Dr. Joseph Keeping
keeping@yorku.ca

This introductory course explores a number of questions about the meaning of life, including: What is the meaning of (my) life? Is there any meaning at all?  Is life absurd?  If life is without meaning is that necessarily a bad thing?  What is happiness?  Is happiness identical to pleasure?  Is there a difference between living a happy life and a good life?  Should death be feared?  Should we want to live forever?

In exploring these questions, we will read selections from the works of classical and contemporary philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Camus, Epictetus, Robert Nozick, Daniel Haybron, and Susan Wolf. 

Technical requirements for taking the course:

This course will be delivered mainly in remote format. Attending the remote lectures will require a computer and/or smart device and an internet connection. To participate in the remote tutorials will require a computer or smart device with webcam and microphone and a stable internet connection. Both remote lectures and remote tutorials will be delivered via the Zoom videoconferencing platform. Zoom can be downloaded here and the mobile version is available for free in both the iOS and Android app stores.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to eClass

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.

Both lectures and tutorials will be delivered synchronously, according to the schedule above. Lectures will be delivered synchronously via Zoom, and recordings of the weekly lectures will be made available on eClass. Although real-time attendance in the lectures is not required, it will greatly enhance your learning experience.

Tutorials 1 and 2 will be delivered remotely, whereas tutorials 3 through 6 will be delivered in-class on campus. The requirements and activities will be the same for both remote and in-class tutorials.

Virtual office hours will be held Wednesdays from 1:00-2:00pm, or by appointment.

The Meaning of Life: A Reader, 4^th edition, E.D. Klemke and Steven M. Cahn, eds.

Course kit available through York Bookstore

Online readings linked in the syllabus

Journal                         20%

Tutorial activities        20%

Short Essay                 15%

Long Essay                 25%

Final exam                  20%

Essays are to be submitted using the eClass link provided for this purpose. Unless otherwise indicated, they will be due at 11:59pm on the due date. However, we strongly advise that you do not wait until the last minute to submit your work. There are many things that can go wrong, on your end, on the eClass server, or in between. Give yourself plenty of lead time to avoid the risk of getting a late penalty because of some technical issue. Late essays are subject to a penalty of 5%/day, including weekends. (5% out of 100%, not the grade value of the essay.) Extensions will be granted only under exceptional circumstances. Please negotiate any extensions with the TA responsible for grading your work, keeping in mind that your TA is not obliged to grant extensions, and may require you to take the grade penalty. 5% or 10% off one assignment is not the end of the world, and probably not worth an argument.

TBA

By the end of this course, if you apply yourself, do all the reading, attend all lectures and tutorials, and complete all assignments, activities, and quizzes, you can expect to see improvement in the following areas:

• To learn how to identify the main point (or thesis) and critically evaluate the arguments presented in short philosophical writing.
• To learn to write clear and engaging essays that present arguments supported with strong reasons.
• To learn about a variety of different philosophical approaches to life, death and meaning.
• To reflect on your own conception of what constitutes a good or meaningful life.

Email/Message Protocols:

• Communication with the instructor should be conducted via email, or by asking questions during lecture, tutorial, or office hours. Do not use the message function on eClass.
• Please allow 2 days/48 hours for your instructor or TA to respond. We have other work duties besides teaching, and obligations outside of our jobs (family, etc) that sometimes cannot be put off. Don’t panic if you do not get a reply right away!
• Do not expect your instructor or TA to answer email on weekends. They may choose to, but it is not an expectation.
• Please give your full name and the name and/or number of the course (PHIL 1100A The Meaning of Life) in all correspondence. Put the course title and/or number in the subject heading.
• Before you email us to ask a question, first consult the syllabus. Many questions (e.g. “Is there a final exam?” “When is the essay due?”) are answered in the syllabus. (That’s why we have a syllabus.) Likewise, if you have a question about an assignment, please see if it is answered in the assignment directions before contacting the instructor or TA.
• Do not send emails containing attachments without explaining what the attachments are.
• Essays are to be submitted using the link provided for this purpose on eClass. No essays will be accepted by email.
• If you require an extension on an essay or other assignment (and you have a good reason for the extension), do not wait until the due date to ask for it. Asking in advance will reduce unnecessary stress.

To be successful in this course:

• Do all of the required readings before lecture and review them after lecture. Even if you don’t understand a text when you read it in advance of the lecture, the initial reading will help you to follow the lecture and to comprehend it the second time you read it, after the lecture. Philosophical texts are normally more challenging than other kinds of texts, and will probably take more time to get through. The page length of readings will vary from week to week, and sometimes will be more than you expect.
• Complete all coursework by the deadlines posted.
• If you are accessing this course from a different time zone please be aware that all deadlines and launch times are Eastern Standard Time.  You are responsible for meeting all deadlines even if you are in a different time zone.

• You should be taking notes when you review video lectures - always.  The powerpoint slides are a visual aid for the lectures, not a substitute for note-taking.

• You should be taking notes when you read the course material - always.
• Ask for help if you need help. Ask questions in tutorial if you have questions.
• For an updated and helpful website with tips and tools, for writing, time management, and other necessary tools and skills for university success, see: http://www.yorku.ca/spark/
• Take care of yourself. Balancing the academic, professional, family, personal, and other aspects of your life can be challenging sometimes, but always aim to create some balance.

Assistance with Writing - http://www.yorku.ca/laps/writ/

It takes time and practice to become a better writer. Invest some time into your writing skills while you are enrolled in York courses. The Writing Centre is currently offering its services remotely.  You might be interested in: (a) one-on-one online video chat with a writing instructor regarding an assignment you are working on (by appointment only, book online); (b) eTutors who will read over and comment on essays you submit to them; or (c) its general online writing workshops. You are paying for these services through your tuition, so take advantage of these opportunities when you can.

Assistance for ESL Learners - http://www.yorku.ca/eslolc/keele/default.asp!

At the ESL Open Learning Centre (OLC), students can ask for help in any aspect of learning English (e.g. writing, speaking, listening, etc.). There are group workshops or  individual tutoring sessions available. There is a multimedia library, where you can review materials the OLC has that relate to supporting you in learning and practicing English. There is also a movie and discussion night - great practice for gaining confidence in speaking English. These services are available to any student who identifies themself as ESL (International or Canadian student) who is enrolled in courses at York University.

Assistance with Special Needs - http://www.yorku.ca/cds/

It is important that students with special learning needs, requiring accommodations of any sort in connection with their successful completion of a course, contact the appropriate office(s). Contact the Counselling and Disability Services (CDS) for specifics. Notify your instructor of any special needs on the first day of class. Often the CDS will provide a letter outlining your learning needs, and you should submit a copy to your instructor as soon as possible.

Academic Integrity

You have committed plagiarism when you use someone else’s ideas and present them as your own. This could take several forms: cheating on a test; letting someone copy from you during a test; having someone write your paper; copying parts or all of the paper off the internet; buying a paper; summarizing ideas from any source without properly citing this source. For further information on plagiarism see:  http://www.yorku.ca/academicintegrity/

It is also a violation of academic honesty to represent another's artistic or technical work or creation as one's own. Just as there are standards to which one must adhere in the preparation and publication of written works, there are standards to which one must adhere in the creation and presentation of music, drawings, designs, dance, photography and other artistic and technical works. In different forms, these constitute a theft of someone else's work. This is not to say that students should not use the work of others with the proper acknowledgement.

It is also a violation of academic honesty to forge another student’s signature on an attendance sheet, submit a fraudulent medical excuse, or collaborate on work with classmates or peers which is assigned individually.   

It is your responsibility as a student to be informed about academic integrity. No level or form of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be tolerated. Penalties for academic dishonesty range from a grade of zero on the specific assignment, to failing the course, to having an official note of academic dishonesty on your university record.