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LEARNING_ACTIVITIES
The
course is divided into 12
Modules,
and each module contains 1 chapter from the textbook. Modules
last one week.
The
following
learning
activities
apply to
each
module:
1.
Read
the assigned textbook
material.
2.
Respond to discussion questions submitted by the instructor. At
least to each question in each module.
3.
Create and submit a discussion question about the material. At
least one in each module.
4.
Respond publicly to
some or all
of the questions submitted by other students.
5.
Reply
to students who respond to your question and responses. 6. Complete and submit the written assignments on time.
Virtual
Seminars/Discussions
In
every module you will find a "Virtual Seminar." A virtual seminar
is like a class discussion. Here, for each module and topic, you are
expected to reply to questions from the instructor, you will ask a
"critical thinking" question about some topic in the chapter, get
responses from other students, and reply to those responses. Here too, you
will answer the questions posed by other students, and they will reply to
your answers. You are welcome to keep up this "virtual discussion"
as long as you wish. The idea here is for each student to join in and to
lead a discussion with the other students about some important issue
introduced in the chapter.
This
is the
heart
of this course as far as your instructor is concerned. It is here that the
process of philosophy will be in evidence. It is here that you get an
opportunity to
DO
PHILOSOPHY.
This is the component of this online course that fosters the dialectical
process of inquiry that is the heart of Philosophy.
Written Assignments:
Upon
completion of each module there is a written assignment. These questions are my
way of testing your understanding of the texts and Virtual
Seminar/Discussions for that module. You will know what the questions or
topics are at the start of each module. You should post your assignments during
the 2-day "window" that is established for submissions, not
before. Unlike your responses to the discussion questions posed by me and
the other students, you will submit your assignments just to me, not to the whole
class. You need to consider these assignments as "take-home, open-book
exams", which require well-organized, thorough responses.
Questions and Suggestions
for the
Professor
There is an area where I will
ask questions which each student should respond to. Also, you may ask me
questions, which I will respond to. Most often, I expect these questions
(mine and yours) will be related to the discussions or the textbook - but
nothing related to the course is "off-limits."
GRADING
REQUIREMENTS:
1.
Class Participation & Discussion: 32%
2.
Critical Analysis Essays (Papers) : 56%
3.
The Quality of Your Discussion Threads: 16%
WORKLOAD:
In
a fifteen-week semester (Spring and Fall) the workload for this course would
be 9 to 12 hours per week. This
includes all the reading, writing, and dialogue with your instructor and
fellow students.
In
the SUMMER SESSION with only 7 weeks (.eg., from May 28th to July 11th) the workload
in effect is double that of the regular 15-week semester.
Therefore, it requires 18 to 24 hours per week to successfully complete this
online course.
This
requires a serious commitment on the part of the learner.
You can access the course at any time from any computer with an
Internet connection. However,
you must put in the effort, the labor, the work needed to meet the course
requirements and obtain a passing grade.
The
course can prove to be a lot of fun for those who take it seriously and keep
up with the workload. For those
who are unable to put in the time and fall behind the course could prove to
be quite horrible.
E-Mail
You
may ask me a private question at any time using my email. Treat E-mail as a
private office visit. I welcome your comments and feedback, too.
LINKS:
There are external links supplied to dictionaries and encyclopedias.
If you want or need to get a better definition or understanding of
terms, concepts and philosophers, use these links!
READINGS:
There
are a variety of readings. In
this online course you are basically reading and writing with lots of thinking
in between. They
include
(1) through (5): 1. There is a required ONLINE Textbook for this course provided FREE.
It
is required that you read ALL of the online text and those that
will be linked inside fo the ONLINE TEXTBOOK and the link will have the message READ in
front of it in the online textbook, e.g., READ
Dialogue ION
You
may attempt to do this course without
the printed textbook
if you are accustomed to and comfortable with reading a great deal of
material over the Internet. For
most students having the textbook will be an advantage.
2.
Selected Dialogues of Plato
(see course schedule for the list). We will be using and mentioning a number of Plato's Dialogues. You can obtain them in a variety of ways.
1.These
dialogues will be provided to you in English, through a series of Internet
links to sites that contain the dialogues.
e.g.,
READ
Dialogue ION
2.
You
may elect to borrow another translation from the college library or any
public library.
3.
You
may also elect to purchase a copy for yourself.
An inexpensive paperback that contains the dialogues we shall be
covering is:
H.
D. Rouse,
Great
Dialogues of Plato.
Mentor Books.
It is available at the college bookstore.
3.
The Discussion Topics (in COMMUNICATIONS, Discussion Board)
4.
Student Submissions-Discussion Posts and Threads
5.
Internet Resources-
those that required are marked with READ
as in
e.g.,
READ
Dialogue ION
SUGGESTED
readings are simply offered as links. |