Image: Chatterina / ChatGPT.
I will measure your progress and success in this course by having you engage in these activities:
- Social annotation of the readings on Perusall with your classmates for better understanding what that material is trying to convey.
- Group discussion during class for better understanding and applying the course material.
- Professional development tasks for preparing you for life after graduation.
- Experiments in philosophy for connecting philosophy to the real world and your own experiences to philosophy.
- A final presentation for showcasing an activity you organized and its social impact.
As you complete these activities, you will earn philosophy experience points:
| Activity | Points Available |
|---|---|
| Social Annotation | 2,600 |
| Group Discussion | ≈5,000* |
| Professional Development | 2,200 |
| Experiments in Philosophy | 7,800 |
| Final Presentation | 1,500 |
| Total | 19,100 |
*This is only approximate. The actual total for class participation may vary. If this adversely influences course grades, then the Philosopher Advancement table below will be updated accordingly.
You have entered this class as a New Philosophy Student, but as you do these activities and earn philosophy experience points you will advance to higher levels. The level at which you end the semester will determine your final letter grade in the course:
| Experience Points | Level | Title | Letter Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 9,400 | 1 | New Philosophy Student | F1 |
| 9,400 to 10,099 | 2 | Philosophy Student | D− |
| 10,100 to 10,799 | 3 | Philosophy Initiate | D |
| 10,800 to 11,499 | 4 | Novice Philosopher | D+ |
| 11,500 to 12,299 | 5 | Apprentice Philosopher | C− |
| 12,300 to 13,099 | 6 | Unemployed Philosopher | C |
| 13,100 to 13,899 | 7 | Armchair Philosopher | C+ |
| 13,900 to 14,799 | 8 | Stand-Up Philosopher | B− |
| 14,800 to 15,699 | 9 | Assistant Philosophy Professor | B |
| 15,700 to 16,599 | 10 | Associate Philosophy Professor | B+ |
| 16,600 to 17,599 | 11 | Philosophy Professor | A− |
| 17,600 to 18,599 | 12 | Philosopher Royale | A |
| 18,600 or higher | 13 | Philosopher Supreme | A+ |
UB does not allow final course grades to be an A+ or a D−. Therefore, a final course grade of an A+ will be assigned an A and a final grade of a D− will be assigned a D.
This philosophy experience point structure means that you are free to choose some activities and skip others. You are also free to decide how much you want to engage in the course.
Some students will reach the level of Unemployed Philosopher and then vanish. Fair enough! Others will not relent until they are Philosopher Supreme. Great—go for it! In the end, I will support whatever choice you make.
Image: Chatterina / ChatGPT.
Late Work
Classes become quite overwhelming when deadlines are missed. In such situations, it is easy for work—and anxiety!—to pile up. This is why I expect that your activities are done on time.
That said, there may be times when you cannot get things done as expected. If that happens, do not panic! Philosopher’s stones are there to help. If the situation is truly extraordinary, please do see me about a reasonable accommodation.