Memoir" will be distributed in class on October 25, and the paper (1500 words) will be due, 2.5 weeks later, on November 12.
3. Paper 2 (30%)
A list of topics drawn from the units on "Fiction" and "Literary Criticism" will be distributed in class on November 19.
You will share your draft with your editing partner 2 weeks later, on December 3.
They will give you comments by December 6 and you will revise the paper as needed.
The paper (1500-2000 words) will be due on December 10.
4. Reading Responses (15%)
You will submit a response to one of the readings for each Friday class.
The response should be submitted to our Google Group by 4pm the Thursday before class.
Important: If someone has already posted a response for the upcoming class, please post your response as a reply to that person's, so that we can see all responses for a single class in a single thread.
Your response (approx. 1-2 short paragraphs) should include answers to the following questions:
1. Which passage most leapt out at you in the reading for this class?
2. What does the passage say (briefly)?
3. Why is it interesting to you?
4. What question(s) or concerns do you have about it?
Responses displaying puzzlement, lack of comprehension, irritation etc. are encouraged.
You are welcome--indeed urged!--to respond to other students' responses in addition to posting your own, but you're not required to.
Note: I'll be asking you to submit all your responses to me compiled in a Word doc at the end of the quarter. It'll be easier for you to do this if you compile them as you go along.
5. In-class Participation (15%)
Participation grades will be assigned as follows, tracking your average level of in-class engagement across the course of the quarter:
Excellent (A-range): you consistently showed command of the assigned reading(s) and originality and enthusiasm in discussing them, and your arguments for your own point of view were clear and persuasive.
Good to very good (B-range): you generally developed a point of view that was competent, interesting, and well-articulated, even though you may not have fully digested the material.
Fair to good (C-range): you didn't develop a point of view based on reasoned analysis of the assigned material and/or your comments were inaccurate, unclear or inconsistent.
Poor (D-range): it was clear you hadn't done the reading and/or your attendance was erratic (without justification).