Philosophy

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EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS PHIL 1103 Summer

There are two examinations given during the term. The due dates for the

examinations are given on the Course Calendar. There is an automatic four-day grace period for the first examination should you wish to make use of that (note that although there is no point penalty, submissions made during the grace period do not qualify for written commentary). There is no grace period available for the second examination.

Each examination will consist of four essay questions concerning the assigned

readings up to that point in the term. Use the Instructor’s Notes, the textbook readings, and your work on the weekly Reflection Exercises to formulate your answers. Be sure to make good use of the Instructor’s Notes in addition to the course textbooks. Do not rely on outside sources. Your answer to each question should be a minimum of about two double-spaced pages; please try not to write more than four pages for each question. Make use of the checklist for submission at the end of this document.

You must state each question before giving your answer, and make it clear

where you are answering each part of each question (for example, by using headings like “Question 1 Part 1”).

The examination questions will be available one week before the due date for

each examination. Once you see the examination questions, it is fine for you to discuss the questions with others in Discussion. However, be sure that your write your own answer; the course policy concerning plagiarism is given in the Course Syllabus. Your final answer must be your own work; you may use material from the course readings, but you must list the source and page, including the Instructor’s Notes. Using sources outside of the course texts and Instructor’s Notes can be risky because many sources one finds on the internet are unreliable; so if you used an incorrect source outside the course materials your answer would include incorrect information. The required course readings, including the Instructor’s Notes, are all you need in order to be able to answer the exam questions fully and correctly.

A proper citation is necessary for all direct quotation and for paraphrase from

any source used (a paraphrase is when you use your own words to express an idea found in a source). Course texts, Instructor’s Notes, as well as any and all outside sources must be properly cited. A proper citation consists of two elements. First there must be an in- text or footnote indication of the source and the page. An in-text indication will be put in parentheses directly following the quote or paraphrase, for example “(Weston p. 35)”. A Footnote may be formatted as “Weston p. 35”. Second, there must be a list of works cited at the end of your examination; this list must include the author (if known), the title, and a URL if applicable. These are the only requirements for citation formatting; if you want you may use enhanced formatting if you are familiar with APA or MLA citation formatting, but this is not required.

Failure to give a proper citation is plagiarism; be sure you understand policy in the Course Syllabus concerning consequences of plagiarism. Your submission will be

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examined by Normandale’s sophisticated suite of plagiarism detection software platforms and compared with very large databases (which include previous submissions to this and other colleges and universities, material submitted by other students, as well as internet, electronic, and print sources). Use of materials without proper citations is plagiarism, and all instances of plagiarism detected will be permanently documented as part of your course record and will be subject to the penalties described in the Course Syllabus. That permanent documentation may also be forwarded to the Dean of Students.

Aim for clarity and detail in your answers. You should be as detailed as

possible in your answers; imagine having to explain your answer very carefully to someone who is not quite understanding. Be sure to dig into the terminology you are using. For example, when talking about “well-being” it is important to notice that there are different kinds of well-being (economic, physical, emotional, social) and that there is a difference between long-term and short-term well-being. One or two sentences is never enough to explain in detail. A checklist for writing strong answers appears at the end of this document.

If you submit your first examination before the grace period you will receive an

examination report with written commentary after I evaluate your exam; use the Exam Report Instructions and Grading Codes document (found under Content->Instructions) to interpret your examination report and to help you write stronger exams in future. Your exam report will be left as Feedback in the Assignments submission folder where you submitted your examination. It will include your grade for the assignment, Overall Feedback, and Inline Feedback (if you qualify). In the Assignments folder where you submitted your exam, find the “Feedback” column and click “Unread”. You will automatically see your Overall Feedback, but be sure to also click on “View Inline Feedback” to see my comments in your text. If you submit your first examination during the grace period your examination report will only include inline feedback with point values for each part of each question. There is no grace period for the second examination.

Your examination must be prepared as a Word document or pdf file. Your name must appear at the top of your examination. Before giving your answer you must state each question. You must number each answer with the number of the question. Because

each question has two or three parts, you must use headings to separate your answers to different parts of each question.

You must number the pages of your examination and double-space your answers.

Your examination must be submitted to the appropriate folder under

Assignments in D2L. Examinations that are not submitted in accordance with the requirements given in this instruction document will not be accepted. Again, as stated in the Course Instructions and the Course Syllabus, correct use of the required technologies (software, hardware, and internet connection) is entirely your responsibility. The due dates and times for each examination are given on the

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Course Calendar document, as well as the time of the grace period for the First Examination. Checklist for submission

• Clarity: assume that the reader is not understanding, so take your time and explain carefully, using examples as part of your explanation. Use paragraphs to separate different ideas or elements of your answer. Don’t just write in a stream of consciousness—create an outline before you start writing and carefully organize your thoughts. And be sure to check your grammar and spelling.

• Detail: dig into the question and get detailed, drawing distinctions and examining the specifics (refer to the tips above).

• Correctness: be sure that your answers conform to what we find in the Instructor’s Notes and the Weston text.

• Rely on your own words: a strong answer will be primarily in your own words, and whenever you do use a direct quotation be sure to then also state the idea in your own words immediately after.

• Citations: be sure to use proper citations as described above. • Be sure to state the entire question before giving your answer (this is

required). • Be sure to use headings as described above to separate where you are

addressing each part of each question. • Be sure to make use of the Instructor’s Notes in helping formulate your

answers, as well as the relevant readings in the course textbooks.