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. 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, January 9, 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, February 25
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.
| 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
|
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. You will get the most rapid response using this method of
communication. Please use this method
for any time-senstive issues. You will receive a response within
24 hrs or less between the first day of classes and the day the Final
Exam closes.
|
| EMAIL |
borrowdalej@lanecc.edu Second
preferred form of contact, after Moodle instant messaging,
described above; please use descriptive
subject
lines (e.g. "Extention request for Second Midterm Exam") and
include your class
(e.g. PHL 203, or "Theories of Reality" and whether classroom or
online) and 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 time-senstive issues.
|
| PHONE |
463-5434. Least
preferred form of contact. On
voicemail messages please give your name and call-back number clearly
and slowly
so I can write them down correctly. Phone messages are answered last,
after I've answered all incoming Moodle instant messages and
email
and are generally not checked evenings, weekends, or
holidays. |
| OFFICE |
CEN 410 J (Enter
through
Hallway B, next to the interior North stairs, across from the
restrooms) |
| OFFICE
HOURS |
M
3:30-4:30pm, Tu 3-4, W 1-2, Th 11-12 in CEN 410J; F 5-6pm Moodle
messaging only
|
| SUBJECT
MATTER |
Theories
of
Reality (metaphysics) attempt to discover and describe the
underlying nature of existence. Possible topics include the nature
of the self, the relationship between matter and consciousness, free
will, the existence of God, death, and the meaning of life. These
topics may be approached from the perspective of both Eastern and
Western philosophy. |
| TEXT |
Borrowdale,
Theories of Reality: An Introduction to
Metaphysics, Fifth Edition (available at the LCC Titan Bookstore)
|
REQUIREMENTS
| FIRST
MIDTERM
EXAM |
Begins:
Thursday, January 20
at 3:00pm
Ends: Thursday, January 27 at 7pm
|
30%
of grade |
SECOND
MIDTERM
EXAM
|
Begins:
Thursday,
February 17
at 3:00pm
Ends: Thursday, February 24 at 7pm
|
35%
of
grade
|
| FINAL
EXAM |
Begins: Monday, March 14 at
8am
Ends: Thursday, March 17 at 5pm
|
35%
of grade |
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The
objectives are this course are for students to (1) come
to a clearer understanding of metaphysical issues through the study of
classical
and contemporary theories (2) acquire some factual knowledge about the
history
of philosophy and important philosophical thinkers (3) come to their
own
conclusions about which theories are best or most likely to be true,
even
if those conclusions are of a tentative nature (4) acquire critical and
analytical
reasoning skills along the way (5) bring their conclusions about
ultimate
reality to bear on their other beliefs, values, goals and way of life.
ATTENDANCE
POLICY FOR CLASSROOM STUDENTS (CRN #
31400)
: It
will
be very difficult
to succeed in this class without regular attendance. Some
material may appear on the exams which is not covered in the text, and
students with sporadic attendance almost always do poorly on exams. After the
first week, do not burden the
instructor with messages about absences of one or two class days
due to illness or
other
contingencies. With over 150 students per term and the rate of
absenteeism being what it is, such "courtesy" calls or emails are a
nuisance. On the
other hand, if you must be absent for more
than a
week due to serious illness, military service, business
travel, family emergency, and so on, don't hesitate to contact me if
you must take an exam at a later date or require other help. If you
don't require special accommodation, please simply download the podcast
and
check for any new announcements or handouts on Moodle.
If you are sick, please stay home and rest.
Coming to class sick will prolong your own illness and infect others.
Also, please refrain from visiting my office if you still have flu or
cold symptoms; it is a small, confined space and I do not want to
contract your illness. You can reach me by phone during office hours if
you need to speak with me or send a Moodle message or email.
ONLINE STUDENTS (CRN
#
34050)
: Online
students are required to listen to podcasts of classroom sessions,
uploaded by evening each class day. They are expected to keep up with
the
pace of the class and listen to the previous podcast by the time the
next one is made available. As with any class, students are encouraged
to take notes while listening.
COTTAGE GROVE STUDENTS (CRN
#31532): Cottage
Grove students may be able to watch the course live via IP video in CG
139, depending on whether the new multi-media server is ready by the
beginning of Winter Term. If not, they will have to download and listen
to podcasts uploaded by evening each class day.
READING:
It is important to read the
material in order to
participate
intelligently in class discussion and/or online forums and to perform
well on exams.
COMPUTER USE:
This
course requires you to use (but not
necessarily
own)
a computer. Testing, distribution and archiving
of
notes and handouts, outside-of-class
communication
and
reporting and
calculation of grades are
all done via Moodle. Campus
labs are staffed with people who can help you if you
are
new to computers or have difficulty using them. Visit
the
Student Help Desk
(SHeD) website at
lanecc.edu/icl/shed.html,
call
them
at
463-3333 or visit them in person at the Library Circulation
Desk on the 2nd floor of the Center building for
assistance. Campus computer lab hours may be found at
http://lanecc.edu/icl/labhours.htm Please make sure your
current
email address is in your myLane account and Moodle profile.
EXAMS: You will have a window of several days during
which you
must take each exam in the
Social
Science
Testing
Lab in
CEN 456 on the Main Campus or at the
Cottage
Grove Center. You will need a photo I.D. and to
know your L Number and ExpressLane PIN to log into the test. The exam
format
will be multiple choice and true/false questions.
During
the
exam
you
may
use a 3 x 5 card note card (both sides) or a
piece of paper measured with a ruler and cut to the
same size. The
final
will
not be
comprehensive. The exact start and stop times of exams will be
announced in class, put in
a Moodle announcement and may also be seen by clicking on the exam
name in
the main course view as soon as the date is set. Lab hours for the
Social Science Testing Lab
are posted at
http://teach.lanecc.edu/timmerst.
You must
arrive one hour before closing.
MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY: Since you
will have at least four or five days to take the exam, you will be
expected to meet the deadline. You must contact the instructor
before the deadline via Moodle messaging or
email
to request an extension without penalty.
PENALTIES FOR CHEATING: Students caught cheating
will be given an F in the course.
GRADING: At
the end of the
term, the class will be graded on the
following absolute scale. Extra
credit
work
does
not
count towards the A+.
| 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% |
|
AVAILABILITY
OF
THE
INSTRUCTOR: I am
available by Moodle messaging, 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. If you performed poorly on your
first exam, please come by office hours or make an appointment to see
me to see what we can do to improve your next exam score. 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.