So you’re thinking about taking PHIL 2030, Introduction to Ethics, during the half-term or summer semester?

There are a few things to keep in mind.

This is not a watered down course.  We’ll cover the same material that we cover in traditional, face-to-face classes.  And we’ll cover the same material we do during the full term classes.  The difference is that we’ll do it in half the time that other students do it.

What does that mean? 

It means that you should already posses a copy of the textbook, right from the first day.  If you think you can order a copy of the text, and wait a week or so for it to arrive, consider this: Modules 1 and 2 will be over by the time your book arrives.  Since the first exam covers Modules 1-6, you’ll be able to participate in only 70% of the material for the first exam.   Since you’ll spend all of Modules 3-4 trying first to review the material from Modules 1-2, you’ll do each of them only half as well as you should.  If you don’t own the book already, please buy the ebook, and begin working immediately.  You will not succeed in this course if you don’t have the book on the first day.

It also means that we’ll cover two weekly modules every week.  These modules build on each other, so every week, you should plan to work through the first weekly module on Monday and Tuesday, so that you can begin the second weekly module by Wednesday.  This is because your first discussion board post is due for both modules by Wednesday at 9pm.

That sounds like a lot of discussion posts

Yes, in a full semester, we have one module, and one discussion board, each week.  In half terms, we’ll have two modules, and so two discussion threads each week.  Since your first post is due on Wednesday, that means you’ll post in the first thread by Wednesday, and the second thread by Wednesday.  Read that last sentence again. Since each Discussion requires two separate posts, that means you’ll post one more time in thread one, and one more time in thread two.  So you’ll be expected to post a total of four meaningful discussion contributions every week, over the course of the entire module — posting all on Wednesday or all on Sunday afternoon will not earn a passing grade.

Finally, you should expect that a meaningful post requires you to work carefully through the textbook chapter, the lessons, lecture, and outside resources that I’ve provided.  And then, spent 30-45 minutes constructing a discussion board post that makes significant references to class materials, and that provides a unique, new, individual perspective that was not previously there.  What I’ve just described will probably take 2-3 hours, and you must do this 4 times each week.  This, of course, is in addition to taking the weekly quiz, studying for one of two comprehensive exams, and writing a midterm and a final argumentative essay.

I want you to succeed in this course.  If you think that you can do well in the course without the textbook, or by spending only a few hours per week, or a few hours on the weekend working on the material, you will not succeed in the course.  This is a difficult course — please review the course overview, in Module 1.

At the same time, if you are able to budget your time well, and devote the required resources to this course, you can learn the material, and you will find that mastering the material helps you in your school work, your professional life, and your general personal experiences in the world. During the first week, it is absolutely imperative that students study the course syllabus and course schedule closely and slowly; misunderstanding course requirements or due dates can seriously imperil your final grade, and this is only compounded in a course that moves at twice the pace as a full semester.

If you agree with the above, I will look forward to working with you in this condensed term.