OFFICE: McIntosh Humanities Building (MHB) 908
TELEPHONE: office/voice mail: (562) 985-5545 fax: (562) 985-7135
E-MAIL: jvancamp@csulb.edu
CLASS URL: http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/690/
OFFICE HOURS: Thursday: 1:45 p.m.- 3:45 p.m. MHB-908
Saturday: 8:00-9:00 a.m. CBA-140A AND BY APPOINTMENT

The semester grade will be based primarily on a student research paper on a topic concerning assisted suicide that will be developed throughout the semester, including a thesis statement, oral presentation, draft, and final paper. In addition, the semester grade will include credit for written discussion questions on the assigned readings, attendance at the weekly class meeting, preparation of an annotated bibliography, and bonus points for outstanding in-class participation.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Due: Thursday, March 11 at class (up to 12 points)

You will prepare an annotated bibliography on assisted suicide, including five separate entries. (Please do not use any of the articles in the textbook.) The annotation for each should be 25-50 words that summarizes the main point of the material and its relevance to the assisted suicide issues. The listings should adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style. Choose materials from the following types of resources: philosophical journals, philosophical books, law journals, public policy/health policy journals, essays by philosophers or legal theorists in major newspapers and magazines. For class 3/11, bring enough copies to provide one to the instructor and one to each of the other students in the class. If you cannot attend class 3/11, your bibliography can be faxed to the department by the deadline (985-7135) with copies for the class brought the following week. Late submissions will receive an automatic 6 point deduction.

PARTICIPATION up to 24 points

For each of the assigned readings marked with an asterick, you may prepare a discussion question which you send out to the class via the class e-mail list no later than midnight on Tuesday before the class when the article will be discussed. We are reading 18 articles over 11 weeks. You can earn up to 2 points for each question, for a maximum of 24 points. Do not submit questions which can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" or which call merely for reporting or summarizing content in the article. Questions should be framed so they might be used to lead a discussion with a class and/or assigned as an essay question on the reading.

ATTENDANCE up to 12 points

Attendance will be taken 14 times (every class except 1/28 and 5/20). You will receive 1 point for each class you attend, up to a maximum of 12 points. Each student thus has 2 allowable absences. Students should save those for illness or scheduling problems which develop during the term. There will be no system of "excused" absences.

During the course of the semester, you will be writing a paper on an aspect of the assisted suicide debate. The goal is a 10-12 page, double-spaced, polished, professional-quality paper which could be submitted to a professional meeting (e.g., the Southern California Philosophy Conference [deadline 6/15/99] or the American Philosophical Association-Pacific [deadline 9/1/99]). You will develop this paper in stages:

Thesis Statement: Up to 12 points

You will develop a statement of the thesis of your paper (up to 200 words). You will present your thesis statement orally to the class for discussion and critique. You also will submit your written thesis statement to the instructor. These will be presented and due on April 8, 15, and 22. At class 2/11, we will draw lots so you can sign up for the date on which you will present your oral thesis statement and submit your written thesis statement.

Oral Presentation of paper: Up to 12 points

You will make an oral presentation of your near-final paper to the class, using up to 20 minutes of classtime. This will give you experience in presenting a professional paper to an audience. We will discuss/critique your project so you can incorporate revisions in the final version you submit at the end of the course. The grade will be based on the quality of your oral presentation and discussion. These will be presented at class on 4/29, 5/6, and 5/13, based on the scheduling for the thesis statement. Group one: April 8 and 29. Group two: April 15 and May 6. Group three: April 22 and May 13.

Written draft of paper: Up to 12 points

The version you present at your oral presentation will be due in writing for the instructor on the day of your presentation. This will be returned to you, with comments, in time to incorporate in your final version.

Final paper: Up to 12 points

Your final, revised paper will be due on Thursday, May 20 at 4:00 p.m. (Exam week)

Active participation in class is essential for learning oral communication skills important in philosophy. You can receive up to 4 bonus points for outstanding in-class participation during the semester.

FINAL LETTER GRADES for the course will be assigned as follows:

A: 80-100
B: 56-79
C: 32-55
D: 8-31

The cut-offs for final letter grades for the course are calculated as follows:

"A" final grade: 10 points (A- Bibliography) + 20 points (A- Discussion questions) + 10 points (attendance) + 10 points (A- thesis statement) + 10 points (A- oral presentation) + 10 points (A- written draft) + 10 points (A- final written paper) = 80

"B" final grade: 7 points (B- Bibliography) + 14 points (B- Discussion questions) + 7 points (attendance) + 7 points (B- thesis statement) + 7 points (B- oral presentation) + 7 points (B- written draft) + 7 points (B- final written paper) = 56

"C" final grade: 4 points (C- Bibliography) + 8 points (C- Discussion questions) + 4 points (attendance) + 4 points (C- thesis statement) + 4 points (C- oral presentation) + 4 points (C- written draft) + 4 points (C- final written paper) = 32

"D" final grade: 1 point (D- Bibliography) + 2 points (D- Discussion questions) + 1 point (attendance) + 1 point (D- thesis statement) + 1 point (D- oral presentation) + 1 point (D- written draft) + 1 points (D- final written paper) = 8

Cheating and Plagiarism: The CSULB policy on Cheating and Plagiarism will be followed strictly. (See Spring 1999 Schedule of Classes, p. 120.) Students who have any questions or uncertainty whatsoever about this policy are responsible for meeting individually with the instructor to discuss the policy. Students found to be cheating on any course element will be FAILED for the COURSE and will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs for possible probation, suspension, or expulsion.

TOTAL WEEKLY COMMITMENT OF TIME TO THIS COURSE: Ordinarily, in a college-level course, for each one hour of class, students should spend two hours of time in preparation. For this 3-unit course, students should expect to spend, on average, each week, three hours in the seminar, and six hours in reading, studying, and writing, for a total of nine hours.

DEADLINE FOR COURSE WITHDRAWAL: Last day to drop the course by VRR and not have a "W" appear on permanent record: Monday, February 8
 

NOTE: Drops after February 8 require the signature of the instructor and department chair; there will be a "W" on the transcript

DEADLINE FOR CREDIT/NO CREDIT OPTION: Tuesday, February 16

DEADLINE TO ADD COURSES: Tuesday, February 16

DEADLINE TO DROP WITHOUT SIGNATURE OF COLLEGE DEAN: Friday, April 23

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Last updated: January 20, 1999