CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: Please use Moodle messages to contact me. I will do my best to reply within 24 hours. You may receive a notification and copy of Moodle messages in your email. Please don't reply to those directly; log into Moodle and reply there. Using Moodle messages consistently also allows us to track any ongoing issues by scrolling up in the message history. Replying to email notifications or using email to contact me will result in a delayed response and the 24 hour rule will not apply. My students come first; using Moodle for communication will ensure your message gets the priority treatment it deserves. Before contacting me, please review this syllabus and and the Announcements Forum to see if your question is already answered there.

THIS IS AN ADULT LEARNING SPACE: Expect to come into contact with ideas with which you disagree and to have your beliefs challenged. Students will be treated as mature, responsible adults, capable of engaging in adult conversations which may touch on topics such as race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, sexual relations, cultural differences, morality, politics and religion. It is a prerequisite of this course that you possess, or be willing to develop, the ability to discuss controversial issues in a calm, rational and respectful manner.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF THE INSTRUCTOR: "The professional freedom of faculty includes the right to explore and discuss controversial issues and divergent points of view, including evaluating, criticizing, and advocating their point of view concerning the policies and programs of the college..."-- Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Lane Community College Educational Association and Board of Education, Section 15.3. According to this section of the faculty contract, the instructor is free not only to discuss contentious, hot-button issues which have the potential to offend you, but to approach them from viewpoints which diverge from the mainstream and deviate from what you might consider "acceptable" opinion. Academic freedom is essential to fostering robust discussion of intellectual issues and the social progress that results from such discussions. Before reacting in knee-jerk fashion to an idea, please try to remember that what offends our sensibilities is often a product of our culture, mass media, upbringing, peer group and personal history rather than any quality intrinsic to the idea itself. Also keep in mind that these things change over time. Many ideas that were considered dangerous, controversial or offensive in the past are now part of the unquestioned status quo. Your job as a thinking person is to sort feeling from fact and to separate rationality and morality from cultural prejudice and personal bias. This type of self-examination is a big part of what it means to be a philosopher.

Faculty have wide discretion in how they treat academic subjects in the classroom. Although this class will explore a diversity of opinions, some ideas will be emphasized over others. Beliefs which enjoy institutional support from the college may be singled out for scrutiny, as explicitly allowed in Section 15.3 above. Ideas which predominate in academic culture and the social sciences or among college students may face special criticism, while minority or neglected viewpoints may be given special consideration. This is because critical thinking is most important when it comes to beliefs you are likely to have uncritically adopted (or dismissed) due to various dominant social influences. Considerations of "balance" in this course are approached from the institutional level. So, for example, if the college as an institution and the majority of courses favor or promote one view on a controversial issue, this class may balance that out by emphasizing an opposing view.

The instructor attempts to give the best argument for many different views. Just because an argument in favor of a particular view is given in class, podcasts, the text or other external resources does not necessarily mean that it is the instructor's view on the subject. In fact, you may notice that the instructor will make arguments for views which are logically incompatible with one another. Therefore, it makes no sense to assume that every time a view is being presented, the instructor believes it and is attempting to persuade you to accept it. It is up to you to sort through the competing claims and arguments presented in this class and decide for yourself which views to accept.
 
If you disagree with or take offense at any of the views expressed in this class by the instructor or in course materials, may I suggest: (1) try to keep an open mind (2) reflect on why you find certain beliefs or opinions vexing or upsetting and use this as an opportunity for self-exploration, to practice self-management skills and to develop your capacity for tolerance of ideas which differ from your own (3) remind yourself that emotions are an unreliable guide to objective reality and that the feelings we associate with certain ideas are often accidents of birth, culture and personal experience (4) keep in mind that exploring or understanding an idea isn't the same as approving of or accepting it and (5) engage the instructor in civil discussion or debate in class sessions (in the case of face-to-face classes) or privately in office hours.

Another relevant section of the faculty contract is Section 16.3, Civic Life, which states, "Each faculty member is also a citizen of his or her nation, state and community; and when he or she speaks, writes or acts as such shall be free from institutional censorship." This means that faculty have an absolute right to express themselves outside the classroom without fear of retribution from the Administration. Therefore, if you encounter the instructor outside the classroom, acting in his capacity as a private citizen, you should recognize that his views do not necessarily represent those of the college and that the college recognizes his right to speak, write and act according to the truth as he sees it and the dictates of his own conscience.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF STUDENTS: "Each faculty member is entitled to and responsible for protecting freedom in the classroom in discussion and presentation of subject matter." -- Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Lane Community College Educational Association and Board of Education, Section 15.2. Voicing an opinion that differs from that expressed by the instructor in face-to-face sessions or online forums will never be penalized, though there may be occasions when debate must be curtailed in the interest of adequately covering course material. The instructor encourages the voicing of dissenting opinions, especially on controversial issues and when backed by convincing reasons and supporting evidence. This enlivens class, provides an alternative viewpoint, fosters critical thinking and may end up enlightening the instructor, who occasionally realizes he has been wrong. Please couch dissenting opinions in a constructive and respectful manner in order to keep the exchange of ideas civil. This particular class uses recordings from the face-to-face classes and has weekly quizzes in lieu of online forums, but alternative viewpoints are always welcome in Zoom office hours Tu 4-5pm and Th 7-8pm. Click the link near the top of this page to connect.

USE OF HUMOR: The instructor frequently employs humor to lighten the mood as well as to illustrate points, add color and make learning fun. This should in no way be interpreted as disparaging any individual or group. Students will always be treated with the utmost respect and will never be mocked or ridiculed.

CONCERNS: I want this class to be a positive learning experience for you. If, at any time, you have a concern, grievance or complaint about the course, please speak with me about it directly in office hours or via Moodle message. You have my personal guarantee that I will hear you out, reflect carefully on what you have to say and that it will have no bearing on your grade. Because the class uses objective testing (with a record of scores on the server), you have additional protection. My only request is that, if I have some feedback for you, you consider it in the same spirit. I'd rather correct any problems than have you be disgruntled for the rest of the term (which is likely to negatively affect your performance in the class) only to complain about it in student evaluations. Why not alert me to a problem when I can actually do something about it? In the unlikely event that you remain dissatisfied, you can still take your concerns to the Dean of the Social Science Division. I am a reasonable, fair and kind human being and care about my students, so I'm sure we will be able to work something out. The Dean's first suggestion will probably be that the three of us meeting to discuss the issue. He is a busy man doing important work for the college. Why not see if we can work it out between us first? Addressing any concerns early, honestly and directly will result in a better outcome for both of us.

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%

GETTING HELP WITH THE CLASS: If you are having difficulties with the class, please see the philosophy tutor as soon as possible. The tutor's Zoom office hours are at the top of this syllabus and linked near the top of the main course page in Moodle. The tutor can go over your exam with you and help you to improve your grade on the next one as well as on the Comprehensive Midterm Exam. If you have questions about basic concepts or the study questions, please see the tutor before seeing the instructor. You can earn extra credit for each tutor visit of at least half an hour, up to a total of three.

EARLY OUTREACH AND REFERRAL (EOR) PROGRAM: At Lane Community College, we want every student to be successful. The Early Outreach and Referral (EOR) Program is a campus-wide effort to support students early in the term when they first begin experiencing difficulty in a class. If I see you are having difficulty in this class (ex. missing classes, missing assignments, and/or receiving low test or assignment scores) I may refer you to our Early Outreach Specialist. Once referred, the Early Outreach Specialist will follow up with you by phone or email to find out how to best support you by connecting you with necessary resources and helping you develop and implement a success plan, which may include individual tutoring or other services. Please respond to these messages. Our current specialist, Mike Walker is really nice, a good listener and has helped many struggling students to succeed. If he contacts you, let him help.

ADVANCED QUESTIONS: If you have a particular issue from the readings, audio podcasts or PowerPoints which you would like to explore, discuss or perhaps debate in more depth than is practical in Moodle messages, please visit me during my zoom office hours. I am also happy to help clear up any questions you may still have after seeing the tutor first.

TECHNOLOGY USE AND HELP: This is an online course. It requires you to use (but not necessarily own) a computer, tablet or smart phone with access to the internet. The syllabus, schedule, announcements, supplementary material and resources, quizzes, exams and grades are all distributed via Moodle. Campus labs are staffed with people who can help you if you are new to computing devices or have difficulty using them. Contact the Student Help Desk (SHeD) or call them at 463-3333 for assistance with all of your education-related technology questions.