Hilary E. Davis

hdavis@yorku.ca

Virtual Office hours: by appointment on Google Hangouts or Zoom, Mondays & Wednesdays between 11:30am-12:30pm, EST

INTERNET COURSE

(100% online)

All required components are ASYNCHRONOUS

All synchronous components are optional

• 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:

To participate in the required asynchronous portions of this course, students will require a computer and/or smart device an internet connection.  To participate in the optional synchronous Zoom tutorials held weekly, you will need a computer or smart device with webcam and microphone and a stable internet connection.  Zoom can be downloaded as an app on most smart phones.  You are not required to turn on your camera to participate in the Zoom webinars.

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.

Times and locations:

Please note that this is a course that depends on remote teaching and learning. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus.

This course can be taken by engaging only with the asynchronous course materials and activities which will be available on the course eClass.  However, for a more in-depth learning experience as well as live interaction with the instructor/tutorial leader and your classmates, optional synchronous Weekly Tutorial Zoom meetings will be offered – Mondays and Wednesdays during your scheduled tutorial time.

Each week’s asynchronous materials and activities should be completed before your weekly tutorial.  Weekly quizzes and Tutorial Discussion Forum posts will be due on Wednesdays at 11:59pm EST.

In addition to weekly Zoom tutorials, there will be 3 general Zoom Q&A sessions with the course director, Dr. Davis, on the following dates between 11:30am-12:30pm:

• Monday, January 11^th
• Monday, February 8^th (tentative)
• Monday, April 5^th 

Virtual office hours:

Office hours with the course director, Dr. Davis, will be offered by appointment on Mondays and Wednesdays during the scheduled lecture time, 11:30am-12:30pm, with the exception of days when a general Zoom Q&A is scheduled.  Virtual Office Hours can be scheduled for Google Hangouts (chat) or Zoom.

• Coursepack available from York Bookstore
• Jennifer Wilson Mulnix & M. J. Mulnix, Happy Lives, Good Lives: Philosophical Examination (Broadview, 2015)
• Lewis Vaughn and Jillian Scott McIntosh, Writing Philosophy: A Guide for Canadian Students, Second Canadian Edition. (Oxford, 2012).
• Electronic readings as indicated on course schedule

1. eClass Quizzes (weekly, best 10 out of 12)                                         = 20%
2. First Essay                                                                                                     = 25%
3. Second Essay                                                                                                 = 35%
   4.  Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities (weekly, best 5 out of 10)    = 20%
   Total                                                                                                               100%

• All quizzes and Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities are due at 11:59pm EST on Wednesdays
• All other assignments are due at 11:59pm, EST on their respective due dates.
• Please note that this schedule of deadlines and grading breakdown is non-negotiable. The value of assignments will under no circumstances be reweighed or redistributed.

• This entire course can be engaged with asynchronously as though it were an online (ONLN) course. All required elements, including lecture materials, the submission of assignments, Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities, and quizzes can be accessed on the course eClass. Like an online course, you can learn the course material at your own pace, following the schedule of readings and activities. That said, there are non-negotiable weekly deadlines for quizzes and Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities.  Essay deadlines are also non-negotiable.
• Weekly course material (e.g. video lectures, handouts, web links, discussion forums, etc.) will be posted on eClass by midnight on Mondays.
• All modules, assignments, quizzes, and Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities are opened weekly. None will be opened in advance of their scheduled date.
• All deadlines and launch times are Eastern Standard Time.
• Optional synchronous Weekly Tutorial Zoom meetings will be offered – Mondays and Wednesdays during your scheduled tutorial time. These Zoom sessions will not be recorded.
• You should view the video lectures and engage with the other course material prior to your Weekly Tutorial Zoom Meeting. All quizzes and Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities will be due at 11:59pm EST on Wednesdays.

By the end of this course, if you apply yourself, do all the reading, watch all pre-recorded lectures, 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.

Course policies

• The lecture slides, handouts, and all materials found on this site are for the personal use only of students who are registered in this course, PHIL 1100M. They are for educational purposes only and intended only to enhance accessibility. The instructor of this course holds the copyright to this material and does not give permission for any course material to be to duplicated, copied, and/or distributed outside of the class.  Nor do students have permission to upload course materials to commercial websites, file sharing websites or apps, or social media.  Anytime you download material from this eClass site you agree to these terms. Any person who uploads or shares course material without the instructor's permission violates copyright regulations and also FIPPA  and will face serious consequences.
• Students do not have permission to record and capture images from Zoom sessions – either tutorial or office hours.  Zoom sessions will not be recorded by the instructor.

• Successful academic performance includes students not only completing assignments, but completing them on time. Late penalties are applied to assignments submitted after the due date. Exceptions to the late penalty can be presented to the course director by email for consideration. All essays must be uploaded to Turnitin via eClass.

• Without a valid excuse all late assignments will be penalized 10% for the first day they are late, 20% for the 2^nd day, 30% for the third day, etc….
• An assignment will be considered late one minute past the Turnitin deadline.

• You are strongly encouraged to avoid uploading assignments within the last hour of a deadline. If, for whatever reason, your document does not upload, it will be considered late.
• There will be no opportunity to make-up missed weekly quizzes or weekly Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities.  If you miss these weekly deadlines, you will receive a “0” for the assigned work. 

• The lowest 2 marks will be dropped from your weekly Quizzes. This is to say that of the 12 weekly quizzes only the highest 10 will count toward your final mark.
• The lowest 5 marks will be dropped from your weekly Tutorial Discussion Forums Activities. This is to say that of the 10 weekly quizzes only the highest 5 will count toward your final mark.   You are required only to complete 5 Tutorial Discussion Forum Activities in total.
• No make-up work or outstanding assignments will be accepted after Monday, April 5^th