Policies Governing This Course
Grading Criteria
Questions on examinations will be a mixture of short-answer questions and essay questions. Short-answer questions are intended to test your familiarity with the basic facts presented in the material covered. Essay questions require you to write reasoned responses to interpretative questions about the views of the philosophers we study. The term paper has more extensive requirements and criteria.
In evaluating term papers and the answers to essay questions, I will use the following criteria:
- Accuracy: Is the answer accurate about such things as whether a given philosopher expressed a certain view, was associated with a particular philosophical group, was a student of another philosopher, wrote a particular work, etc.? For the term paper, this criterion includes complete and accurate acknowledgment of any other works used.
- Argument: Does the answer present a coherently structured argument? This is an important criterion in the case of answers to essay questions.
- Completeness/Relevance: Does the answer deal with all the important facts and issues that are relevant to the question? Also, does it spend its time discussing issues that are not relevant?
- Writing: Is the answer clearly written and free from spelling or grammatical errors? For the term paper: does the paper follow the appropriate format for the paper layout, the citation of sources, etc.?
The following table explains how I apply these criteria in evaluating a particular item (an essay answer on an exam or a term paper). Please note that this is not intended as a set of rubrics that can be applied mechanically to determine a grade; it does, however, explain what I look for.
| Grade | Accuracy | Argument | Completeness/Relevance | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (4.0) | No errors or omissions. | Well-constructed argument that gives a good defense of the point. | Deals with all the relevant material and issues and wastes no time on irrelevant points. | No grammatical errors; clearly written and a pleasure to read. |
| B (3.0) | Only minor errors or omissions. | A good argumentative structure overall, but with some problems or weaknesses. | Omits only minor relevant material or includes only minor digressions from the topic. | Reasonably clearly written, with at most a few minor grammatical or spelling errors. |
| C (2.0) | Significant errors, but mostly accurate. | The overall structure of the argument can be discerned, but it has significant problems or weaknesses. | Covers most of the relevant issues, but with some significant omissions; sometimes wanders off topic. | Basically readable, with some problems in spelling or grammar. |
| D (1.0) | More erroneous than correct; major omissions. | Very poorly constructed argument; argument is inconsistently structured or incoherent. | Fails to cover major relevant issues; has only a little to do with the topic. | Difficult to read; many grammatical and spelling errors. |
| F (0) | Nothing accurate. | No discernible argument. | Unrelated to question. | Incomprehensible. |
Grading Scale
Grades on exams are computed as the weighted average of grades on each question. The grade for the term paper is a single grade, based on the criteria above. Grades for the entire course are calculated from a weighted average of the exam and term paper grades, using the following weights:
| Exam 1 | 20% |
| Exam 2 | 20% |
| Exam 3 | 20% |
| Term paper | 40% |
Letter grades for the course are assigned from this weighted average, according to the following scale:
| Grade | Score Range |
|---|---|
| A | 3.5-4.0 |
| B | 2.5-3.49 |
| C | 1.5-2.49 |
| D | 0.5-1.49 |
| F | Less than 0.5 |
Academic Integrity Statement
The Aggie Honor Code:
"An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do."
Upon accepting admission to Texas A&M University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor System. Students will be required to state their commitment on examinations, research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the TAMU community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor System. For information on the Aggie Honor System, see http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor.
It will be my policy in this course to include the following statement on all examinations and request students to sign it.
"On my honor, as an Aggie, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
Attendance Policy and Late Work
My class is governed by the University Student Rule on Attendance. In accordance with this policy, if you miss an exam because of a University-excused absence (about which you inform me), I will arrange a makeup exam. If circumstances beyond your control or an authorized excuse prevent you from completing the third exam or the term paper on time, I will (if appropriate) give you a grade of I (Incomplete) for the course, in accordance with the University Student Rules policy on Grading (see section 10.5). I expect you to attend class regularly; however, class attendance by itself is not a part of the grading basis of this course, that is, I do not give you formal grade credit for attending. If you haven't done well on the required work in the course, please don't ask whether you can improve your grade by doing something for "extra credit".
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal antidiscrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accomodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accomodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities in Room 118 of Cain Hall, on the Internet at http://studentlife.tamu.edu/ssd/, or by telephone at 979-845-1637.