Fall 2011
Instructor: Richard
Gordon
Course Info, Grades, and Texts
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The best way to teach an applied ethics class is to give students
the opportunity to discuss situations, either deciding how one could sort
it out, or making sure one understands where other people's decisions
come from. Therefore, I try to keep lecture to a minimum to leave plenty
of time for our discussion. And you'll have plenty of opportunity to continue class discussion on line.
Here's how your work will be evaluated: 30% of your grade will come from "daily work" (online quizzes, in class exercises); 35% of
your grade will come from online discussion (including current
news stories); 30% of your grade will come from test and exam
scores; and 5% of your grade will come from a class project.
Use the Google Groups area to
post ideas about readings on days you miss class:
if you want your daily work credit for
a day you miss, take the quiz or complete the exercise and make a Google Groups posting. The point is,
since this is a "participatory" class. your absence deprives
your colleagues of the benefit of your contribution to class discussion.
Therefore, if you miss class, respond to the reading.
General Information
Office: 227LL, UDCC (192 S. Chapel Street)
Office Hours: Perkins Scrounge Wednesdays, Noon - 1 pm & By Appointment
Phone: (302) 831-1717
Office: 103 Smith Hall (TA Room)
Office Hours: 103 Smith Hall, TBA
220 Smith Hall
Course Requirements:
In part because the content for this class changes from year to
year--and sometimes from week to week, I'm always tinkering with this
course. This year, we'll use
Class Attendance, Participation, Late Assignments,
Academic Honesty:
In this class, if you want your
"quiz credit" for a day you've missed, you'd better have negotiated an
"excused" absence with your instructor AND had better have written in Google Groups about part
of the reading for the day you've missed.
It's a participatory class. If you miss, you are depriving your colleagues of your input. (This must be an important point; I've typed it into this document twice.)
Whether you are present or absent, you are responsible for every class meeting. All class meetings are recorded by the UD Capture service. There's a link to the recordings on the class Sakai page.
A = 94.0 and up; A- = 90.1 - 93.9
B+ = 87.5 - 90.0; B = 83.5 - 87.4; B- = 80.1 - 83.4
C+ = 77.5 - 80.0; C = 74.0 - 77.4; C- = 71.1 - 73.9
D+ = 68.0 - 71.0; D = 65.0 - 67.9; D- = 63.0 - 64.9
F = under 63.0
If you keep up with the work, grades are not usually too much of an issue. In aggregate, over 80% of the students in my sections did work that earned a grade of B- or higher. Given how easy the quizzes usually are, it is rare for a student's work to earn a grade under 75 in my sections. But it does happen; three students' work (or lack thereof) did earn "F" marks in the past couple of years. But keep up and the grades will work themselves out.
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The on-line syllabus is the official reading list. Check it frequently. Actual assignments (with work due) will be posted in Sakai.
