PHILOSOPHY OF SUCCESS
PHL 199 - Spring 2011
Online (CRN #42011)
OR
Cottage Grove Center Th 6-9:50 -   - CG 108 (CRN #42211)
Prof. Borrowdale

DROP POLICY: You must log into the class by Thursday 11:55pm of the first week to avoid being dropped. To log into the class, simply click on its name after you have logged into the Moodle online course system at classes.lanecc.edu. If you can see the course page and a weekly outline of topics, you have successfully logged in to the class. If you see a "blank" course with no content on the first day, please check back later in the day and make sure you are logging into the acutal course, once it is up. For help logging in, click here or contact the Student Help Desk (SHeD) at 463-3333. Logging in to the course counts as first week attendance for the purpose of instructor drops. However, please check your MyLane schedule to make sure you are not registered in any unwanted classes, as there is no guarantee any instructor will drop you for non-attendance. You will be charged for any class you do not drop by Sunday, April 3, 11:59pm.  To drop a class, go to mylane.lanecc.edu and click the myEnrollment tab, then Add/Drop Classes. You should also check your schedule the second week to make sure you have not been dropped from any of your classes, as there is a $100 "add grade" fee for registering for a course after grades have been issued for the term. Being able to log into the course in Moodle does not mean you are still officially registered; check your myLane student schedule to see the classes in which you are officially enrolled. The last day to drop without a refund (or change your grading option to pass/no pass or letter grade) is Friday, May 20 at 5pm (the end of the 8th week). If you do not drop by this deadline, you will receive a grade. For students who forget to drop and do not complete the course, this grade will be an F.

There is no on-campus orientation for the online section (CRN #42011). Students in the Cottage Grove section (CRN #42211) meet Thursdays 6-9:50pm in CG 108.

WEBSITE	teach.lanecc.edu/borrowdalej (note that there is no "www" in this address). You can also find it by searching for "philosophy," "religion," or "Borrowdale" using the search box in the upper right corner of the main campus web page at lanecc.edu
MOODLE MESSAGING	Primary and preferred form of communication. To send me a message, click on my name anywhere in Moodle and click the Send message button at the bottom of my profile. If you click the Add Contact button in the messages tab, you can easily send me messages by clicking the word Messages in the Message block in the upper left of the main course page. When I respond, you will see an indicator in the Messages block. To use Moodle messaging, make sure your web browser's pop-up blocker is off or is set to allow lanecc.edu. The SHeD can help you with this. If you leave the Messages pop-up window open, it will automatically check for new messages every minute; otherwise, you will only see new messages when you click on something in the course or log in to the course again. You can also set your profile to receive email notifications of new Moodle messages, which is recommended if you do not log in to Moodle every day. Instead of replying to these email messages, login to Moodle and reply there. Please use Moodle messaging for all time-senstive issues. You will receive a response within 24 hrs or less when the college is in session.
EMAIL	borrowdalej@lanecc.edu Please only email me if you are unable to send me a message via Moodle instant messaging. If you get an email copy of a Moodle message from me, please log into Moodle to reply. If you must use email, use a descriptive subject line (e.g. "Extention Request for Exam 3") and include your class (e.g. PHL 205,  or "Contemporary Moral Issues" and whether classroom or online section) and your full name in your email. Note that emails with no subject or subject lines like "Test" "Hey" or "Hi there!" will probably be filtered out by the Digitar spam filter and may never be read. Use Moodle messaging for all time-senstive issues.
PHONE	463-5434. Least preferred form of contact. I only pick up the phone during office hours, and even then I am often with a student or colleague or otherwise occupied. Please only use voicemail if you are temporarily without access to a computer. On voicemail messages please give your name and call-back number clearly and slowly so I can write them down correctly. Voicemail messages are answered last, after I've answered all incoming Moodle instant messages and email and are generally not checked evenings, weekends, or holidays. If you'd like a phone conference, please send me a Moodle message to set an appointment.
OFFICE	CEN 410 J (Enter through Hallway B, next to the interior North stairs, across from the restrooms)
OFFICE HOURS	Tu 3-4, W 1:30-2:30, Th 12-1 in CEN 410J; Th 5-6 at the Cottage Grove Center (Room TBA, possibly CG 108), F 5-6pm Moodle messaging only
SUBJECT MATTER	This research, discussion, project and workshop-based course explores classical and contemporary theories of what makes an individual and society successful. Topics include happiness, health, wealth, freedom, knowledge, achievement, relationships, community, meaning and spirituality. Findings from psychology, sociology, economics, and history will be examined, along with case studies and biographies of successful people. Replacing self-defeating attitudes, beliefs and patterns of behavior with more positive ones, removing obstacles to success, planning and goal-setting will be a an important focus of the course, which will employ a rational, evidence-based approach to life.
TEXT	There are no required texts. Online reading, audio podcasts, videos and other resources will be provided via Moodle.

FORUM POSTS FOR ONLINE STUDENTS (CRN #42011) ONLY: At the beginning of each week, a new forum will be open for posting. To receive credit, you must make three posts (or replies) which  substantially address the topic (i.e. something more than a "Me, too!" post) and display some familiarity with course audio podcasts or readings. Postings have no minimum word count, may be short, and will be graded on a credit/no-credit basis and are due before Sunday 11:55pm at the end of each week. Late posts will not receive credit. In order to avoid missing the deadline and have some interaction among students, posting earlier in the week is recommended. If pasting from MS Word, make sure to save as plain text first or paste special and choose unformatted text. Students are also expected to read every post. If you do not wish to receive email copies of posts, click Profile --> Edit Profile tab --> Forum auto-subscribe (change to "No; don't automatically subscribe me to Forums."). If you do this, you'll want to turn read-tracking on. In the Edit Profile tab, change Forum Tracking to "Yes; highlight new posts for me." The Cottage Grove section (CRN #42211) is not required to post in forums and will instead be graded on attendance.

SUCCESS BOOK REPORT: Select a success, motivational or self-help book. Post the author, title and a link to Amazon.com, GoodReads, or similar review/purchase link to the Success Book Wiki. The book may be on productivity, financial, career or business success, improving relationships, or be a a general book on success. After you have read the book, post a review of it to the Success Book Report Assignment. Minimum length 500 words. Plagiarism will result in an F in the course.

ROLE MODEL REPORT: Read a book about or interview someone who embodies your vision of success or has achieved what you want to achieve in some key area of your life (e.g. financial and career success, artistic achievement, humanitarian contribution, etc.) Write a review of it and post it to the Role Model Report Assignment. Minimum length 500 words. Plagiarism will result in an F in the course.

SUCCESS PLAN ONLINE FORUM: Each week you will add to your success plan, an evolving document which lists your values, goals and plans, along with resources and strategies to achieve them. Specific assignments for things to include will be given each week, though you are encouraged to add or expand the document in other ways as well. By Sunday of Week 8 you will post a draft of your plan to an online forum and comment on the plans of other students. This will be an in-class activity for the Cottage Grove section.

SUCCESS PLAN: After working on your success plan throughout the term and implementing suggestions for revision in the Success Plan Online Forum or Workshop, you will make final changes to your plan and submit it for grading.


Happiness: Happiness as an intrinsic value • The emerging field of Happiness Studies • Biological, environmental, psychological and cultural factors affecting happiness • Self-esteem • Adopting and reinforcing attitudes and beliefs which are conducive to a happier life • Dealing with trauma, loss and grief • The Buddha on detachment • Focus, meaning and the reinterpretation of experience

Achievement: Achievement as a primary value: Friedrich Nietzsche • Rational planning and expectation vs. magical thinking • Reverse-engineering and reverse planning in success • Attitudes of success • Organization and time management skills • Technology and Productivity • Harnessing the power of the unconscious mind • Discipline and will • The power of focus • Persistence • Getting what you want and wanting what you get • Dealing with indecision and procrastination

Health: Health as a precondition of other values • The Aristotelian virtue of moderation • Rational evidence-based health practices vs. health crazes or uncritical acceptance of ancient traditions • Scientific evidence on the causes of optimal health: Clinical and cross-cultural studies. Who are the healthiest people on earth, and why? • Diseases of affluence and how to avoid them

Wealth: What is wealth, and how is it created? • The Worldly Philosophers • How important is wealth to a successful life? • To what degree does wealth conflict with other goods? • Wealth creation, freedom and property rights • Wealth distribution, social justice and charity • Metaphysical views on wealth creation (e.g. “The Secret”) What conditions create a prosperous society?

Freedom: Personal, economic, social and political freedom • The Problem of free will • Sartre and radical freedom • Freedom and responsibility

Knowledge: Is knowledge power or is ignorance bliss? • Knowledge as an end in itself • Theoria, praxis and techne • Self-knowledge, reflection, the examined life and conscious living

Relationships: The nature of interpersonal relationships • Family relationships • Aristotle and Confucius on friendship • The Philosophy of Love and Sex

Community: The evolution of human society • Civilization and government • Joining and building intentional communities which share common interests and goals • Community and solitude

Meaning: Does life have a meaning? • Can we create our own meaning? • What sorts of lives to people find most meaningful, and why? • Meaning and fulfillment

Spirituality: Do material and spiritual success conflict? • How do spiritual beliefs affect material success, happiness, health, relationships and other goods? • What do trends in spiritual belief suggest about the future of religion and belief in the supernatural? Is a spiritual view of life compatible with modernity?

GRADING: At the end of the term, the class will be graded on the following absolute scale: A+= 97-100%, A=93%-96%, A-=90%-92%, B+=87%-89%, B=83%-86%, B-=80%-82%, C+=77%-79%, C=73%-76%, C-=70%-72%, D+=67%-69%, D=63%-66%, D-=60%-62%, F=0-59%. Any extra credit work does not count towards the A+.

AVAILABILITY OF THE INSTRUCTOR: I am available by Moodle messaging, Moodle ChatZone, email, phone, or in-person office visits. If you are having difficulties with the class, please contact me as soon as possible; I am here to help. I am also available to discuss any issue in the class which has piqued your intellectual curiosity, or which you find interesting or important, outside of the realm of assignments and testing.

DISABILITY SERVICES: If you need support or assistance because of a disability, you may be eligible for academic accommodations through Disability Service. For more information, contact the Disability Services at (541) 463-5150 (voice) or 463-3079 (TTY), stop by Building 1, Room 218, or contact Nancy Hart (541) 463-3010. You may also want to check out Lane's On-Line Resource Page for students with disabilities.