Welcome Page: PHIL 206 CRN 74217: Course Welcome Letters

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PHIL 206

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

CRN (Fall): 74217

Welcome to Philosophy 206!

My name is Dr. Chris Gilbert, and I shall be your instructor in the online version of Introduction to Philosophy.

There are several things you should know about the course:

First, this course demands a great deal of self-motivation. It is the student’s responsibility to keep on top of the reading assignments, to take the weekly reading quiz, to submit the term papers on time, etc. Thus, I recommend this course only to those who are both well-organized and self-disciplined.

Second, this course requires a large amount of reading. If you read quickly, and if you tend to retain the material that you have read, this fact should not pose much of a problem for you. On the other hand, if you are a slow reader, or if you tend not to retain what you read, then you may find this course very difficult for that reason.

Finally, please note that this document is not a course syllabus. It simply provides some information that may help you decide whether to register for the course. Students who do register for the course will gain access to the course syllabus once they enter the course web page.

Respectfully,
~C. Gilbert

Instructor

Dr. Christopher Gilbert

Contact Information

Email Address: cgilbert@cuesta.edu

Office Hours:
Face-to-face office hours are temporarily suspended due to the pandemic.
Phone or Zoom consultations available by appointment.

Instructor Contact Expectations

Since Cuesta College provides me with your college-generated e-mail address, this is the only e-mail address I will use when I need to contact you. Thus, you will need to do one of two things: either (a) check your Cuesta College e-mail account regularly, or (b) arrange for messages to be forwarded from your Cuesta College e-mail account to your personal e-mail account.

The best to contact me is by email. I will typically respond within 24 hours to emails received between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. I do not check email after 4:00 p.m., or on weekends, or during academic breaks. I will typically send messages to the whole class or to individual students via their Cuesta College email addresses.

Course Environment

This online course will be using a Web-based Learning Management System called Canvas as the method to disseminate information. Canvas provides the framework for the course including quizzes and exams, discussion forums, study guides, and a grade book. Using the communication tools, you can communicate using e-mail, and you can share materials and ideas with other course participants via the discussion forums and groups.

Week One Instructions

It is the responsibility of registered students to access the course web page during the first week of the semester and carefully read the following four documents:

(1) Syllabus,

(2) Schedule/Reading Assignments,

(3) Navigating PHIL 206 Online, and

(4) Essay Grading Rubric.

To access the course web page during the first week of classes, follow these instructions:

To get to the host site: Go to the Cuesta College home page (www.cuesta.edu) and click on “Canvas” (in the upper left corner of the page)
Log in: Enter your Canvas username and password (same as for MyCuesta)
User Dashboard: Click on the link for Phil 206; this will take you to the course home page.

If you are not familiar with logging into Canvas, please refer to the Canvas Quick Reference Guide.

If you are having difficulty logging into Canvas after the first day of classes and need assistance, please seek technical support at this email address: support@my.cuesta.edu.

About Online Learning

If you have never taken an online class or this is your first experience with Canvas, please be patient with yourself. Online classes are not inherently easier, although they may be much more convenient for many students. You should expect to spend at least as much time on this course, if not more, as you would spend on a course that meets face-to-face. Since there is no lecture component, much of this time will be self-directed and there will be a substantial amount of reading, viewing, studying, and writing required. This course is completely online using Canvas; all coursework (discussions, assignments, quizzes) is submitted online. There are no face-to-face meetings. Please be prepared to spend 8 - 12 hours per week on coursework for this class.

Is an Online Course Right for You?

Please go to Online Readiness Resources and take the self-assessment, which is designed to help you understand the basis for an online class and the skills necessary for success. If the tutorials there do not describe you, then taking this class online is not for you and I strongly suggest that you drop the online class and enroll in a traditional classroom section.

Regular and Effective Contact

We will keep in contact in a variety of ways:

Students are welcome to contact me by email. I will typically respond within 24 hours to emails received between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. I do not check email after 4:00 p.m., or on weekends, or during academic breaks. I will typically send messages to the whole class or to individual students via their Cuesta College email addresses.
I am happy to speak with students by telephone. Please email me some suggested days and times so that we can arrange an appointment for our phone call in advance.
Some weeks will include a collaborative class discussion via an online discussion forum on the course Web page. At the end of each discussion, I will post a closing message to the forum, in which I will respond to the class’s postings and add any further points that I would like you to think about. (For details, see “Participation,” below.)
There will be two term paper assignments of roughly five pages each. Students will submit their term papers to Turnitin.com through a link on the course Web page. When I read your term papers on Turnitin.com, I will respond by inserting comments on both their content and their form.
The “Ask Dr. G” discussion forum (in the first module of the course home page) is where you can post questions about the material. This forum is meant to simulate the spontaneous dialogue that typically occurs in a face-to-face class, from which all the students can benefit—even those who are not directly participating in that dialogue. I will check this forum and post answers to your questions roughly twice per week.

Course Description

Introduces the ideas and methods of major philosophers through the critical reading of selections from primary texts. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophical subfields of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. May also include philosophical examination of topics in religion, science, language, art, or politics.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students who complete this course successfully will have demonstrated the ability to:

Interpret primary source texts in philosophy
Express, explain, and defend philosophical ideas in writing and/or verbally
Distinguish between the basic concerns and questions at issue in the three major branches of western philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics
Understand how western philosophy has changed and developed over the course of history
Identify, explain, and evaluate philosophical theories and arguments

Required Text

Gilbert, Christopher. Philosophy 206 Reader. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Please note that this book is only available through the Cuesta College bookstore. You can either buy it there in person or order it online and have it shipped to you via USPS or FedEx. Visit the bookstore online at https://cuesta.bncollege.com/shop/cuesta/home.

Technical Support

Cuesta students are encouraged to direct all technical support inquiries to support@my.cuesta.edu. If you are having issues with Canvas, you should contact the Canvas Support Hotline at (877) 921-7680, or click on the help button in Canvas to report a problem.

If you are having difficulty viewing the course or logging in, it may be because you are not using the correct url: https://cuesta.instructure.com/ or you are using your phone or using an unsupported browser.

Your learning environment is best accessed from a desktop or laptop computer, using Firefox or Chrome. This may solve your problem! Please review the browser requirements and minimum computer specifications.

Accommodations

This course is designed using an accessible Learning Management System, and course materials have been created with ADA compliance in mind. If you have a disability and might need accommodations in this class such as extended time on exams or other resources, please contact the instructor as soon as possible so that you can receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner. You should also contact DSPS (Disabled Student Programs & Services) (805-546-3148).

College & Course Policies

Academic Honesty Policy:

Plagiarism of any form, on any written assignment (including online discussions), will result in a failing grade on that assignment, and possibly failure in the class as well. Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s words or ideas as if they were your own. Thus, one commits plagiarism when one does any of the following:

a) borrows ideas from a text (a book, an article, a web site, another student’s paper, etc.) without crediting the author of that text (by means of properly formatted parenthetical citations, footnotes, or endnotes), or
b) uses direct quotations without punctuating them as such and crediting the author (as specified above), or
c) paraphrases an author’s words in a way that relies too heavily on the author’s own wording.

In addition to my course policy, please note that all students attending San Luis Obispo County Community College District at any district site and when representing Cuesta College in any off-campus activity, assume an obligation to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner compatible with the Student Code of Conduct. Please review the Cuesta College Student Code of Conduct.

Other Policies:

Please review the following Cuesta College policies:

Add Policy
Drop Policy
Waitlist Procedure and Instructions

Allow Comments on this Page

Make Comments Public

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[{:section_type=>"rich_text", :content=>"PHIL 206\nINTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY\nCRN (Fall): 74217\n&nbsp;\nWelcome to Philosophy 206!\n My name is Dr. Chris Gilbert, and I shall be your instructor in the online version of Introduction to Philosophy.\nThere are several things you should know about the course:\nFirst, this course demands a great deal of self-motivation. It is the student’s responsibility to keep on top of the reading assignments, to take the weekly reading quiz, to submit the term papers on time, etc. Thus, I recommend this course only to those who are both well-organized and self-disciplined.\nSecond, this course requires a large amount of reading. If you read quickly, and if you tend to retain the material that you have read, this fact should not pose much of a problem for you. On the other hand, if you are a slow reader, or if you tend not to retain what you read, then you may find this course very difficult for that reason.\nFinally, please note that this document is not a course syllabus. It simply provides some information that may help you decide whether to register for the course. Students who do register for the course will gain access to the course syllabus once they enter the course web page.\nRespectfully, ~C. Gilbert\n<h2>&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>\n<h2>Instructor</h2>\nDr. Christopher Gilbert \n<h2>Contact Information</h2>\nEmail Address: <a href=\"mailto:cgilbert@cuesta.edu\">cgilbert@cuesta.edu</a>\nOffice Hours: Face-to-face office hours are temporarily suspended due to the pandemic. Phone or Zoom consultations available by appointment.\nInstructor Contact Expectations\nSince Cuesta College provides me with your college-generated e-mail address, this is the only e-mail address I will use when I need to contact you. Thus, you will need to do one of two things: either (a) check your Cuesta College e-mail account regularly, or (b) arrange for messages to be forwarded from your Cuesta College e-mail account to your personal e-mail account.&nbsp;&nbsp;\nThe best to contact me is by email. I will typically respond within 24 hours to emails received between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. I do not check email after 4:00 p.m., or on weekends, or during academic breaks. I will typically send messages to the whole class or to individual students via their Cuesta College email addresses.\nCourse Environment\nThis online course will be using a Web-based Learning Management System called Canvas as the method to disseminate information. Canvas provides the framework for the course including quizzes and exams, discussion forums, study guides, and a grade book. Using the communication tools, you can communicate using e-mail, and you can share materials and ideas with other course participants via the discussion forums and groups.\nWeek One Instructions\nIt is the responsibility of registered students to access the course web page during the first week of the semester and carefully read the following four documents:\n(1) Syllabus,\n(2) Schedule/Reading Assignments,\n(3) Navigating PHIL 206 Online, and\n(4) Essay Grading Rubric.\nTo access the course web page during the first week of classes, follow these instructions:\n<ol>\n<li>To get to the host site: Go to the Cuesta College home page (<a href=\"http://www.cuesta.edu\">www.cuesta.edu</a>) and click on “Canvas” (in the upper left corner of the page)</li>\n<li>Log in: Enter your Canvas username and password (same as for MyCuesta)</li>\n<li>User Dashboard: Click on the link for Phil 206; this will take you to the course home page.</li>\n</ol>\nIf you are not familiar with logging into Canvas, please refer to the <a href=\"http://www.cuesta.edu/documents/distance_ed_students/Canvas_Quick_Reference_Students.pdf\">Canvas Quick Reference Guide</a>.&nbsp;\nIf you are having difficulty logging into Canvas after the first day of classes and need assistance, please seek technical support at this email address: <a href=\"mailto:support@my.cuesta.edu\">support@my.cuesta.edu</a>.&nbsp;\n<h3>&nbsp;</h3>\n<h3>About Online Learning </h3>\nIf you have never taken an online class or this is your first experience with Canvas, please be patient with yourself. Online classes are not inherently easier, although they may be much more convenient for many students. You should expect to spend at least as much time on this course, if not more, as you would spend on a course that meets face-to-face. Since there is no lecture component, much of this time will be self-directed and there will be a substantial amount of reading, viewing, studying, and writing required. This course is completely online using Canvas; all coursework (discussions, assignments, quizzes) is submitted online. There are no face-to-face meetings.&nbsp; Please be prepared to spend 8 - 12 hours per week on coursework for this class.\n&nbsp;\nIs an Online Course Right for You?\nPlease go to <a href=\"http://www.unc.edu/tlim/ser/\">Online Readiness Resources</a> and take the self-assessment, which is designed to help you understand the basis for an online class and the skills necessary for success. If the tutorials there do not describe you, then taking this class online is not for you and I strongly suggest that you drop the online class and enroll in a traditional classroom section. \n<h2>Regular and Effective Contact</h2>\nWe will keep in contact in a variety of ways:\n<ol>\n<li>Students are welcome to contact me by email. I will typically respond within 24 hours to emails received between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. I do not check email after 4:00 p.m., or on weekends, or during academic breaks. I will typically send messages to the whole class or to individual students via their Cuesta College email addresses.</li>\n<li>I am happy to speak with students by telephone. Please email me some suggested days and times so that we can arrange an appointment for our phone call in advance.</li>\n<li>Some weeks will include a collaborative class discussion via an online discussion forum on the course Web page. At the end of each discussion, I will post a closing message to the forum, in which I will respond to the class’s postings and add any further points that I would like you to think about. (For details, see “Participation,” below.)</li>\n<li>There will be two term paper assignments of roughly five pages each. Students will submit their term papers to Turnitin.com through a link on the course Web page. When I read your term papers on Turnitin.com, I will respond by inserting comments on both their content and their form.</li>\n<li>The “Ask Dr. G” discussion forum (in the first module of the course home page) is where you can post questions about the material. This forum is meant to simulate the spontaneous dialogue that typically occurs in a face-to-face class, from which all the students can benefit—even those who are not directly participating in that dialogue. I will check this forum and post answers to your questions roughly twice per week.</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>Course Description</h2>\nIntroduces the ideas and methods of major philosophers through the critical reading of selections from primary texts. Emphasis will be placed on the philosophical subfields of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. May also include philosophical examination of topics in religion, science, language, art, or politics.\n<h2>Student Learning Outcomes</h2>\nStudents who complete this course successfully will have demonstrated the ability to:\n<ol>\n<li>Interpret primary source texts in philosophy</li>\n<li>Express, explain, and defend philosophical ideas in writing and/or verbally</li>\n<li>Distinguish between the basic concerns and questions at issue in the three major branches of western philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics</li>\n<li>Understand how western philosophy has changed and developed over the course of history</li>\n<li>Identify, explain, and evaluate philosophical theories and arguments</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>Required Text</h2>\nGilbert, Christopher. Philosophy 206 Reader.&nbsp; Boston:&nbsp; McGraw-Hill,&nbsp; 2010.\nPlease note that this book is only available through the Cuesta College bookstore. You can either buy it there in person or order it online and have it shipped to you via USPS or FedEx. Visit the bookstore online at <a href=\"https://cuesta.bncollege.com/shop/cuesta/home\">https://cuesta.bncollege.com/shop/cuesta/home</a>.\n<h2>Technical Support</h2>\nCuesta students are encouraged to direct all technical support inquiries to&nbsp; <a href=\"mailto:support@my.cuesta.edu\">support@my.cuesta.edu</a>. If you are having issues with Canvas, you should contact the Canvas Support Hotline at (877) 921-7680, or click on the help button in Canvas to report a problem.\nIf you are having difficulty viewing the course or logging in, it may be because you are not using the correct url: https://cuesta.instructure.com/ or you are using your phone or using an unsupported browser.\nYour learning environment is best accessed from a desktop or laptop computer, using Firefox or Chrome.&nbsp; This may solve your problem!&nbsp; Please review the <a href=\"http://www.cuesta.edu/student/aboutacad/distance/faqs_technical.html\">browser requirements and minimum computer specifications</a>.\n<h2>Accommodations</h2>\nThis course is designed using an accessible Learning Management System, and course materials have been created with ADA compliance in mind. If you have a disability and might need accommodations in this class such as extended time on exams or other resources, please contact the instructor as soon as possible so that you can receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner. You should also contact <a href=\"http://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/dsps/index.html\">DSPS (Disabled Student Programs &amp; Services)</a> (805-546-3148).\n<h2>College &amp; Course Policies</h2>\nAcademic Honesty Policy:\nPlagiarism of any form, on any written assignment (including online discussions), will result in a failing grade on that assignment, and possibly failure in the class as well. Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s words or ideas as if they were your own. Thus, one commits plagiarism when one does any of the following:\n<ol>\n<li>a) borrows ideas from a text (a book, an article, a web site, another student’s paper, etc.) without crediting the author of that text (by means of properly formatted parenthetical citations, footnotes, or endnotes), or</li>\n<li>b) uses direct quotations without punctuating them as such and crediting the author (as specified above), or</li>\n<li>c) paraphrases an author’s words in a way that relies too heavily on the author’s own wording.</li>\n</ol>\nIn addition to my course policy, please note that all students attending San Luis Obispo County Community College District at any district site and when representing Cuesta College in any off-campus activity, assume an obligation to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner compatible with the Student Code of Conduct. Please review the <a href=\"http://www.cuesta.edu/student/documents/admissions_records/code_of_conduct.pdf\">Cuesta College Student Code of Conduct</a>.\nOther Policies:\nPlease review the following Cuesta College policies:\n<ul>\n<li>Add Policy</li>\n<li>Drop Policy</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/admrreg/arpolicies/Waitlist.html\">Waitlist Procedure and Instructions</a></li>\n</ul>"}]