Professor Ayana Samuel
atsamuel@yorku.ca
Office Location:  TBA
Phone Number:  (4160736-2100 Ext (TBA)

Office Hours:  An open office hour will be held once a week. Students are encouraged to attend to ask questions related to the course material or assignments, or for general discussion. Individual meetings are available by appointment. Exact time TBA.

One of the most significant areas of study in philosophy is the field of ethics, which broadly considers the nature of right and wrong, and what it is to act well or badly. But our ethical theorising cannot get very far without an understanding of just what it is to act. While actions may initially seem straightforward because they generally take the form of easily observable outward behaviours, many philosophers agree that this is not all there is to action. In this course, we will explore how several key figures in contemporary Western philosophy have approached the issue of action. We will consider the place of intention in action, practical knowledge, as well as debates surrounding the causal theory of action. Towards the end of the course, we will turn towards the emerging field of joint or collective action which resists the historical tendency to treat action as something done only by individuals.

Sarah Paul. (2020). Philosophy of Action. (1^st Edition). Routledge. Print ISBN: 9781138642744, eBook ISBN: 9781315629773

Additional readings and material may be required or recommended during the course. These will be posted on the course website.

(Tentative)

Reading responses:          30%

Paper 1:                             20%

Paper 1 revision:               15%

Paper 2:                             25%

Participation:                     10%

This course will involve a weekly three hour seminar. Seminars will involve presentations by the instructor as well as general class discussion.

At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to

• Demonstrate an understanding of some of the main debates that have occupied contemporary Western philosophers of action
• Be able to use this understanding as a foundation for critical assessment of the texts
• Develop the writing and communication skills needed to clearly articulate your understanding and critical evaluation of the texts

Additional Information: Coursework will consist of weekly reading responses, three papers—one of these papers will be a revision of an earlier paper—and participation.

Reading responses: Reading responses must be completed and submitted via the course website prior to our meeting on the relevant course material. They will be graded on a pass/fail basis. These assignments are meant to give students a chance to reflect on any questions or ideas that came up as they do the reading and will not be graded for accuracy (however, students will not receive a passing grade if they submit a response that does not substantively engage the text).

Papers: Paper assignments will develop students’ ability to clearly and concisely explain and evaluate philosophical ideas and argument. The first paper and the revision assignment will require students to clearly and concisely explain and evaluate a central claim or argument from the course material. The second paper will additionally require students to develop and explain their own arguments in response to claims or arguments in the course material.

Participation: Participation will be based on your contributions to seminar discussion and office hour attendance.

Course policies

Grading:  The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ - 7, C+ = 5, etc.). Papers will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g.  A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ B+= 75 to 79, etc.)  Reading responses will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

(For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar - http://calendars.registrar.yorku.ca/2010-2011/academic/index.htm

Assignment Submission: Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time.  Accordingly, assignments for this course must be received on the due date specified for the assignment.  Assignments are to be handed in by the specified date and time, via the course website.

Lateness Penalty: Unless an extension is granted, the penalty for assignments submitted after the due date is a deduction of 1/3 of a whole letter grade for every day late. This means that a B+ assignment that is a day late is penalized to a B. Exceptions to the lateness penalty for valid reasons such as illness, compassionate grounds, etc., may be entertained by the Course Instructor but will require supporting documentation (e.g., a doctor’s letter).

Special Accommodations: I am committed to fairly accommodating students with disabilities. Please contact the instructors and Student Accessibility Services (https://accessibility.students.yorku.ca/) as soon as possible, and we will work together to ensure that you can fully participate in the course. Note that in addition to sending the letter, accommodations for individual assignments must specifically be requested well ahead of the assignment's deadline.

Academic Honesty: According to the University, academic honesty requires that “persons do not falsely claim credit for the ideas, writing or other intellectual property of others, either by presenting such works as their own or through impersonation.Similarly, academic honesty requires that persons do not cheat (attempt to gain an improper advantage in an academic evaluation), nor attempt or actually alter, suppress, falsify or fabricate any research data or results, official academic record, application or document. Finally, academic honesty requires that persons do not aid or abet others to commit an offence of academic dishonesty, including intentional acts to disrupt academic activities.” Suspected breaches of the University’s policy on academic honesty will be investigated and penalties will apply if there is clear evidence of a breach.