Order 2493677: Philosophy assignment

DISCUSSIONS: DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS AND RUBRICS Discussion Instructions Discussion with your classmates is a vital part of learning. In this course, you will participate in one class discussion in each of the six modules. These discussions are a required part of the course. You can find the specific subject discussion topics in the modules on the Modules page.

In this video (Links to an external site.) you can learn how to view, reply to, and edit discussion posts.

Discussion Requirements Your posts in the discussion area should exhibit careful thought and logical reasoning and provide evidence for your position. Each post should be at least one well-developed paragraph (approximately 4-6 sentences or more, unless otherwise indicated). Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The discussions must be completed by the due dates specified on the assignment itself and also specified in the Course Calendar and on the Course Schedule in the Start Here Module.

For each Discussion Board topic:

• Read the materials and questions, including the rubrics for Discussions and the section on Netiquette provided below.

• Click on “Reply” to write or paste your answer. Longer answers may be easier to write and spellcheck in a WordDoc first.

• When you have finished entering your answer click on the “Submit” button.

*Do not wait until the last minute to post to Discussions! Posting early allows you to write thoughtful answers and to be the first one to make important points. Posting early also ensures that you will not miss deadlines.

Replying to Other Students’ Posts You are also required to read and reply to other students, as indicated in each discussion assignment. Your replies should offer new substantiated ideas or thoughtful questions.

For each Discussion Board topic:

• Respond to at least 2 other students’ posts in your group.

• Check back frequently for new additions.

I encourage friendly debate and disagreement – evaluating competing claims and building strong, well defended arguments are core skill sets of doing philosophy. Do not be afraid to speak your mind, but remember the discussion should remain at all times civil, courteous and respectful.

Discussion Board Guidelines These guidelines will help ensure that you have a good Discussion Board experience and make the best grade possible:

1. You may access my feedback on your discussion grade by clicking on "Grades" and then clicking the assignment.

2. In order to see other students' posts, you must first submit your initial post to each forum. This encourages each student to fully engage with the assignment and provide original thoughts while prohibiting students from merely rehashing what other students have already posted.

3. Copying text without proper documentation from any source, including the textbook or PowerPoint is plagiarism, an academic felony (see course Syllabus for the policy on plagiarism). Therefore, please do NOT copy and paste information into the Discussion Board.

4. With that said, using short quotes to support your stance is fine. If you choose to use a short quote in your discussion post, use MLA formatting to document the quote.

5. Make certain replies to classmates are new thoughts. Saying "good job" and summarizing what a classmate has posted does not meet the discussion board qualifications for replies to classmates.

6. Make certain you do not repeat yourself in your posts. 7. Due to the interactive nature of the discussion board, there is no makeup

work for discussion forums. The only exceptions to this rule will be the rare cases such as a documented tornado or flood, internet outage across the whole region, a student who has been in the hospital for the whole school week or has an illness that is severe enough to put the student in bed for the week. However the hospital stay or illness must be documented with a doctor's note. Simply having a cold or feeling bad is not a sufficient deterrent for not completing the discussion assignment. If you do fall ill, make certain you contact me early in the week. Waiting until the last day to report an illness often does not result in permission to make up a discussion board because the discussion board is open all week. Therefore, it is advisable to complete the discussion board forum early in the week and not wait until the last hour of the last day to finish, due to the fact that any emergency during the last few hours may result in missing the opportunity to post.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please don't hesitate to contact me.

For More Information For the due dates, see the Calendar link, the date on the assignment itself, or the Course Schedule in the Start Here Module.

For instructions on posting a discussion, see How Do I Reply to a Discussion (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.) in the Canvas Student Guide.

Borrowed and adapted from: https://ecourses.tvcc.edu/courses/834 (Links to an external site.)

12 Netiquette Ground Rules for Course Discussions, Email, and Internet Postings Participate: Please participate in the shared learning environment. Avoid lurking in the cyberspace background. It is not enough to login and read the discussion thread of others. For the maximum benefit, everyone is intended to contribute.

Report Glitches: Discussion forums are electronic. They break. If for any reason you experience difficulty participating, please call, email, or otherwise inform your instructor of the issue so that it can be corrected as soon as possible.

Help Others: When you have more experience with online discussion forums than the person next to you, please give them a hand. Show your fellow classmates a good example, and they appreciate it!

Be Patient: Please read everything in the discussion thread before replying. This will help you avoid repeating something someone else has already contributed. Acknowledge the points made with which you agree and suggest alternatives for those with which you don’t.

Be Brief: Make the effort to be clear and to articulate your point, without being preachy or pompous. Be direct. Stay on point. Don’t lose yourself, or your readers, in overly wordy sentences or paragraphs.

Use Proper Writing Style: This is a must. Write as if you were writing a term paper. Correct spelling, grammatical construction and sentence structure are expected in every other writing activity associated with scholarship and academic engagement. Online discussions are no different.

Cite Your Sources: Another big must! If your contribution to the conversation includes the intellectual property (authored material) of others, e.g., books, newspaper, magazine, or journal articles—online or in print—give the proper attribution.

Emoticons and Texting: Social networking and text messaging has spawned a body of linguistic shortcuts that are not part of the academic dialogue. Please refrain from :-) faces and c u l8r’s.

Respect Diversity: Be sensitive to the ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural community in which we are participating. Please avoid any language that is—or that could be construed to be—offensive toward others. Racist, sexist, and heterosexist comments are unacceptable, as are derogatory and/or sarcastic comments and jokes directed at religious beliefs, disabilities, and age.

No YELLING! Step carefully. Beware the electronic footprint you leave behind. Using bold upper-case letters is bad form. It is the equivalent of stomping around and yelling at somebody (NOT TO MENTION BEING HARD ON THE EYE).

No Flaming! Criticism must be constructive, well-meaning, and well-articulated. Please, no tantrums. Rants directed at any other contributor are simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The same goes for profanity. The academic environment expects higher-order language.

Lastly, Remember: You Can't Un-Ring the Bell. Language is your only tool in an online environment. Be mindful. How others perceive you will be largely—as always—up to you. Once you've hit the send button, you've rung the bell.

Review your written posts and responses to ensure that you’ve conveyed exactly what you intended. This is an excellent opportunity to practice your proofreading, revision, and rewriting skills—valuable assets in the professional world for which you are now preparing.

Polish your Presentation. Read your post out loud before hitting the send button. This will tell you a lot about whether your grammar and sentence structure are correct, your tone is appropriate, and your contribution clear or not.

Borrowed from: http://teaching.colostate.edu/tips/tip.cfm?tipid=128 (Links to an external site.)

DETAILED RUBRICS FOR DISCUSSION POSTING AND REPLIES:

Criteria Advanced Proficient Not There Yet Not There

at All

Development of Ideas

Well-developed ideas; introduces new ideas, and stimulates discussion (3 pts.)

Developing ideas; sometimes stimulates discussion (2 pts.)

Poorly developed ideas which do not add to the discussion (1 pt.)

Does not enter the discussion (0)

Effective use of primary philosophical works assigned

Quotes drawn directly from philosopher chosen are relevant and effectively used to support central claims. (2 pts.)

Quotes drawn directly from philosopher chosen are relevant (1 pt)

No quote is provided. (0)

Does not enter the discussion (0)

Evidence of Critical Thinking

Clear evidence of critical thinking- application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Postings are characterized by clarity of argument, depth of insight into theoretical issues, originality of treatment, and relevance. Sometimes include unusual insights. Arguments are well supported. (3 pts)

Beginning of critical thinking; postings tend to address peripheral issues. Generally accurate, but could be improved with more analysis and creative thought. Tendency to recite facts rather than address issues. (2 pts.)

Poorly developed critical thinking (1 pt.)

Does not enter the discussion (0)

Clarity Posts are well articulated and understandable (2 pts)

Posts are understandable, but some thought is required (1pt)

Posts are difficult to clarify (0)

Posts are unintelligible or not present (0)

Responses to Other Students and Instructor

Thoughtfully and respectfully interacts at least 2 or more times with other students

Interacts at least 2 times with other student or instructor. (3 pts)

Interacts at least once with other student or instructor.

Does not enter the discussion (0)

and/or instructor. (5-4 pts)

(2 pts.)

WEEK 5: PERSONAL IDENTITY AND GENDER

• Traditional treatments of personal identity have persistently dismissed the role of bodily identity. However, a quick search of Google news articles suggest that at least in the issue of gender identity, it is a very real and pressing issue. Read the article on nonbinary identity options from The New York Times, entitled, “Which Box Do You Check? Some States Are Offering a Nonbinary Option. (Links to an external site.)” Is gender and thus bodily identity a crucial aspect of personal identity? Would you be a different person if you were differently gendered? Defend your answer with reference to one of the following philosophers:

o Descartes o Locke o Hume o Kant o Michaels • • • • https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/us/nonbinary-drivers-licenses.html