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PHILO150-23B (HAM)
The Big Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy
15 Points
Staff
Convenor(s)
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Joe Ulatowski
9350
J.3.01
joe.ulatowski@waikato.ac.nz
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Administrator(s)
Librarian(s)
You can contact staff by:
- Calling +64 7 838 4466 select option 1, then enter the extension.
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- For extensions starting with 4: dial +64 7 838 extension.
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What this paper is about
How this paper will be taught
LECTURES: Lectures will be held in-person every Monday and Wednesday of the teaching weeks of the trimester. While I will record lectures using Panopto and make them available to students following the regular lecture hour, I strongly encourage students to attend lectures in-person. Attending lectures in-person is a good exercise to learn how to focus on one thing without the usual distractions of daily life, e.g., cell phone, computer, siblings, spouses, partners, friends, etc.
TUTORIALS: Tutorials are instrumental for you to become more familiar with the material that is covered in lecture. Students will use Moodle to register for in-person tutorials during the first week of the Trimester.
Tutorials begin in Week 1 on Thursday, 13 July and Friday, 14 July. There is a tutorial every teaching week except the following:
- Week of 14 August 2023
- Week of 9 October 2023
In these weeks, in lieu of the tutorial, students should complete the tests, the mid-term and final. Thus, there will be a total of 10 tutorials to attend in the trimester.
Required Readings
The required readings for this paper are very short. That the readings are short doesn't mean that they are not dense, difficult to read and comprehend, and unfamiliar to you. You should assume that readings will need at least two to three hours per week to read, digest, and re-read. Complex material requires that you return to the material time-and-again. So, to comprehend what you are reading, you should read through the assigned reading once. Then, after a few days, return to the reading, re-reading difficult to comprehend sections. And readings for this paper will not be drawn from newspaper articles or op-eds--i.e., writings which are geared to engage people at a primary school reading level. You're an adult, a university student even, and the complexity of the material assigned for this paper reflects that fact.
WaikatoPrint has a copy of the course reader for sale. Students should purchase a copy from WaikatoPrint since it has a copy of the paper outline, all of the required readings, and other supplementary material. Required readings will also be available through the Library's Talis Reading List with hyperlinks in Moodle. However, the student should know that the links to the readings on the Talis reading list occasionally disappear and become inaccessible for a period of time.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the course should be able to:
Assessments
How you will be assessed
This paper is wholly internally assessed. Each piece of assessment has been designed to enable you to demonstrate competent grasp of essential philosophical concepts.
My role as the paper convenor
As the convenor of this paper, I am responsible for creating a safe and interesting learning environment for all students. I will help students learn the material by providing activities, artistic expressions, discussion topics, and, when necessary, individual attention. I should provoke thoughtful and reflective reactions in students, I should be a source of information, and I should push you to think more rigorously and critically about the content of the paper. I have spent a great deal of time creating this paper to ensure that this paper will not be like other papers you may have completed. I would like for you to leave lecture each week excited and motivated to apply what you have learned in lecture to your personal and professional life. I am NOT an entertainer or trainer and you are NOT a customer.
As the convenor of this paper, I am not responsible for telling you "what to study for the test." I will not review every piece of information that you will need to know for doing well in each assessment. If you hope that I, as the course convenor, would be a resource for you to find out how you can put out the least amount of energy whilst still earning a good grade, I am not the convenor you're looking for. I respect you and your other time commitments enough to share this with you up front.
Your role as a student
As a student enrolled in this paper, your primary responsibility is to attend class well prepared. That includes doing the assigned required reading and taking the time to think about how it connects with your experience and with the world around you. In lecture, you are expected to give all of us your attention and participate in lecture and group activities and discussion. To put it simply, if you hope to do well in this paper, you have to be an active participant in your education.
Assessment for the course consists of weekly quizzes, two essays, and two tests, a mid-term and final. While no item of assessment is formally identified as compulsory, in practice you will need to take part in all pieces of assessment in order to do well in the paper. As there is no formal exam, and no compulsory piece of assessment, the IC (incomplete) grade does not apply to this paper. If for any reason you do not wish to continue with the paper you should withdraw before 5pm on the second Friday of the semester in order to receive a refund. After that time it is still possible to withdraw (but without a refund) prior to 5pm on the sixth Friday of the semester. Dropping out without withdrawing leads to a failing grade on your academic record.
The internal assessment/exam ratio (as stated in the University Calendar) is 100:0. There is no final exam.