Professor Alex Manafu
alexman@yorku.ca

We’ll be tackling the question about the meaning of life by looking at a class of less nebulous and slightly more manageable questions, such as: Why is there something rather than nothing? Can we create our own meaning in life? What does a good life consist in? Is life without God absurd? Is death something bad? Given that life involves suffering, would it be better not to bring any children into existence? Would immortality be bad? Should we transcend our human condition and become posthuman (e.g., enhance ourselves with technology, upload our minds, etc)? For most of these questions we’ll be considering both the pro and the con answer, typically by considering two opposing readings.

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30-11:30 (see more info below)

The course lectures will be asynchronous. Students will be given access to pre-recorded lectures.  There will be the possibility of class meetings or individual student meetings with the course director via Zoom, at the times listed above, to further clarify/explain the material. These meetings will happen at the student’s request or as needed. Students will also be able to book office hours. Students will be expected to study the material individually, at their own pace, but following the detailed course schedule (the Roadmap), which will be made available on eClass/Moodle. The students are responsible for following the Roadmap, and for submitting the coursework by the deadlines indicated in the Roadmap. Some tutorials in this course will meet in person. Tutorials 01, 02, 03 & 04 will be delivered remotely, via Zoom, at fixed times, according to the course timetable. The other tutorials will meet in person in the location assigned, according to the timetable (check the courses website). Students are expected to participate in the tutorials; students in both the in-person and in the online tutorials are also expected to be active (ask questions, answer questions, discuss readings and lecture material, etc), as 20% of the mark is tutorial activity.

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

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

There is no required textbook. All the readings are available electronically from York U library, and they will be made available on Moodle.

• Tutorial participation: 20%
• Two short essays: 20% each
• Two exams - midterm and final (multiple choice / short answer, on Moodle): 20% each

Details about the assignments will be announced in class in due time, and it will be posted on Moodle. Check Moodle frequently for updates.

NOTE: The grading scheme above will be respected strictly. For ethical reasons, I do not typically revise the grades of students, nor do I allow students to do extra work to boost their marks, or bump up student’s grades. The main reason for this is my commitment to treat all students equally, and the fact that I like to stick to the grading scheme above.

All assignments will be submitted on Moodle and Turnitin, where they will be subjected to a plagiarism check.

ANY ASSIGNMENT WITH A TURNITIN SCORE ABOVE 15% WILL BE INVESTIGATED.

Depending on the case, the assignment will incur a penalty and/or the Course Director together with the Undergraduate Program Director will open a formal AH (academic honesty) case.

Following the investigation of your assignment, any point above a 15% Turnitin score will be translated into a 1 point of penalty. For example, an assignment worth 20% which gets a Turnitin plagiarism score of 17% will incur a penalty of 2 points (out of 20% allotted to the assignment), so that the new maximum grade for that assignment will be 18%.

As a result of the AH case that will be opened you risk EXPULSION FROM THE UNIVERSITY. If your assignment has a Turnitin score of 15% or more you can revise your assignment and resubmit it, as long as the deadline has not yet passed.

For information on what counts as plagiarism please see the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty, as well as talk to me or your TA. Also, approach me or your TA for tips on how to avoid a high Turnitin score. One good tip is to avoid long quotes and uses paraphrases instead.

Pre-recorded lectures and mandatory tutorials in person (or remotely via Zoom if in Tutorials 01, 02, 03, or 04).

By the end of this course, you will:

• Become familiar with the various approaches to the question of life’s meaning including nihilism, existentialism, hedonism, theism, objectivism, transhumanism.
• Be able to summarize, analyze, and engage critically with the various philosophical positions studied.
• Be able to formulate your own philosophical positions and defend them with cogent arguments.
• Learn to appreciate unfamiliar ideas and points of view and expand your intellectual horizons.
• Become aware of the value and relevance of philosophy for the modern individual.
• Make steps toward constructing your own view about the meaning of life.

Exams

There will be a midterm and a final exam. The exams will cover all the materials discussed in the lectures and tutorials, including the readings. They will contain multiple choice/ short answer questions. THE EXAMS WILL BE ON MOODLE. Students are responsible for having a functional computer that will allow them to write the exams on Moodle. Every YorkU student has a user ID and a password, and you will need that in order to access the exam on Moodle.

Tutorial participation

20% of the grade will be allotted to your tutorial participation, and it will be awarded by your tutorial leader. Students are expected to be active in the tutorials.

Late assignments and Extensions

For late assignments, a 10% penalty/day will be applied. Extensions will generally not be granted, except in very special and very rare circumstances.

Missed exams or tests

If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to write your exam or test, you are required to email me before the exam takes place explaining your situation and attaching the relevant documentation. If you have missed your exam due to unforeseen circumstances you have to email me on the day of the exam, explaining your situation and attaching the relevant documentation. Make-up exams will be organized only in extremely rare circumstances, and only if there are sufficient reasons for doing so.

Assignment submissions

I do not receive any assignments by email. All work must be submitted electronically, on Moodle.

Technology

In this course we will be using eClass/Moodle and other online tools for learning. In addition to stable, high-speed Internet connection, students taking the online tutorials will need a computer with webcam and microphone.

Office hours

The students will be able to book Zoom office hours with the course director as needed. More information about office hours will be made available on eClass/Moodle.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT EVERY STUDENT MUST READ:

PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS ACADEMIC OFFENCE AND IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THIS COURSE! IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHETHER YOUR WORK IS SAFE TO SUBMIT, EMAIL ME OR YOUR T.A.

ALL YOUR ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE SUBMITTED THROUGH TURNITIN, A PLAGIARISM-CHECKING SERVICE THAT OUR UNIVERSITY SUBSCRIBES TO AND THAT WILL BE ACCESSIBLE TO YOU THROUGH MOODLE.

EXCERPT FROM SENATE’S POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY:

2.1.3 Plagiarism is the misappropriation of the work of another by representing another person’s ideas, writing or other intellectual property as one’s own. This includes the presentation of all or part of another person’s work as something one has written, paraphrasing another’s writing without proper acknowledgement, or representing another’s artistic or technical work or creation as one’s own. Any use of the work of others, whether published, unpublished or posted electronically, attributed or anonymous, must include proper acknowledgement.