Argument Paper 2 due Dec 9

Argument Paper 2 is due on Brightspace on Monday, 12/9 by midnight. This paper should critique some claim made by Mill in the short section we outlined in Analytical Outline 4 on 11/25. If you were not present in class and so did not do the analytical outline, you may critique any of the claims made by Mill in the assigned reading for 11/20.  You can see instructions for the Argument Papers on the assignment page.

Please do not include your name on your submission, I prefer to grade anonymously.

Analytical Outline 4 IN CLASS on Monday 11/25

Our next analytical outline exercise will occur next class (this coming Monday, 11/25). You will have to outline a section of the assigned reading for 11/20:

  • J.S. Mill, “Of the limits to the authority of society over the individual.” Chapter IV of On Liberty. Read pp. 49-60. (see link in schedule)

Familiarity with the reading will be immensely helpful to you in completing this in-class assignment. I will assign a smaller portion from this reading for you to outline in class.

You can find instructions for the analytical outlines on the Analytical Outline page. You will also want to take into consideration my comments on previous submissions.

Because this is an in-class assignment there is no way to complete it if you are not present. In cases where a student has an excused absence (generally only for medical reasons or bereavement), students should talk to me about how to make up for the missing grade.

Argument Paper 1 (on Locke) Due 11/18

Argument Paper 1 is due on Brightspace on Monday, 11/18 by midnight. This paper should critique some claim made by Locke in the short section we outlined in Analytical Outline 3 on 11/4. If you were not present in class and so did not do the analytical outline, you may critique any of the claims made by Locke in the assigned reading for 10/30.  You can see instructions for the Argument Papers on the assignment page.

Please do not include your name on your submission, I prefer to grade anonymously.

Academic Integrity Quiz is due before class on Monday 11/11

The Academic Integrity Quiz is due before class on Monday 11/11.  Please read Dr. M’s academic integrity policy on Openlab and then take the academic integrity quiz on Brightspace (under “Quizzes”). You will have only ten minutes to complete the quiz, so make sure you are ready before you begin.

Midsemester marks posted

Midsemester marks have been posted.

These scores are based on a calculation of the percentage of points you have earned on the total points available so far, to this point in the semester. This includes half of your participation grade for the year, grades on two analytical outlines and two four-sentence papers, and the midterm exam. You can see the marks and their meaning below:

P: Passing. 65-100%

BL: Borderline. 55-65%

U: Unsatisfactory <55%

SA: stopped attending

These grades reflect your performance on only the 46% of the course that has been graded so far, so that means that 54% of the grade is still to be determined. If your grade is not where you want it, please note that there is still time to make major improvements. Also, if you have outstanding assignments, submitting them as soon as possible may significantly help your grade.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Dr. M

Analytical Outline 3 IN CLASS on 11/4

Our next analytical outline exercise will occur next class (this coming Monday, 11/4). You will have to outline a section of the assigned reading for 10/30:

Familiarity with the reading will be immensely helpful to you in completing this in-class assignment. I will assign a smaller portion from this reading for you to outline in class.

You can find instructions for the analytical outlines on the Analytical Outline page. You will also want to take into consideration my comments on previous submissions.

Because this is an in-class assignment there is no way to complete it if you are not present. In cases where a student has an excused absence (generally only for medical reasons or bereavement), students should talk to me about how to make up for the missing grade.

Reminder: Midterm Exam Today!

This is just a reminder that the midterm will become available today the minute that class usually begins. You can find the exam by navigating to “Quizzes” near the top of the class homepage in Brightspace. I thought that Brightspace would send out an email to you, but it appears it will not. Let me know if you have trouble finding the exam for some reason.

Please note that I have Respondus Lockdown Browser enabled. This means you will have to take the test in Respondus Browser. Respondus will prevent navigation to other sites or even using other apps during the test period. Please prepare yourself for this in advance. You can see more about this feature by visiting the Respondus page or watching the short video. You should be able to download it and install it in just a few seconds. It will also work on an iPad.

Good luck. You may email me (dmacdougall[at]citytech.cuny.edu) with any questions during the normal class period and I will try to respond promptly.