REVIEWS OF ONLINE COURSE

Summer  2001

 

C
The one good thing about the online class, is the ease for me to at any time during the day(usually some fcked up hour at night)and just turn on my computer and log on and get into it. Definitely better than having to go to school, and carry a BIG book and probably not get as much attention from the instructor go home and write MASSIVE papers or the like. Been a different summer for me, because this is the first one where i went to summer school. Im just trying to digest everything like a sponge(esp this class). EC

==================

E
I agree with you that on-line class in fun. I can also log in from anywhere. It's much better than having to purchase books and carry them all around! FP

========================

First, I'd like to stress, a student should take this class only and no others during the summer, especially if they work, because it needs a lot more focus and dedication than usual. If not, I'd recommend to take it during the other semesters.

I rate this class high. It definitely is a learning tool that we can use to better our lives. Despite the excessive amount of course material, I thought it was all pertinent and necessary to get a better understanding on each topic. I wouldn't do away with any of them.

At first, I didn't know what to expect from this class. I enjoyed the challenge in the writing assignments. However, time was against me. Perhaps, that's the only thing I'd change, the due dates of assignments. Anyway, this course opened my heart and feed my (brain) to accept and understand that there will always be different theories about anything and everything we haven't found logical answers to. At one time in my life I felt extremely guilty for questioning the Bible, our existence and God's participation. With this class, I know I'm not alone. Many have had the same questions and doubts as I did. It's ok to question. It's ok to have an analytical conversation with those whom live and die by traditional belief. It's ok to reason with them and attempt to educate them with different ideas and thoughts and vice versa. This course's has had a great effectiveness in assisting me to achieve my objectives. Discussing topics like God, Souls, and True/Reality, were all challenging and very helpful in understanding, who we are, who we're living among, and how we may live and attempt to succeed in achieving the GOOD LIFE! AM

=========================

Hi A
I agree with you that a student should take this class only and no others during the summer, especially if they work, because it needs a lot more focus and dedication than usual. If not, I'd recommend to take it during the other semesters.

Philosophy is a very interesting course and would suggest anyone who wants to learn and understand the theories (without losing insurmountable amount of sleep) should take it in the fall!  FP

==========================

I think the course is very good overall. However, participation in the communication takes as much time as the written assignments. One must be familiar with the course material and or research material to participate in the board discussions. In addition, it is time consuming to go into everyone's response your comments/question. I feel the communication aspect should be graded on 5 or 6 scale as opposed to 4 points. In addition, if one is on the wrong track, the communication board describes the answers in detail. The controversies, pros and the cons can be found on the communication board, therefore, if a person is on the wrong track he/she can ask the other members of the class and someone will give him/her a sense of direction. The communication board has assisted me in finding out certain knowledge, truths, and understanding.

It also provides a person with the ability to speak out about a particular subject or concept whether it is positive or negative. This is where one's thought process is enlighted by the course materials.

I have truly enjoyed the interaction with this class during this module. It was truly a viable asset in familiarizing oneself with the course material. FP

I think the course was too broad in covering many topics. I suggest that less topics be covered so that a more in depth knowledge can be gained.

This course has helped me to gain a better understanding of major issues and questions facing humanity.

Although I took this course because it was a requirement in fulfilling my bacheolor degree, I feel that I have gained knowledge and new insights into the major questions humanity has faced and is facing. SS

F
I surely will. I don’t think I have ever think or work so hard in another class in all my life. This course left me thinking before ever action I perform.
C,
Yes, this class stimulated our brains, made us think, question and taught us to keep a open mind. Going forward, I think we will all be educated to some degree in philosophy.

F
Given the time period(summer session which is greatly accelerated) i think you will lose the smoothness and the course may feel a bit rushed. The only way to fix this is to take this course during the fall/spring. I bet the discussion and overall presentation is done at a more sustainable level.

I agree to a certain degree. I feel the on-line interaction provides us with the ability to speak thoroughly and freely. Had we been in a classroom setting, there would be constant interuptions. It might have been impossible for us to get our points/opinions on the topics discussed if we were in a classroom setting. In essence, I feel we were able to accomplish alot more via the computer discussions. We were able to answer what we want, when we wanted to, and the professor was great! I enjoyed his technique of teaching! FP



I absolutely agree about the Professor, he is just great but I really would like to know where he stand on some of the issues though. He allowed us free reign to discuss and explore and to hopefully arrive at a logical conclusion, he intervened on a limited basis when we were going off course. The course was very difficult, but I think you are right if we were in the classroom our discussions would be more limited, and structured.  VG

I absolutely agree about the Professor, I would like to have known where he stood on more of the issues as well, that would have given us the opportunity to challenge his opinions as well. But, I guess he has his reasons, he stated his job was to teach us philosophy and that is what he did! FP

Well i think this course had a fair amount of time to do both the discussion boards and the essay questions. And you were pretty lenient in letting us hand in assignments even when tardy with it. I think if you expected this course to be an easy cookie cutter course you were in for the shock of your life(those that took this course just to get 3 credits). In actuality this class was the hardest and the one i spent the most time this semester(im taking 6 classes for the entire summer). For me it was interesting to look at how other people viewed the same subject and the way the professor urged, damn near antagonized us into using our brains and really thinking about what to say for our discussion boards. He really made us think about what we wrote and how we viewed the world. Im sure it will change how all of us view things it certainly did for me.  EC

I agree with the fact that the course was difficult. However, I feel there was alot we took for granted like the mind/body theory. The course challenged our minds, our thinking processes and ability to understand different points of views. I think we will all think alot harder, deeper and wiser from this point forward. Don't you? FP

F     I surely will. I don’t think I have ever think or work so hard in another class in all my life. This course left me thinking before ever action I perform. GF

G    I agree with you. The same for me. I thought it would be a piece of cake. I will breeze through it. I was wrong. I don’t think I have ever think or work so hard in another class in all my life. This course left me thinking before ever action I perform because I was afraid I would say the wrong thing.  SS

S   Lets say alot of hours were spent writing the essays and the discussion board. You think it would be easy but you have to devote a sufficent amount of time in order to get something out of the course. To read everyones comments, and to ask your own questions and when prompted answer some questions others have of you.   EC

Yes E, alot of time was spent reviewing reponses and doing the essays. I personally felt that the essays took time, especially doing the reading and research in preparation in writing the essay.  SS

I agree this course has been one of the most challenging I've taken, and coming from a Nursing Student that is saying something, because nursing is no joke. However, I do believe I learnt a lot, the course opened my mind to see the other person's perspective. It made me look at where I stand on issues and question why I hold the beliefs that I do. I am taking 9 credits this summer and this course demanded more from me than both courses put together. Now I know I am truly a survivor!  VG

Me also! I think about everything much more intensely now!  FP

F    I feel the people who sincerly looked at the issue with an open mind will benefit more than the people who stuck to their own beliefs naively and wouldnt question themselves at all. Yeah i think we all learned about ourselves and the way we approach ideas and situations in the past and definitely for the future.   EC

 E I totally agree with you that people who sincerely look at any issue with an open mind will beneift more than people who stick with one idea/belief. Live is ever changing and we must be able to except those changes with an open mind. I am certain no one thought their would be gay marriages 30-40 years ago. However, things change, and who are we to judge? FP

 

E
I can relate to your experience since I am also taking 9 credits at QCC plus 16 credits at Nyack this summer. I spent more time doing philisophy than any other courses. It is a very challenging course. SS

SI agree that philosophy is challenging. However, it is so interesting it kept me up to wee hours of the morning searching for answers. I quess that's how some philosophers felt when they too were searching for answers--quite drained, yet so curious--the eagerness to find the answers kept them going! FP

 

The amount of sleep I loss searching for answers to the question that was asked during this course is astronomical. But I would do so again at the drop of a hat. This course was a very difficult one. One thing I can say it did for me was it took me back to the days when I was in school back home. There we had to use our brain. We were not given so many multiple choices. Mostly short answers and essay. I think the professor is from the old school of learning. Thank you professor. You surly challenge my thoughts. I don’t think I have work so diligently for a long time. If I still have a life after this past seven weeks, (my family and friend said I deserted them for philosophy) it will be a better and more aware one. GF

I have lost so much sleep trying to find answers to the question on the board it's not funny. I have stayed up as late as 4:35am. Incredible! However, the class was interesting and I had to give it my all. It consumed all my time at work also! It was that interesting, I allowed it to contain my thoughts daily. I would be on my way to work thinking of answers. All I say is that I totally enjoyed philosophy.   FP

F ,
I know what you are saying! One day I was riding my bike on the broadwalk. I attempted to do a trick I use to do as a teenager. At first I was scared. All of a sudden I heard inside my head, “I am not afraid, it is only in the mind.” And to my amazement, I was competing the action I wanted to perform. This took place during the mind and body segment. I relate what was happening to my friend who was riding along, and she said, “ boy, you and that philosophy.” During this course, in my sleep, while eating, working, exercising, or studding it was always philosophy. This course really evoked all the thinking process. GF

F,
I encountered the same "insomnia" issues with this class, but i am glad that you are happy that you took the class. Remember the beginning? if you look at the first couple of days, you can say that alot of people dropped this class, so we did survived. Actually we did more than just survive, we adapted and thrived to the discipline of philosophy. This is an accomplishment in itself. EC

E
Yes, we did survive the philosophy class. I think we kept each other interested. I did not notice the people who droped the class, only those who stuck with the class. I'm glad I shared a class with such interesting people!  FP

G      I have to concur with you, although i balk after immediately taking a course like this right now(lets just say im ecstatic to have survived this one). I learned alot about the way i look at things and analyze them. Also to continually question my belief and to back it up with information. Data is just facts, information is when you take the data and make a conclusion EC

E
As you say, this is information. Info. that I plan to make good use off. The most informative class I have ever taken. This was great group, so happy to have been a part of it. May the forces around and about us guide us all in our future endeavor. FG

I thought the information was so interesting that I'm going to save alot of the papers. In fact, I will definitely save the questions, as the answers may change as life goes on. This was definitely one of the most informative classes I have had as well. So glad to have spent it with you all!  FP

F
I didn't know what i was in store for until after doing the first week. Then i knew that this class would either bury me or i would have to devote a significant amount of time to it. If you notice because i really didnt have alot of time during the week to do the discussion board, the weekend(usually at wierd hours) is where i had to really burn the keyboard so to speak. EC

Well E
I spent endless hours on the discussion board. During the week and the weekend unless I was ill. I participated at work, home, and in my travels, I stayed connected. I have noticed that a few people participated mainly on the weekend, maybe that is what worked for them. As for me, I always wanted questions answered, and also to view everyone's ideas and questions. I stayed up until endless hours in the morning searching for answers, clues, and suggestions to put on the board. This class certainly encouraged me to work hard!  FP

S    Wow i thought i was taking alot of courses. I have to give you credit for taking so many classes. Does anyone know if any schools in NY offer winter session classes(Because QCC break is from end of Dec to the beginning of Feb). Im asking because it would help me transfer sooner. Any help is appreciated.   EC

The class was much different than I expected. After the first week it was obvious I didn't know much about philosophy at all. The one thing I found fault with was that some of the links were not exactly "easy reading". I found some of them to be too wordy and difficult to really understand. The style that the online text was written in was much easier to comprehend.
My original reason for taking the class was for the convenience of an online course and to earn the credits. I'm glad now that this was the class I took because it introduced me to ideas and questions I would not have given much thought to before. I spent the last few weeks doing some heavy thinking about things that I never would have bothered to look in to. I always accepted the beliefs and values I was raised in without much difficulty. Now, some of those beliefs and values have changed, and some are stronger because of the materials and discussions that took place in this class. Thanks to everyone here!  CP

Now, I have a better understanding of the different world views in both history and current culture. I have learned how cultural relativism asserts that moral standards are relative from culture to culture. As such, no one can say with certainity that the standards of one culture are superior to those of another.  SS

I also have a better understanding of the different world views in both history and current culture. I have learned how cultural relativism asserts that moral standards are relative from culture to culture. As such, no one can say with certainity that the standards of one culture are superior to those of another.

However "cultural relativism," is also the view that ethical judgments and moral rules always reflect the cultural context from which they are derived and cannot be immediately applied to other cultural contexts. People who hold this view are skeptical about even the possibility of syaing that slavery is wrong in a slave-holding society and so are close to the ethical subejctivist. At the other extrem, some cultural realtivists only put the burden of proof on thos who think that they can generalize from one social content to another, but accept that the burden of proof is often met. FP

Fatima,
I wonder what the fall course of philosophy is like, spread out over a bigger span of time. i mean the condensed version basically made us frantic and concentrate a lot more because if we tried to go into the discussion boards w/o reading we would get hammered by the professor/another student. All in all a very enjoyable situation for me.  EC

Edward,
The fall semester is probably spread out a lot more, I can't possibly see them giving any more topics to discuss. They probably get the same material, just more time to do the exercises. Whereas, we may have had a week to get our assignments in, they may have two weeks. FP

Nevertheless, It was still interesting!  FP

A  Thats one good thing that im grateful for. I usually work but this summer since i was taking a significant amount of credits i decided in seeking employment. If i did i know i would be in big trouble right now. Im glad this course opened yourself to new perspectives and to question your beliefs that you cherish.  EC

The professor must make himself more accessible to the students answering all of their questions and being open and candid about his position and defending it make it clearer to the students. He must not merely label the philosophers and writers in the course but must reflect their overall thinking. Sometimes the thinking and writing does not reflect the label and this is confusing t have a label answer.
        The present format works well with greater information upon the mode and system of grading. The overall reason for taking the course is for credit and secondly for learning. The goals of the course have to take in grading criteria as well as curriculum content.
        Learning about the metaphysical and quasi-religious aspects of life was interesting and involved all of the students. It put the students and myself on the spot of whether to be honest or just give an answer I thought you were looking for. When I did give honest answers, I felt that the criticism was not constructive such as when I explained the body, soul, and spirit and you just wrote “WRONG – WRONG - WRONG’ I retorted with a civil answer that was medically correct but you never made reply. When I thought there was rapport, there was only a one-way writing and you acting as an uninformed judge. With the future classes it may be wise to have an assistant to help you with this class because of the vast magnitude and volume of answers. By the way, what does jazz have to do with philosophy?  HL

By the way, what does jazz have to do with philosophy?

I think the answer to that question was that the professor was merely trying to say he was conditioned. In that regard, he scheduled himself to see a jazz festival for that weekend and that we should continue with the discussions. That time period we were discussing: Are we free or conditioned? FP

The first thing that should change in this course is the introductory session. The professor should inform the incoming students that the time required for this course is at least 70 hours per week. And that is stressing it a bit. Not only that, but it should not be in conjunction with another class. Not only does this class require a great deal of time, but they will want to dedicate the time willingly if they are the least bit interested in philosophy.

The course material is tremendous. There is more to a summer class than a class that is taken during the regular semester. The summer class is more demanding. On online course is that and a lot more. The extra information that is required is right there at the touch of a button. And the subject of philosophy is broad. The course document guides you to many of these sites. To get a general understanding of the topic being discussed, these sites have to be read and reread to acquire this understanding. One must be familiar with the course material and or research material to participate in the board discussions. Plus pay attention to the emphasis on the time frame require for this course.

I rate this class very high. It definitely is a learning tool that we can use to enhance our lives. Despite the excessive amount of course material, my views are, it was all pertinent and necessary to get a better understanding of each topic.

Becoming an avid participant in the discussion board should be more emphasized during the introduction. Maybe it was, I do not remember. I just know, I learned the hard way when I could not find the time to catch up. First and foremost, read, read, and read should be repeated over and over again. Because you find out early that if you don’t take time out to read and comprehend the material, you will be lost.

One of the things I found most beneficial was the easy access to the course material. The professor went out of his way to make it convenient for us to gain access to enough sites where we could get help completing our assignment. All we need was more time.

At the beginning of this course one of the question asked by the professor was, why did you enrolled in this course? A part of my answer was, for the convenience, the credits I needed and because the regular class hours did not fit into my schedule. I was so happy when I say that this online course was one of the classes I could enroll in.

Now after six weeks of hard work, I am happy to say, it was a pleasure to work with you all. I was pushed to the limit. Now I am able to think critically, analyze rationally, logically map out possible approaches to questions presented and possessing the tools (looking at other theories) to arrive at some form of truth.

The most difficult time I encounter during this course was when we were covering the topic “ does God exist?” I think I got the lowest grade in this module. My beliefs, culture and traditional mode of thinking just would not go away. It took the following two modules to revive my spirit. The discussion on topics like mind and body, Souls, and True/Reality, were all challenging and very helpful in my understanding of whom we are, who we're living among, and how we may live and attempt to succeed in achieving the GOOD LIFE! GF

G    you said, "My beliefs, culture and traditional mode of thinking just would not go away"
I bet now though you have a stronger defense to the beliefs you hold! You were challeneged to look at different ideas and maybe you came away with yours being stronger. CP


It sure Has!  GF

C
Usually it takes more than one course to change your beliefs. But it does get you to scrutinize them more and to not just readily accept them at face value. And that is an important idea in itself.  EC

G
I agree with your philosophy that the first thing that should change in this course is the introductory session. The professor should inform the incoming students that the time required for this course is at least 70 hours per week. And that is stressing it a bit. Not only that, but it should not be in conjunction with another class. Not only does this class require a great deal of time, but they will want to dedicate the time willingly if they are the least bit interested in philosophy. FP


Fatima,
Even 70 hrs. is no where near enough. It,s good to know I was not the only one having difficulty with the time frame. GF

F
I think the weeks where we had 1-3 modules were the most creative and interaction the best. The weeks when we had 4-7 modules i think there was a tendency for people to just go in and write anything in order to make sure they get a good grade(human nature). I know it was necessary but that is what i felt about it. EC

E,

I think the first three (3) weeks were the hardest in terms of everyone getting the hang of the internet class idea for one, and secondly, the Greeks, Religion, and the existence of man, Am I really existing are tough topics, Is there a God? Well, that requires alot of research, soul searching, and conceptionalizing. Does Evil Exist? More thought, research, conceptionalizing. These topics were extremely difficult as people were brought up to think one way, they now had to question that thinking process. Get it! Do we have a mind/brain more difficult questions, philosophers have spent decades searching for these answers. Why do you think it would be easy for us. No way!

No matter how trival a person's question was, it warranted an answer. It's the professor job to grade people as to whether or not they were serious about the class, I'm certain that he will grade people accordingly. I listen to everyone and judge no one, WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE? The class was fun, I enjoyed it, I hope you did as well. FP

I think your number of 70 hours needed for a week is a bit excessive, but one does have to take place every persons reading speed,ability,etc in this course. i think a more median range 25-30 is fair and maybe more if you count all the rewrites i did for the essays(i couldnt seem to get a high mark on the first try on several of them) More time if you reread the links like i did on several occasions. The professor was definitely fair to late papers(which i handed in numerous times late) and in taking rewrites which i think is a good idea, because after you write it he would tell you where it needs improvement you would go back to the reading materials and learn more. Thank god it was online reading too, if i had to carry that book(i can imagine it as being gigantic) it would have been cumbersome to the online class. For me i like how the professor put the class average because it would show me how i am doing compared to my peers and where i needed to improve. Also it showed the struggles everyone was going through and that i wasnt alone. EC

I definitely feel that the professor is fair in terms of excepting papers late, although I made a concertive effort to be on time. The opportunity to revise your paper after submitting it once is an excellent idea, that is where the professor informs you as to whether you are on the right track or not. And he will give you clues as to what you should do. That is par excellent!

This class required alot of thinking, time, and reasoning. It you had to give it all you had. That's my feeling on the subject.   FP

I think the course definitely met it's objectives. You really could not go through this class withtout learning -if you did the essays and did the reading. This was not a "copy the answer from the text book class". You had to do your own thinking here.
The external links were great. I used the Philosohy encyclopedia and dictionary several times, to clear up things I didn't understand in the readings. They were more simply worded at times. Looking into other links also gave me clarification on different philosophers and their theories  CP

C
I was wondering if anyone had the time/chance to read the links that were optional? You know the ones that didn't say read before that? I didnt to be candid because i didn't have time to do so.  EC

Yes I did read some if I wasn't able to find the info that I was looking ofr any where or if I wanted anything more.  CP

E    I printed out everything, and read some of everything, regardless if it said read or not, in addition, I read other books as well. When I say I spent endless hours reading, researching and thinking I was not kidding. This class let me drained. I was always tired because I spent so many hours reading, searching and thinking. That is what philosophy is about! FP

I think that one thing that might make this course alittle easyer for people like me is a more detailed desciption of the written asighnments. I know when I was doing them A lot of the time I was not sure if I was taking the paper in the right direction or not. CB

 

Inspite of the hard work there were times when I really enjoyed the course especially during some of the discussions. One of the problems I had was reading the online text, it was difficult for me to do the readings on line, and many times I had to go to other links for more understandable information. I tried printing out the text but it usually ran into between 10 - 42 pages. The Phaedo was 42 pages, which I printed and read, found it extremely interesting, but could not get the full benefit from it because of trying to keep up with the timeframe for the other readings. I think now that maybe I should have gotten written text that was optional, maybe a written text book, with a realistic amount of chapters to over and then links on the net to increase understanding may be worth considering. I just had a lot of difficulty retrieving information and then printing it out so that I could take it with me to read whenever I got the chance, because it was just too much to sit and read at the computer. VG

V,
I defnitely agree with you! the phaedo and the republic dealing with the socratic method was very tough and frustrating for me. Took numerous readings and rewrites to get a decent grade on that paper. whew! EC

I agree with you both,

I defnitely agree with you! the phaedo and the republic dealing with the socratic method was very tough and frustrating for me. I had to read them both numerous times to obtain a moral picture or comprehend what was going on. Also, it was so long and drawn out, that it required several readings in my opinion.  FP

This coarse was definitly quite a load. This has to one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. The sciences which are hard in itself seem not as bad. It did feel a bit rushed, but then again we can't do anything about that since it was a summer course. This course definately left me wondering about many of the topics discussed.  SG

My original thought was that philosophy was a career for people who didnt really want to work and got to sit all day around to BS. Now i definitely have learned the errors of my way and has earned my respect for sure. This class was tough, annoying, sleep depriving sometimes but it was worth it and more than compares to any other 3 credit course i have taken. It should be a 4 credit course!  EC

I agree with you Edward, the course warrants 4-6 credit hours. I sure spent a lot sleepless nights! FP

This class was a wonderful experience that I will always remember. Thank you everyone for being part of the experience!
I wish you all the best in your endeavors and take care!

Bye!  FP