Assessment for this seminar is divided into five equally weighted components:
1. Paper (20%)
A list of topics drawn from the first section of the class will be distributed in class on September 24, and the paper (1500 words) will be due, 3 weeks later, on October 16 (at 7pm.)
2. Presentation (20%)
You will give a 10-minute presentation in a class of your choice, engaging with a particular argument in the week’s readings that you find interesting. Your presentation must include the following parts, in order:
1. Outline the steps of the argument as clearly as possible in your own words. (It’s best to do this formally, using numbered premises leading to a conclusion.)
2. Explain why you find the argument important or intriguing.
3. Provide the best criticism of the argument that you can think of.
4. Provide the best rebuttal of that criticism that you can think of (and tell us whether you think it’s a good one).
4. Offer at least one question designed to kick-start class discussion after your presentation.
Note: the point of this presentation is NOT for you to summarize the entire set of readings for the week. You will be partly graded on your ability to isolate and clearly explain a small but important part of the readings.
You will email the text of your presentation to me straight after class, the day that you give it. (This can be a transcript or a set of developed bullet-points: up to you.)
3. Commencement Speech (20%)
Questions of life’s meaning and purpose are a standard theme of college commencement speeches. Your final assignment will be to write your own short commencement speech. The content is up to you: you can draw on a favorite (set of) reading(s) from the class, elaborate on / tie together some recurring course themes or present the results of your own outside philosophical research.
You and several of your fellow students will present your speeches in a set of small-group sessions at the end of the semester (somewhere in the range of Dec 11-Dec 13)
You are also required to meet with me by Friday November 22 (i.e. before Thanksgiving week) to discuss your ideas.
You will submit the text of your speech to me over email the day you give your speech.
4. Reading Responses (20%)
You will submit a response to one of the readings for each class (except the first class).
The response should be submitted to our Google Group by 5 p.m. the day 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. Oral Participation (20%)
This is a seminar, so our goal is for there to be as little lecturing by me as possible. It'll be up to you to advance the discussion. Participation grades will be assigned as follows, tracking your average level of in-class engagement across the course of the semester:
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).