Dr. John Wager
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Our goal is to become wiser than we were when we started. In a semester long course, we will not become "wise," but we may hope to be a bit "wiser."

Some people think that wisdom can ONLY come from experiences. It's possible to become wiser by "learning from experience," but as Confucius points out, learning from experience is the "bitterest" way to learn. It's also expensive, slow, and doesn't give college credit!

So we will take an "easier" route. We will begin with our own questions, but we will read what others have written in their attempts to answer those questions as a starting point in developing our own answers. In terms of the grade for the course, if you to understand what the readings are saying, you will pass. In addition, if you want to do more than pass, you should be able to compare the readings with each other, apply them to new situations, and use them to develop your own answers.

• All readings for this course are available as hand-outs or on line. (There will be a considerable amount of reading for this course, but NO required textbook--I just can't justify requiring students to buy a text for $50 when the reading selections are not copyrighted.
  
  
• Any college level dictionary.

Notes on Attendance:

1. Attendance is essential for success in this course. Your existence, by itself, does not confer academic credit. If you are absent for any reason for more than three times, a conference with the instructor will be necessary to determine if you should continue in the course.
2. Absences due to illness, family crisis, or similar unforseen circumstances will be excused if documented, and if not prolonged. You will not be automatically dropped for lack of attendance, but you can't do very well if you're not here!
3. Punctuality is also required. Tardiness will be excused only if the reasons are reasonable.
4. If you miss a class, you are still responsible for anything covered in that class, no matter what your reason.

1. A philosophy journal is a record of your own personal reactions/thoughts/ experiences about the material we cover in class. It should be your personal reaction to what you study or your (rough) attempt to think about philosophy. It does not need to be a polished "paper." Grammatical errors won't be graded. A philosophy journal is not a daily dairy of what you did. Neither is a philosophy journal just a record of what we discussed in class - it's not the same as class notes. It is your personal reaction to class topics.
2. I want you to start off on the right foot on the first two entries so I'll collect them early. I probably will ask to see your journal only 1 or 2 times this semester, and I'll announce in class a week ahead when I'll collect them. If I indicate a problem to you, your first entries will not count against you as long as you go back and make a fresh start.
3. You should "keep" the journal by writing something in it at least twice a week before or after your class. Make a heading for each date you make an entry - "Sept. 28" - then whatever thoughts you have that day. Each day's entry is one entry. I'll read the entries and decide if they are focused on the philosophy material and if they relate that material to your own life. If they are, you get a "yes" - if they do not seem to be, you get a "no." An entry might be a VERY insightful, VERY perceptive single sentence, a paragraph, two separate paragraphs, or a couple of pages, but anything less than a page may not be a fully-explored "entry."
4. I will sometimes make comments on your journal, but I will not grade the entry. Feel free to explore the ideas in class, even if you're not sure where your thoughts will wind up. You can get full credit for an entry even if what you say is completely wrong.
5. Your grade on this assignment will be determined by how many "yes" entries you have. If you make 2 entries a week for 15 weeks, you'll have 30 entries. To get an "A", you must have 25 entries. For a "B", you must have 20 entries. A "C" is 15 entries. A "D" is 10 entries. An "F" is fewer than 10 "yes" entries.
6. If you have any questions about your journal, write them in the journal and I'll answer them, or see me. I also will have a longer handout available on journal writing only if you think you need it. You should find this journal both fun and a challenge to get you to "think" about philosophy.
7. Keep your journal in a separate spiral notebook or something like it. Do not try to use your notebook; do not try to keep loose papers as your journal because they will get lost.

• Make sure you have the hardware and software necessary for on-line access.  This would be a computer that can run a reasonably new version of Mozilla or Internet Explorer.  Both MAC and IBM-PC compatibles will work. 
  
 
• Make sure you have some way of getting to the Internet. From home, that would usually mean having an "internet service provider" that you connect to with your computer by dialing a phone number. You can also use Triton computers or computers in most local libraries for Internet access.
 
• You do not have to have an e-mail address at Triton, or anywhere else, to be in this course; the course software ("WebCT") will handle all of that internally.
 
• Once you are connected to the Internet, go to the following web address:   http://blackboard1.triton.edu

•   Use your first and last name together, with no space between the words, and all lower case as your "Student ID ID" (or "Userid") and the first letter of your first name together with the first three letters of your last name, followed by the LAST FOUR numbers in your social security number, all mushed together with NO spaces and all in lower case as your "password." So if my name were "John Wager," and my social security number were "123-45-6789," my Login ID would be johnwager and my Password would be jwag6789.
  
  
• Once you have entered this information correctly, you will be taken to the main home page for the course.  You're in!

Grade of A:

1. Consistently superior scores on exams.
2. Assignments completed in prescribed form, on time, with evidence of careful research on subject matter and planned presentation.
3. Consistently shows independent thinking in terms of the subject matter of the course, either in written assignments and/or class discussion.
4. Shows grasp of relationships among various parts of subject.
5. Applies learning to new situations.
6. Asks questions which are appropriate and stimulate relevant discussion.
7. Complies with attendance regulations.

Grade of B:

1. Consistently above average achievement on examinations.
2. Assignments completed in prescribed form and on time; above average in quality.
3. Demonstrates independent thinking in written assignments and/or class discussions.
4. Shows grasp of general organization of subject matter by noting parallels in written ssignments and discussions.
5. Demonstrates that the reasons for learning subject matter are understood and some applications made.
6. Asks questions which clarify presentation of the subject and demonstrate above average knowledge.
7. Complies with attendance regulations.

Grade of C:

1. Satisfactory scores on examinations.
2. Assignments completed in correct form, on time, and of an acceptable quality.
3. Presents evidence of satisfactory grasp of assigned subject matter, either written assignments and/or class discussions.
4. Shows satisfactory grasp of organization of subject matter.
5. Demonstrates some understanding of the relationship of the subject to academic, vocational, or social goals.
6. Asks relevant questions.
7. Complies with attendance regulations.

Grade of D:

1. Below average examination scores but high enough to show better-than-chance responses.
2. Assignments completed in imperfect form or not completed on time; quality of work is marginal.
3. Shows grasp of individual units of subject matter but little evidence of inter-relationships.
4. Shows some application of material, but with little insight.
5. Is a passive listener rather than an active participant in class discussion.
6. Complies with the attendance regulations of the college.

Grade of F:

1. Unsatisfactory test scores.
2. Assignments omitted, incomplete or unacceptable.
3. Is inattentive in class.
4. Demonstrates little or no interest in or comprehension of subject matter.
5. Unsatisfactory progress toward achieving intended class goals.
6. Does not comply with attendance regulations.
 

 Don't hesitate to drop by the office just to chat! And don't hesitate to call me at home if you need to contact me! 

JOINT SYLLABUS

In addition to this joint syllabus, each of the other courses also has their own individual course over-view; click below for them.

Principles of Effective Speech (SPE101) Instructor: Terry Fencl.

Introduction to Sociology  (SOC100) Instructor: Allen Salzman.