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Philosophy 435/535 Games & Decisions (Spring 2006) Assignments Students will write a 2 page essay each week, and every month or so will hand in a bundle of the three essays written since the previous due date. I will give one of the three essays a standard letter grade and the other two essays a pass/fail grade. (Students choose which of the three essays they want me to letter grade.) There will be four of these essay bundles, each worth 15% of the final grade (10% for the letter grade, 2.5% each for the pass/fail grades). The final 40% of the grade will be for a final exam. The exam will consist of essay questions. You will have some choice of which questions to answer. The exam will be open text and open class notes. (Any class notes you bring must be your own, not someone else’s.) Option: Instead of handing in three essays covering the previous three weeks, you can hand in two essays covering your choice of two of the previous three weeks, plus a revised and lengthier version of an essay previously handed in as part of an earlier bundle. In effect, what this means is that you have the option of writing a term paper and getting feedback on several drafts over the course of the semester. Sample #1 This is creative. The author mastered the material and knows how to apply the framework to issues outside the classroom. Every sentence is interesting and clear. Sample #2 I deducted one point from this because the essay made its point, came to a close, then went on for a couple of sentences that did not add much. But still, it is a great essay overall. It is not as daring as Sample #1, but still it is clear, thoughtful, and every sentence (until the last couple, perhaps) serves a purpose. Sample #3 Thoughtful, insightful, and plain-spoken. Sample #4 This is considerably beyond the call of duty, but still an indication of what is possible. Sample #5 Also beyond the call of duty. A little long, but the prose is inspired. Sample #6 Quite a few of the papers used relationship issues as an example of the rational choice issues that we've been discussing. This was one of the best. Sample #7 This is a pass/fail paper. It gets right to the point in a memorable way. Sample #8 This one is a critique of my stuff on maieutic ends. This is seriously good philosophy, and I don't just mean "for a student." Additional Assignments for Graduate Students I will assign graduate students responsibility for guiding Friday discussion. Part of the purpose is to give grad students an opportunity to learn the material by actively repackaging it for class presentation. Another part of the purpose is to make sure grad students do not accidentally monopolize the discussion—by giving grad students responsibility for conducting discussion for the benefit of undergraduates. I will attend the Friday discussions, but normally I will not participate.
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