Course Director:         Lauren Edwards

Class Time:                 Monday and Wednesday 1pm-2:30pm

Virtual Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 1pm-3pm by appointment                                                                        (https://calendly.com/laurenea)

Email:                         laurenea@yorku.ca

This course offers an introduction to feminist philosophy, with a focus on Black feminist philosophy and feminist philosophers of color, through four main topics: 1. Knowledge (or Epistemology); 2. Bodies; 3. Love; and 4. Morality (or Ethics). In particular, this course will cover feminist epistemological insights including: standpoint theory, epistemic ignorance, and epistemic harms; feminist theories related to the body including: gender, race, and ableism; feminist theories of love including: heteronormativity, friendship, and romantic love; and feminist ethics: including critiques of care ethics and Simone de Beauvoir’s Ethics of Ambiguity.

Technical requirements for taking this course:

You will be expected to participate in this course through Zoom meetings for group class discussions. These will only take place three (3) times throughout the course. This means that, in addition to a stable, high-speed Internet connection, it would be best if you have a computer with webcam and microphone, or a smart device with these features.

Please email me if you would like to take this course but cannot meet these technical requirements.

Here are some useful links for your 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

Other Important Course Information

Access/Disability

York provides services for students with disabilities (including physical, medical, learning and psychiatric disabilities) needing accommodation related to teaching and evaluation methods/materials.

It is the student's responsibility to register with disability services as early as possible to ensure that appropriate academic accommodation can be provided with advance notice. You are encouraged to schedule a time early in the term to meet with each professor to discuss your accommodation needs. Failure to make these arrangements may jeopardize your opportunity to receive academic accommodations.

Additional information is available at www.yorku.ca/disabilityservices or from disability service providers:

• Office for Persons with Disabilities: N108 Ross, 416-736-5140, yorku.ca/opd
• Learning and Psychiatric Disabilities Programs - Counselling & Development Centre: 130 BSB, 416-736-5297, yorku.ca/cdc
• Atkinson students - Atkinson Counselling & Supervision Centre: 114 Atkinson, 416-736- 5225, yorku.ca/atkcsc

Religious Observance Accommodation

York University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and practices of all members of the community, and making accommodations for observances of special significance to adherents.  Should any of the dates specified in this syllabus for an in-class test or examination pose such a conflict for you, contact the Course Director within the first three weeks of class.  Similarly, should an assignment to be completed in a lab, practicum placement, workshop, etc., scheduled later in the term pose such a conflict, contact the Course director immediately.  Please note that to arrange an alternative date or time for an examination scheduled in the formal examination periods (December and April/May), students must complete an Examination Accommodation Form, which can be obtained from Student Client Services, Student Services Centre or online at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/pdf/exam_accommodation.pdf

Student Conduct

Students and instructors are expected to maintain a professional relationship characterized by courtesy and mutual respect and to refrain from actions disruptive to such a relationship.  Moreover, it is the responsibility of the instructor to maintain an appropriate academic atmosphere in the classroom, and the responsibility of the student to cooperate in that endeavour.  Further, the instructor is the best person to decide, in the first instance, whether such an atmosphere is present in the class.  A statement of the policy and procedures involving disruptive and/or harassing behaviour by students in academic situations is available on the York website http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/harass.htm

Additional information:

• Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
• Alternate Exam and Test Scheduling
• Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy

The Senate Committee on Curriculum & Academic Standards Web site provides an important read, the:  STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET. Click on “Policies, Procedures and Regulations” to see York University’s policies including: Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities Policy; Academic Honesty Policy; and Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities Policy.

The Student Information Sheet includes:

• York’s Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures/Academic Integrity Website
• Access/Disability
• Ethics Review Process for Research Involving Human Participants
• Religious Observance Accommodation
• Student Conduct Standards

The Senate Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy stipulates that  (a) the grading scheme (i.e. kinds and weights of assignments, essays, exams, etc.) be announced, and be available in writing, within the first two weeks of class, and that, (b) under normal circumstances, graded feedback worth at least 15% of the final grade for Fall, Winter or Summer Term, and 30% for ‘full year’ courses offered in the Fall/Winter Term be received by students in all courses prior to the final withdrawal date from a course without receiving a grade (see the policy for exceptions to this aspect of the policy - http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/gradfeed.htm

If Term Test will be held outside of regularly scheduled class time, include announcement of day, date and time here (e.g., Saturday, October 28, 2006, 10 am to 11:30, room TBA).

     "20 % Rule"

No examination or test worth more than 20% of the final grade will be given during the last two weeks of classes in a term, with the exception of classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on the weekend (Saturday and/or Sunday at any time). (Approved by Senate, November 28, 1996)

All course readings/videos will be available online. This means that no coursebook or textbook is required for this course. The readings for each week will be listed online on the E-class course page.

Three short reading responses: 15%

Three short constructive feedback responses: 15%

Take-Home Final Exam: Total 35%:

Participation: Total 35%:

Three in-virtual-class discussions: 15%

Weekly reading comprehension online quiz: 20%

Course Requirement Breakdown:

There will be four major components to your course assessment in PHIL 2500:

1. Reading responses: There will be THREE (3) reading responses due throughout the semester. Reading responses are about demonstrating that you have read and thought about the assigned material.

Each reading response will be worth 5% of your grade for a combined total of 15% of your final grade. Reading responses can be written on any of the readings from the previous three weeks. Each reading response will focus on practicing one aspect of essay writing. The first reading response asks you to explicate or, essentially, to summarize the argument of one of the course readings (1 reading response). The second reading response asks you to present an argument for or against the view presented in one of the course readings (1 reading response). And finally, the third reading response asks you to give a counter-argument and response to your view for or against one course reading (1 reading response).

Video lectures discussing each assignment in more detail will be posted well before due dates and each reading response assignment will be discussed over Zoom in the in-virtual-classroom discussions.

Reading responses will be between 1 ½ to 2 double spaced pages (12pt font and standard margins). Reading responses that are longer than 700 words will be penalized 10% (or 0.5/5).

2. Constructive Feedback Responses: You will be required to provide constructive feedback on the reading response of a peer exchanged via E-class. Groups for exchanging reading responses will be formed at the beginning of the course, randomly by E-class, and remain the same throughout the semester. Reading responses will be sent to one (1) peer by 5pm on Friday. You will then have ONE (1) WEEK to review your peer’s reading response and to send them your Constructive Feedback. Then you will have ONE (1) WEEK to edit your reading response in light of the constructive feedback you received from your peer before handing it in on E-class for grading.

Constructive feedback responses will not be more than 1 to 1 ½ pages double-spaced (12pt font and standard margins).

Each piece of constructive feedback will be worth 5% for a total of 15% of your final grade. Feedback that goes over the 1 page, double-spaced limit will be penalized 10% (or 0.5/5). More instructions on exactly what will be expected in a Constructive Feedback Response will be given in a posted lecture on E-Class well before the first Constructive Feedback Response is due and discussed over Zoom in the in-virtual-classroom discussions.

3. Take-Home Final Exam: The take-home final exam will consist of 3 short answer questions chosen from a list of 5 questions, and a four page, double-spaced, formal essay with bibliography. The take-home final exam essay questions will be posted on E-class by March 12^th. I highly recommend that you discuss your paper approach with me in office hours or on email. You may come as often as you like. And, if you submit a 2-page outline of your essay for discussion, will automatically have 5% added to your final take-home exam grade. This can be done twice, and if the second draft is, in my judgment, a substantial improvement on the first, a second 5% will be added. I also very strongly recommend that all students, esp. non-majors, consult the departmental guide on writing philosophy essays: http://www.yorku.ca/hjackman/Teaching/handbook.pdf

The take-home final exam will be worth 35% of the final grade. Deadline will be announced near the end of the semester.

4. Participation: This will be worth a total of 35% of the final grade. Participation will include two things: two in-virtual-class discussions which will be worth 5% each for a total of 10%. These in-virtual-class discussions will be scheduled on Zoom for class time – i.e. Mondays between 1-2:30pm. These will be graded for attendance and participation. The final 20% of the participation grade will be from timed, weekly E-Class quizzes that cover the readings and lectures of the week. These quizzes must be completed each week by Friday at 5pm.

Information on Late Assignments:

1. Reading Responses and Constructive Feedback Responses: All reading responses and constructive feedback responses deadlines have a two day grace period. This means that you may hand in reading responses and constructive feedback responses up to Sunday at 5pm. However, there will be 10% penalty (0.5/5) for each day late. After 5pm on Sunday, they will not be accepted.
2. Participation: The weekly quizzes cannot be done after 5pm on Fridays. However, they can be done at any point during that week. In-virtual-class discussion can only be attended at the scheduled time. There will be no make-ups.
3. Take-Home Final Exam: This cannot be handed in late. Deadline will be announced later in the term.

This class will be run primarily asynchronously: pre-recorded audio lectures will be posted online each week and you may listen to these lectures at any point during the week. Readings will also be posted for each week and, again, you may complete these readings at any point during the week. However, this course will also have some synchronous elements: three times throughout this course, you will be expected to attend a virtual classroom discussion at the designated class time (Monday 1-2:30pm).

This course has two main learning objectives: to introduce you to the works of feminist philosophers and to practice writing essays.

Academic Dishonesty:

It is YOUR responsibility to know what Academic Dishonesty is, what the penalties for it are, and how to avoid it. Know in advance that I will seek, at minimum, a zero on the offending work, and that the penalty can include your being debarred, not only from York, but from all Canadian universities. In short, don’t do it. If you are remotely unsure about what levels of citation, collaboration, etc. constitute A.D., go to the Academic Integrity web site at York University (http://www.yorku.ca/academicintegrity), read the section ‘For Students’, and complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial: (http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic integrity/).