Please watch this video to get started.
Hello, hello all you lovely people!
I’m Professor David Emmanuel Gray and I’ll be your guide this semester in Political Philosophy. With an open mind and a bit of work, you will learn a lot about issues of justice and political legitimacy along with their practical applications. You might even learn a little bit about yourself and your place within society!
Please take a few minutes to watch my video, and I’ll introduce myself and the course. You can then start to explore this page (and then this entire website) to get better oriented.
Feel free to bookmark this site while you are here. You might even add a link to your phone’s home screen for easy access.
For now, though, I look forward to meeting you face-to-face on campus at the end of January!
David
(I’m a bit old fashioned, so I’d prefer you call me “Professor Gray”. If you do call me “David”, though, I won’t freak out or anything. Call me “Dave” or “Davy”, and I’ll think you are my wife, which would be extremely awkward.)
Bring on the heat and pressure! That’s how diamonds are made. 🪨🔥💎
Photo: Justin Lubin / NBC.
How This Course Works
- Class meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in Cooke Hall 127B from 10:00AM to 10:50AM. Feel free to arrive early or even stay after class to chat with me!
- I try to include interactive activities during our class meetings, so your attendance and participation is really important. If you can’t make it to class, let me know in advance and we will figure things out.
- There is no required textbook. All readings are available in the class schedule.
- Try to do the reading according to the class schedule before we meet. We can then all discuss it together!
- To help you with the reading, you will create social annotations with your classmates. This is meant to be a fun and informal way to see where our curiosity about the material takes us.
- Okay, I’m going to be real here: you will have to do a substantial amount of writing for this class. Don’t panic! Your foundation assignments will progressively build up your skills, letting you practice and prepare for doing well on the next assignment. You will also have the opportunity to revise and resubmit assignments.
- Do not forget about free passes! These can be lifesavers for when you are struggling balancing everything.
- Finally, I will be assessing your progress towards achieving the course’s learning outcomes by using specifications grading. This approach is ideal for this 300-, junior-level course, where I want to create a challenging yet supportive environment for you to begin mastering skills essential to philosophy. Since you may be unfamiliar with specifications grading, please look over my explanation for how it will work in this class.
Please watch this video to learn more about this course website.
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that learning is a form of liberation. It sets you on the path towards greater independence, self-mastery, and success in life. When done with others (as is often the case), it also strengthens our relationships, creating communities of mutual respect and trust. I am truly humbled to serve you in that journey. For this particular course, I will work with you to cultivate your abilities for critical reflection and practical deliberation about justice and political legitimacy. I do all this with a spirit of generosity, hoping that you too will freely share your gifts to better the lives of those around you.
Photo: Colleen Hayes / NBC.
Our Pact
What you can expect from me:
- I will treat you with dignity and respect and be flexible to support your individual needs.
- I will provide you with a clear, organized course that is designed to ensure you meet our learning outcomes in a meaningful manner.
- I will be actively present in your learning.
- I will provide a supportive and safe environment for you to share and discuss ideas with your peers.
- I will reach out to you when I sense that you need support.
- I won’t be perfect. I am human and will make mistakes at times. I will view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow.
What I will expect from you:
- You will treat me and your peers with dignity and respect.
- You will strive to be an active participant in this course and aim to meet due dates.
- You will maintain an open line of communication with me so I understand how to support you.
- You will strive to regularly contribute to collaborative activities to ensure other members of the community have ample opportunity to read/listen, reflect, and respond to your ideas.
- You will contact me if you have a concern with meeting a due date.
- You will give yourself grace. Expect to make mistakes. You are human and mistakes are part of learning and growing.
(This pact comes from Michelle Pacansky-Brock. Generally speaking, this whole welcome page draws on many of her insights—she’s an inspiration!)
Photo: Colleen Hayes / NBC.
Week #1 Success Kit
This course will start moving quickly, and getting off to a good start is the best way to prepare yourself for success. Read this page carefully and you’ll have all you need to start this course on the right foot!
Due Dates for Week #1
Monday, January 30 at 10:00AM, Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
- Our first day of class! Before class, be sure to do the reading, look over the reading questions, and come prepared for a lively discussion.
Tuesday, January 31 at 11:59PM (midnight), Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
- Post at least 5 social annonations for “The Melian Dialogue”. (Keep in mind that you will need to log into UB Learns first, before you can access this reading.) The reading questions will help you keep focus on the important parts.
Wednesday, February 1 at 10:00AM, Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
- Our second class meeting. As before, review the reading and look over the reading questions before class. (Once again, remember to log into UB Learns so you can access the reading.)
Thursday, February 2 at 11:59PM (midnight), Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
- Post at least 5 social annonations for “Justice & The Ring of Gyges”. (Yup, log into UB Learns first to access the reading.) As usual. the reading questions should help.
Friday, February 3 at 10:00AM, Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
- Our third class meeting. As usual, review the reading (after logging into UB Learns) and look over the reading questions. Hopefully you are now getting into the groove of things, and are ready for an exciting semester!
Saturday, February 4 at 11:59PM (midnight), Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
- Complete all these items of introductory extra credit:
- Watch all the orientation videos in the Orientation Videos section on UB Learns, and complete their Panopto quizzes. (Some of these videos are the same as those posted here, but just open these up in Panopto so you can answer their quiz questions. Also, these quizzes should be super easy. And if you don’t know an answer, just rewind the video to find it!)
- Fill out the introductory survey that is posted on Google Forms.
- Read the Academic Honor Code for the course and “sign” the Honor Agreement.
Completing each item (which includes each individual orientation video) earns you 0.25 of a free pass.
In any case, the purpose of doing all that is to encourage you to get a jump start on the course. If you encounter any problems with this course website, UB Learns, Panopto, Box, or Perusall, let me know and I will be sure to fix them!
Sunday, February 5 at 12:00PM (noon), Buffalo (Eastern Standard) Time
(Keep in mind that all foundation assignments qualify for an additional 36-hour grace period for completion.)
- Submit your foundation assignment #1. This assignment introduces you to the basic elements needed when introducing the argument of another person. My intent is that this provides you with a smooth introduction into the sort of thinking and writing that you will be doing for this course!