SYLLABUS

Course Description and Objectives:

Description: Honors introduction to philosophy includes inquiry into the meaning and justification of fundamental ideas and beliefs concerning reality, knowledge, and values and application to relevant topics in ethics, religion, and politics. This section of PHI 2010 is a problem-oriented, historically organized introduction to philosophy dealing with issues such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, the distinction between appearance and reality, the nature of truth, free will and determinism, ethics, and political theory. Remember that philosophy is not simply about listing and remembering facts. It is about analyzing positions and arguments, understanding them in their historical and cultural contexts, and being able to deal with, discuss, and compare diverse ideas, theories and principles.

In this course, you will become familiar with the history of philosophy and some of its main problems, and you will be able to write about and discuss critically its development and specific points of emphasis. You will be able to analyze meanings in philosophical texts from diverse cultural and historical contexts and sharpen skills in research and critical/analytical reading and writing by demonstrating knowledge of and critical thinking about philosophical concepts and the theoretical and critical principles of philosophical thinking from diverse contexts.

Because this course is an advanced introduction to philosophy, you will engage in philosophical discussion and do philosophy by close reading of texts and demonstrating careful analysis of arguments, theories and principles in various aspects of philosophical inquiry.

Objectives: The objectives of the course are at least the following. First, you will become familiar with the history of Western philosophy and conversant about several different philosophical traditions and “fields” of philosophy. You will be able to write about and discuss critically its development and specific points of emphasis. Second, you will develop and sharpen skills in research and critical/analytical reading and writing, especially in a forum provided by the scope and organization of this course in which verbal and written discussion and presentation of ideas will take place.

Texts:

Steven M. Cahn and Maureen Eckert, Philosophical Horizons (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2006). Abbreviated as “PH” throughout.
Online and works on reserve as appropriate

Grading Scale & Related Information

A=Superior, far exceeds average understanding as evidenced in course work and goes significantly beyond the basics.	95-100%	C=Average, meets minimum expectations and satisfies course requirements	74-76.x%
A-=Excellent, exceeds average understanding as evidenced in course work and goes well beyond the basics.	90-94.x%	C-=Slightly below average, meets bare minimum expectations and satisfies course requirements.	70-73.x%
B+=Far above average, meets or exceeds average understanding as evidenced in course work and fully understands the basics and goes somewhat beyond that level.	87-89.x%	D+=Below average, meets most minimum expectations and satisfies all or most course requirements.	67-69.x%
B=Far above average, fully meets average understanding as evidenced in course work and fully understands the basics and can deal with concepts somewhat beyond that level.	84-86.x%	D=Below average, meets many minimum expectations and satisfies all or most course requirements.	64-66.x%
B-=Just above average, fully meets expectations for basic understanding as evidenced in coursework and fully understands the basics and can deal with concepts at that level.	80-83.x%	D-=Far below average, but meets most minimum expectations and satisfies most course requirements with minimal understanding evidenced in course work.	60-63.x%
C+=Slightly above average, fully meets expectations for basic understanding as evidenced in coursework and understands the basics.	77-79.x%	F=Fails to meet minimum expectations in understanding and coursework a evidenced by performance and submission of graded elements.	0-59.x%

· Grades and Grading Scale: If you prefer not to take a course using the +/- grading scale, then don't take this one. Arguments about about how it is unfair to use this scale. One of the arguments generally runs like this: If I get a B- in a course, and I am competing with other people for the same job or a spot in graduate school, then other people who DIDN'T have grades based on +/- might have a "B" (say, an 82) but their average was the same as mine (B-, also an 82). In that case, I am disadvantaged by the +/- system. Counter-Argument: If you are competing with people who did not take a course with +/- grading, and their average was an 88 (B), but yours was an 88 (B+), then YOU have the advantage. It works both ways.

· Plagiarism and Cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information.

· Assignments or any graded element of the course must also be your own work. There is nothing wrong with seeking the assistance of others (in fact, helping each other to study for examinations is highly recommended) for help in understanding concepts, principles, or methods of analysis, but simply obtaining answers from another person and turning them in as your own is certainly unacceptable.

· I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.

· All written work in this course is subject to submission to turnitin.com. Turnitin.com has a section that you can use for help in writing papers and essays. It is free and readily available. See http://www.turnitin.com .

In this course, it is up to you to keep track of yourself. If you do not intend to keep up with the readings and assignments on a regular basis, you may wish to re-think taking this course. You do not get "credit" for simply being in class. Attending regularly and doing what is required, one would think, is a given. YOU are responsible for meeting all the course requirements, being present for examinations and assignments, and submitting all required coursework on time. Graded assignments for the course can be made up only with good, legitimate, and verifiable reasons. There is no extra credit available in this course. Also keep in mind that grades are earned, they are not "given." It is not possible to offer any course credit to anyone that is not available to everyone. Changes of grade are made only for legitimate reasons (e.g., clerical errors) after the semester has ended. Please also keep in mind that "I" (incomplete) grades are assigned only for appropriate reasons.

Using e-community is recommended. I have set it up so that when you log in, you can see the e-mail addresses of all the people in this class. This will be useful when you need to send files to each other for presentations and presentation evaluations, or when you want to get in touch with someone in the class to study for exams or to work on papers.

Schedule and Other Information:

Requirements and Grades

Objectives

Assignment	History of Philosophy	Critical Reading/Writing on Course Content	Research & Information Fluency	Percent of Grade
Midterm Exam	X	X		20%=200pts
Final Exam	X	X		25%=250pts
Essays/Papers (4) – Rubric (.doc), (.htm)	X	X	X	20%=200 pts
Presentations (1) - Rubric (.doc), (.htm)	X	X	X	10%=100 pts
Presentation Evaluation (1) – Rubric (.doc), (.htm)		X	X	10%=100 pts
IF Related Assignment(s)			X	15%=150 pts

Explanation of Assignments or Assessments

Midterm and Final Exams. Determine grasp of course content and ability to evaluate and compare/contrast arguments and positions in the history of philosophy. These exams may be composed of any combination of objective or essay questions, or one but not the other, or both.
Papers/Essays - can deal with any aspect of course content. Topics are listed in each of the divided content sections, below. When you submit your papers, do this in 2 ways – by e-mail to me at stanlick@mail.ucf.edu and in hard copy form in class on the due date.
Presentations and Presentation Evaluations. Presentations are based on papers/essays. They are to be no more than 5-8 minutes each. You will be assigned one presentation of one of your papers/essays. In addition, each person will do one evaluation of the presentation of one other person in the course. Use the presentation evaluation/rubric form, and make sure that the person whose presentation you have evaluated receives a copy of it. Turn the evaluation in to me by e-mail and in hard copy form in class on the due date.
IF Related Assignments. Information fluency is a prominent aspect of this course. IF is defined as the ability to acquire, evaluate, and use information in appropriate ways. Your research in this course is IF-related. See the IF assignment table in this syllabus.
Be sure to attend class regularly since you are responsible for meeting all obligations for the course. Make-up examinations and assignments are given only with good, legitimate and verifiable reasons. Papers/essays are due absolutely no later than the date listed in the schedule, or calendar or "assignments" link in WebCT. Late essays and discussion postings are not accepted. Incomplete grades are given only in cases of extreme hardship or verifiable emergencies and are subject to conditions as appropriate. There is no extra credit offered or available in this course. Grades are earned, not given.

Schedule

The schedule of readings and assignments appears below. Changes and alterations in the schedule of topics, examination dates, paper due dates, assignments and other schedule-related information may be made from time to time to facilitate completion of all major sections listed. As an electronically enhanced syllabus, note that additional readings/links may appear at any time in relevant sections.

Schedule of Readings and Assignments:

1. PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENTS, Weeks 1-2 (Aug 22, 24, 29, 31)

READINGS

PH, Introduction: The Elements of Argument, pp. 1-17
“Philosophy: A Brief Guide for Undergraduates” from the American Philosophical Association

See http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/publications/texts/briefgd.html

How to Write a Philosophy Paper, from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center

See http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/philosophy.html

4. Link to “Casting Arguments” – http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/castingarguments.htm

LECTURE TOPICS

What is philosophy?
Constructing and Evaluating Arguments
General background on fields, traditions, and methods of philosophy

ASSIGNMENTS

TAKE THE PRE-TEST AT THE GEP ASSESSMENT SITE AT http://webct.ucf.edu . Sign in and go to the GEP assessment link. 20 points will be deducted from your midterm exam score if you do not take the pre-test. So please take it. It is open/available from Mon Aug 21 at 8:00 a.m. to Monday Aug 28 at 11:55 p.m.
Paper, 50 points. Due on August 31 – Creating an Original Philosophical Argument
Don’t forget to check the presentation schedule to find out when you are to present your paper and which (and whose) presentation you are to evaluate. 100 points.
IF Assignment TBA in class. 30 Points.

2. PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION AND METAPHYSICS, Weeks 3-6 (Sep 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28):

READINGS

1. Philosophy of Religion, pp. 19-21

2. Plato, Euthyphro, pp. 22-30

Arguments for God’s Existence

1. Anselm, The Ontological Argument, pp. 31-33

2. Aquinas, The Five Ways, pp. 34-35

3. Taylor, The Cosmological Argument, pp. 36-40

4. Paley, The Teleological Argument, pp. 41-43

5. Hume, Dialogues, pp. 44-52

6. Nagel, A Defense of Atheism, pp. 53-57

The Problem of Evil

1. Swinburne, Why God Allows Evil, pp. 58-64

2. Cahn, The Moriarty Hypothesis, pp. 65-66

The Justification of Religious Belief

1. Pascal, The Wager, pp. 66-67

2. Clifford, The Ethics of Belief, pp. 68-71

3. James, The Will to Believe, pp. 72-76

4. Flew, Hare, and Mitchell, Theology and Falsification, pp. 77-81

5. McKim, The Hiddenness of God, pp. 82-86

Metaphysics, pp. 87-89

Reality

1. Plato, The Divided Line and the Myth of the Cave, pp. 98-101

2. Aristotle, Substance, Cause and Change, pp. 102-103

3. Woozley, Universals, pp. 104-108

Personal Identity

1. Locke, Of Identity and Diversity, p. 109-115

2. Hume, Of Personal Identity, pp. 116-120

3. Dennett, The Self as a Narrative Center of Gravity, pp. 125-130

Free Will and Determinism

1. Ayer, Freedom and Necessity, pp. 131-135

2. Taylor, Freedom and Determinism, pp. 136-147

3. Darrow, Compulsion, pp. 148-152

4. Frankfurt, Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility, pp. 153-158

LECTURE TOPICS

1. Problems in the Philosophy of Religion

2. Arguments for God’s Existence

3. The Problem of Evil

4. The Justification of Religious Belief

5. The Nature of Reality

6. Personal Identity

7. Free Will and Determinism

ASSIGNMENTS

50 Points. Essay/Paper. Argument Reconstruction and Critique. Due on Oct 5 (NOTE: Original due date was 9/28).
100 Points. Check to see whether you are assigned to do an evaluation.
IF Assignment. TBA in class. 40 points.

3. EPISTEMOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF MIND, Weeks 7-9 (Oct 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31, Nov 2)

READINGS

Epistemology, pp. 159-161

Rationalism and Empiricism

1. Descartes, Meditations, pp. 162-188

2. Bouwsma, Descartes’ Evil Genius, pp. 189-194

3. Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding, pp. 195-199

4. Berkeley, Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, pp. 200-205

Skepticism and the Problem of Induction

1. Hume, Enquiry, pp. 206-211

2. Strawson, Justification of Induction, pp. 212-213

Note: One reading omitted from original version

The Gettier Problem

1. Gettier, Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?, pp. 217-218

2. Fields, A Reply to Gettier, pp. 219-220

Note: One reading omitted from original version

Philosophy of Mind, pp. 225-226

Descartes’ Myth

1. Ryle, Descartes’ Myth, pp. 227-233

2. Smart, Sensations and Brain Processes, pp. 234-238

Materialism and Intelligence

1. Turing, Computing Machinery and Intelligence, pp. 239-246

2. Churchland and Churchland, Could a Machine Think?, pp. 258-264

Note: One reading omitted from original version

LECTURE TOPICS

1. The Search for Knowledge – rationalism and empiricism

2. Skepticism and The Problem of Induction

3. The Gettier Problem

4. Descartes’ Myth

5. Materialism and Intelligence

ASSIGNMENTS

MIDTERM EXAM: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10
50 Points. Paper. Argument Reconstruction and Critique. Due Nov 9.
100 Points. Check to see whether you are assigned to do a presentation evaluation.
IF Assignment. TBA in class. 40 points.

4. ETHICS AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, Weeks 10-End of Term (Nov 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 28, 30)

READINGS

Ethics, pp. 281-283

Emotivism

Stevenson, The Nature of Ethical Disagreement, pp. 284-287
Bambrough, A Proof of the Objectivity of Morals, pp. 288-291

Egoism

Rachels, Egoism and Moral Scepticism, pp. 292-298
Cahn, Happiness and Immorality, pp. 299-301

Virtue Theory

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, pp. 302-307
Epicurus, The Pleasant Life, pp. 308-311

Kantian Deontology

Kant, Metaphysics of Morals, pp. 316-320

Utilitarianism

Mill, Utilitarianism, pp. 321-327
William, A Critique of Utilitarianism, pp. 328-331

Critiques

Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, pp. 332-336
Nagel, Moral Luck, pp. 337-343

Political Philosophy, pp. 371-372

Social Contract Theory

Plato, Crito, pp. 388-393
Hobbes, Leviathan, pp. 394-397
Locke, Second Treatise, pp. 398-401

Communism

Marx, Estranged Labor, pp. 406-407

Liberty and Justice

Mill, On Liberty, pp. 408-412
Rawls, A Theory of Justice, pp. 413-419
Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia, pp. 420-423
King, Letter from Birmingham Jail, pp. 424-428

LECTURE TOPICS

1. Emotivism and Criticism

2. Egoism

3. Virtue Ethics

4. Kantian Deontology and Utilitarianism

5. The Ethics of Care and Critiques of Ethical Theory

6. Social Contract Theory

7. Communism, Liberty and Justice

8. Contemporary Contractarianism

ASSIGNMENTS

50 points. Paper. Argument Reconstruction, Original Argument, and Application. Due Nov 21.
100 points. Check the presentation and evaluation schedule to see whether you are assigned to do a presentation evaluation on this topic.
IF Assignment. TBA in class. 40 points.
FINAL EXAM, Thursday December 7, 4:00-6:50 p.m. (official time); Actual time, 4:00-6:00
Take the post-test at the GEP site at http://webct.ucf.edu. Log in as you did at the beginning of the term. Please remember to take the post-test. If you do not take it, 30 points will be deducted from your final exam grade. The test is open from 8:00 a.m. on Mon Dec 4 to 11:55 p.m. on Fri Dec 8.

PAPER PRESENTATION AND EVALUATION SCHEDULE

Person	Presentation Topic & Date[1]	Evaluation Assignment & Due Date[2]
Beasley, Ryan M.	1, due Aug 31	2, due Oct 12
Corey, Ian	4, due Nov 30	3, due Nov 16 -Eval Desousa
Desousa, John N.	3, due Oct 26	4, due Dec 5 - Eval Corey
Ellis, Benjamin R.	1, due Aug 31	3, due Nov 16 - Eval Hemphill
Erdal, Andrew T.	2, due Oct 5	1, due Sep 7
Hemphill, John-Mark	3, due Nov 9	2, due Oct 12
Lai, Sean J.	1, due Aug 31	4, due Dec 5 - Eval Slade
Magloff, Kathryn C.	2, due Oct 5	1, due Sep 7
Pugh, Christopher M.	1, due Aug 31	3, due Nov 16 - Eval Thurston
Register, Michael R.	2, due Oct 5	1, due Sep 7
Slade, Robert A.	4, due Nov 30	3, due Nov 2 - Eval Desousa
Sriboonlue, V.	1, due Aug 31	4, due Dec 5 - Eval Trostle
Thurston, Casey	3, due Oct 26	4, due Dec 5 - Eval Corey
Trostle, Andrew T.	4, due Nov 30	3, due Nov 2 - Eval Hemphill

PAPER TOPICS.

1. Due on August 31. Argument Construction/Creation. Take a stand on an issue (any issue you find of importance, whether it is assisted suicide, the morality of abortion, whether God exists, whether the theory of evolution is “just a theory,” whether our lives have meaning, or whatever), and create YOUR OWN argument to justify YOUR claims. Find three relevant, respectable academic resources on the issue on which you have written and write up a one-page annotated bibliography to include with (at the end of) your paper. The annotated bibliography is in addition to your paper. Note in the University of North Carolina handout the different sorts of philosophy papers that exist. Your job here in this assignment is to create your own original argument and sketch your argument as a formal construction (rather than reconstruction) as shown in the handout.

You may find this surprising, but I don’t want you to use ANY references for this paper. This is you, doing philosophy as an original exercise through your own power of reasoning.

Use the rubric that appears in the link, below, to be sure that your paper is complete.

Your argumentative paper should be no more than 1000 words in length (approximately 4 pages, formatted as noted above). Send the paper to me by e-mail no later than Thursday of the second week of classes (August 31 by 3:00 p.m.) and bring a hard copy of the paper to class as well to turn in then.

If you are assigned to do a presentation evaluation, be sure to submit it in class and by e-mail on the due date listed in the table. The rubric/evaluation form is in the link, below and here.

2. Due on October 5. Philosophy of Religion and Metaphysics. Choose any of the essays listed in the readings on Philosophy of Religion and Metaphysics and write up an argument reconstruction BOTH in prose and in numbered proposition form AND provide YOUR OWN critical appraisal of the issue or topic. Use secondary sources, which may be the same as those mentioned in the next sentence. Find three relevant, respectable sources on the issue or topic you have chosen and write up a one-page annotated bibliography of those sources to include with (at the end of) your paper. Your paper should be no more than 4 pages in length, or approximately 1000 words. Submit the paper in class on the due date AND by e-mail. If you are assigned to do a presentation evaluation, be sure to submit it in class and by e-mail on the due date listed in the table.

3. Due on November 9. Epistemology and Philosophy of Mind. Choose any of the essays listed in the readings on Epistemology and Philosophy of Mind and research the topic/problem/argument using at least three appropriate academic resources. Write a brief reconstruction of the topic of the reading assignment. Then, using any or all of the research resources, write a reply to the essay using your own and others’ argumentation. Your paper should be no more than 6 pages in length, or approximately 1500 words. Submit the paper in class on the due date AND by e-mail. If you are assigned to do a presentation evaluation, be sure to submit it in class and by e-mail on the due date listed in the table.

4. Due on November 30. Ethics and Political Philosophy. Choose any of the essays listed in the readings on Ethics and Political Philosophy. Use at least three respectable academic works/resources on the topic and write a paper having the following elements: 1) an argument reconstruction of the original essay; 2) an argument of your own regarding the issue, including reference to at least one of the external sources you used; and 3) applying the argumentation to a “problem” of your choice. Your paper should be no more than 6 pages in length, or approximately 1500 words. Submit the paper in class on the due date AND by e-mail. If you are assigned to do a presentation evaluation, be sure to submit it in class and by e-mail on the due date listed in the table.

Format for papers and assignments:

This is an advanced honors course, so make sure that the work you submit is consistent with that designation. In other words, make sure that you proofread your writing so that you eliminate errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Make sure that your paper or essay has a thesis statement at or near the beginning. Get to the point immediately.
Write with conviction when you are stating your own position. Write with care. Use references when you need to do so, and make sure that you do not accidentally or intentionally plagiarize since they are equally serious in either case.
Here are some technical details

Your paper MUST have a 1.5” margins at the left and right and 1.5” at the top and bottom. This leaves room for comments in hard copy form, and it provides a more professional appearance.
Use 1.5 spacing between lines.
Use a font that is legible. Scripted fonts are hard to read, so choose one (such as Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, or some similar type) that is easy to see. Use 11-14 point font ONLY.
When your paper requires references, use MLA, Chicago, or APA style, whichever you prefer. But be consistent – that is, don’t mix them in the same paper.
Use footnotes sparingly. When you need to use them, make sure that they are relevant and are consistent with the style you have chosen to use.
Artwork on title pages is a waste of time and space. In fact, you don’t even need a title page. Just put your name and the date somewhere on the top of the paper.
For whatever you write, make sure it has a title. Snappy titles are nice, but if your paper is about Descartes’ epistemology, you could just call it “Descartes’ Epistemology” if you can’t think of something catchy.
In cases in which your paper is to be submitted to me electronically, use .doc format ONLY. When you submit a paper of any kind in hard copy form, please staple the pages together so I don’t lose them.

Be sure to provide a copy of the relevant document or documents to the person who will evaluate your presentation both electronically (by e-mail) and in hard copy form (if requested by that person). See the presentation and evaluation schedule.
When you are doing a presentation in class, using the equipment in the room is a good idea. Audio and visual files often help to make your presentation more clear. Electronic document presentation formats are encouraged in this course, but they are not absolutely necessary.
The University Writing Center has many resources that may be of use to you.

See http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/Writing%20Resources/writing_resources_home.htm

INFORMATION FLUENCY ASSIGNMENTS[3]

1. Information Fluency Pre-Test – general and subject-specific, 30 pts

2. Information Fluency Web-Site Evaluation, 40 pts

This assignment is due on November 7th. The point is to create a kind of "checklist" for evaluating Web sites that one might use as research resources for some particular purpose. For example, suppose that you are interested in researching the political implications of the biological theory of evolution. How would you know which Internet resources were good ones? How would you go about doing a search to find information specific to that combination of concepts (biology, theory of evolution, politics, etc.)? How would you be able to make a determination on biases, the reliability of information, the purpose(s) of the site on which the information is found, and so on?

To do this assignment, the ultimate goal is to create a 1-2 page checklist indicating how to do an appropriate search using WWW, how to create search terms that will yield information you wish to obtain, how to evaluate the sites you find for bias, clarity, accuracy, etc.

You may use other "checklists" or instruction guides on how to use the Internet for quality information acquisition. If you do so, make sure that you make it clear that you did so in your Bibliography. Set your checklist or instruction guide up so that anyone researching the same topic would be able to use it, and so that the checklist entries are clear.

3. Information Fluency Paper Topic Research, 40 pts - due on Nov 21.

There WERE two parts to this assignment, but I have decided that it is best if we stick with the following:

1. Working with all the other people in this class, combine information from your second IF assignment and together create one "mega-document" on web site evaluation. To do this, work together by using e-mail or some other electronic form of communication and/or in person. It is not necessary that everyone work with everyone else in person (you may have to work, have classes at a time when everyone else can meet), but that doesn't mean that you don't need to work with others. If you must do it only electronically, that is perfectly fine. Everyone's e-mail address appears in e-community. Go to ecommunity.ucf.edu .

However, keep in mind that if you do not participate in any way at all, or if your participation results in absolutely no helpful information in creating the larger and final document, you will not be listed as an author of the final document by the "chair" (who will be appointed in the next couple of days), and you will then NOT receive the 40 points for this part of the assignment.

The following are your deadlines for creation of this document:

A. By November 10 - send your web site evaluation document that was due on Nov 7 to all other people in this course. All this involves is sending your document as an attachment to everyone else.

B. By November 14 - finish reading all the web site evaluation documents that were sent to you and compare the contents of others' documents to yours, and make your own evaluation of the relevance, quality, or usefulness of elements of others' documents that are not part of yours that could or should be included in the final document that all of you will create.

C. Between Nov 14 and Nov 18 - work with each other to decide on included elements of the final web site evaluation document that is due on 11/21.

D. Nov 19-20 - The chair compiles the information on the final document for everyone and creates the final web site evaluation document that is the production/creation of all the people in this class. This involves the chair using the information that all of you provided/agreed upon to create the document.

E. November 21 - the chair of the "mega-document" committee (which is composed of all of you) turns in the final document to me on behalf of everyone. The chair needs to send this document to me AND to all of you as an e-mail attachment AND submit the document in person in hard copy form in class on the 21st. The names of EVERYONE who contributed to the creation of the final document should appear on a cover page.

If you have any questions about this, then as usual, just ask.

4. Information Fluency Post-Test – general and subject-specific, 40 pts

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES

Assignment	Percent of Grade	Due Date
Paper on Argument Construction[4]	5%	August 31
Paper on Philosophy of Religion or Metaphysics	5%	September 28
Paper on Epistemology or Philosophy of Mind	5%	November 9
Paper on Ethics or Political Philosophy	5%	November 30
Presentations (1 per person) – use the evaluation form/rubric to be sure that your presentation is complete.	10%	Aug 31, Sep 28, Nov 9, Nov 30 – see schedule for your presentation
Presentation Evaluation (1 per person) – Evaluation form: (.doc), (.htm)	10%	Sep 5, Oct 26, Nov 16, Dec 5 – see schedule for your evaluation due date
IF Assignments (4)	15% = 3%, 4%, 4%, 4%	Variable due dates, 1 per course topic/division - see explanation of IF assignments, below
Midterm Exam	20%	October 10
Final Exam	25%	December 7

[1] Remember that everyone has to write 4 papers, and they are all due on the same dates as the relevant presentations. But everyone has only ONE presentation to do (on the paper indicated), and everyone has only one presentation evaluation to do (on the paper/topic and person indicated)

[2] The link to the presentation rubric is available here in this link: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/presentationrubric.htm or http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/presentationrubric.doc . If you are assigned to do an evaluation of presentation 2, then you will see a green “2” in the third column, above; if you are assigned an evaluation of presentation 4, you will see a pink “4,” and so on. We will determine in class on the days of presentations which specific person’s presentation you will evaluate.

[3] A major UCF initiative is course content on information fluency. For this course, we will look at information fluency from two major angles. First, we’ll consider it from the point of view of the acquisition, evaluation, and use of information in course research. Second, we’ll consider it from the point of view of the acquisition, evaluation, and use of information with respect to specific topics of course content. Your work in this area in this course is part of UCF’s pilot projects to teach, increase, promote, and evaluate the concept and practice of “information fluency.”

Assignments on information fluency include a pre-test; finding and evaluating Web sites for particular purposes; researching sample paper topics with research resources in and for philosophy; and a post-test. For our purposes, all of this includes the combination of skills in research, critical thinking, and the ethical use of information for information fluency.

[4] Paper Rubric (.doc), (.htm) – use for all papers to be sure that your paper is complete.