Module 2 Discussion
- Due Jan 11, 2018 by 11:59pm
- Points 5
- Submitting a discussion post
Everyone
One reply is due by Thursday (100-350 words, 5 points)
Discussion Leaders:
Answer the prompt below. Then post two replies .
Your answer is due by Tuesday (150-400 words, 10 points) and two replies are due by Thursday (100-350 words, 5 points each). To see which discussions you are leading (and to sign up), go to Collaborations and complete the google document there.
Discussion Board Grading Criteria
Initial posts and replies earning most or full points will do all or most of the following:
- Timing
- Be on time or early so others can reply and engage in conversation.
- Content
- Add something new to the conversation
- Be meaningful and substantial (quality matters, not quantity)*
- Give complete answers to the Discussion Prompt (for initial posts)
- State facts that are true. Present accurate description of others’ views
- Logic & Reasoning (Starting with Module 3)
- Tone & Style
- Use respectful and kind language
- Clearly explain which part of a post you are replying to (for replies)
- Acknowledge other people’s ideas
- Cite sources when you can. (Ideas you get from the reading should mention the reading. Include page numbers if you can, but due to time constraints this isn’t necessary. Ideas you get from an online websearch should mention which pages you visited. Ideas you get from fellow students should mention those students.)
Ideas on how to make your post meaningful:
- Share your own personal or professional experience to add insight to the conversation
- Describe how the lectures have changed your mind in important ways
- Make connections between several different posts and build on the conversation
- Incorporate a moral framework
- Incorporate the reading
- Object to claims made in other posts, or respond to objections
- Mention the details of the examples under discussion and explain how these details are relevant
- Connect with material from previous Modules, or other classes you have taken
For more details and grading criteria, see Discussion Board Guidelines for Phil 122
Prompts
Discussion Leaders, each of you will select ONE of the prompts below and answer all the questions in it.
Prompt 1.
Think back to the Module 1 lectures. Recall that we identified six areas of ethics, following John Deigh:
- general study of goodness
- general study of right action
- applied ethics
- metaethics
- moral psychology
- metaphysics of moral responsibility (the study of free will)
To answer this prompt, return to our first discussion board, where students introduced themselves. Select 2-3 questions that students posed. Write down the questions. Explain in which area you would place each question and why. Finally, pick one question to discuss in more detail (for example, what is your answer to that question? What further questions does it raise for you? What information would you need in order to answer the question fully?, etc.)
Prompt 2.
Sylvan offers a “thought experiment” in which he asks us to imagine that nearly all the humans have died, and all that is left is one man and one tree. If the last man cuts down the last tree right before he dies, do you think he has he done anything wrong? Why or why not? What does your answer tell us about the moral status of trees? (That is, are tree moral patients?) (In trying to answer this question, you might discover new questions. Feel free to list them here.)
Rubric
Criteria | Ratings | Pts |
---|---|---|
Timing
Be on time or early so others can reply and engage in conversation.
threshold:
pts
|
pts
--
|
|
Content
Add something new to the conversation. Be meaningful and substantial (quality matters, not quantity). Give complete answers to the Discussion Prompt (for initial posts). State facts that are true. Present accurate description of others’ views.
threshold:
pts
|
pts
--
|
|
Logic & Reasoning (Starting with Module 3)
threshold:
pts
|
pts
--
|
|
Tone & Style
Use respectful and kind language. Clearly explain which part of a post you are replying to (for replies). Acknowledge other people’s ideas. Cite sources when you can. (Ideas you get from the reading should mention the reading. Include page numbers if you can, but due to time constraints this isn’t necessary. Ideas you get from an online websearch should mention which pages you visited. Ideas you get from fellow students should mention those students.)
threshold:
pts
|
pts
--
|