Grade Update

Here's a link to your current grades in the course: Philosophy 110 Grade Update

Look up your grades by student ID number.

Grades are listed in 6 sets of 3 pages each. The first set shows a general overview of the grades for the course. The column on the very furthest right shows your current percentage grade in the course, as a decimal. .895 or higher is an A; .795-.894 is a B, etc. The second-to last column on the right shows the total number of points you've earned so far.

The next set of three pages shows current term paper grades (you don't have any, yet), then midterm grades, forum grades, forum response grades, and the set after that shows current quiz grades.

Except for the final column on the main, "Grades" page, all of the numbers listed are points, not percentage grades. The highest points you could get for each forum post is 75; the highest for each response is 50, for each quiz, 25. The Midterms are worth 150 points each.

Forum 3: The Laramie Project

***UPDATE 3***

Please read all of the comments before you post - we're covering a lot of old territory with new comments, and my goal for these projects is to make them a real conversation. So see what other people have talked about before you post, and then take that into consideration in your own comments.

**UPDATE 2**
Please stick very closely to the questions below. There are all kinds of discussions one could have about the ethical issues raised by this film, and there's value in having those discussions. But if we're all going off in different directions, it's impossible to pursue any one question in depth, and that's what I want to do.

In particular, please refrain from sharing your religious affiliation and the beliefs of your particular branch of that religion. It does not help to elucidate the questions raised below, and will have a strong tendency to throw us off track in discussions. Remember what we learned in the Euthyphro.

**UPDATE**

Don't forget to sign your name to your post! I have more than one class at a time posting to various blogs, wikis, and whatnot, and my elderly brain cannot keep track of everyone's handle. Put at least your first name and last initial so I can record your grade.

Please post your response to one of the questions below by Saturday, October 9, at 8 a.m. Then respond to 1 of your colleagues by Monday, October 11 at 8 a.m. Your comments should be substantive and thoughtful. Try to elaborate on your ideas, and explain why you think about things the way you do.

1. Many people were particularly upset that Matthew Sheperd was murdered because he was gay. Do you think there's something particularly bad about crime when it's aimed at someone because of their inherent characteristics (like their race, ethnicity, gender) rather than, say, because you got in a fight over something with them? Why or why not?
2. What ideas and assumptions do you think the young men had, that made them react the way they did to Matthew?

If you missed watching the movie in class, you can get it from the library: The Laramie Project

I can't find transcripts from McKinney's trial online; here's a story about the defense from the New York Times.
image published by Xnatedawgx under a creative commons attribution/share alike license

First Term Paper

Here's a link to your first term paper assignment: Nicomachean Ethics

The paper is due Tuesday October 12.

Get started right away so that I can help you if you have any questions. Contact me if you're having any problems at all on the paper - if you need help organizing your thoughts, understanding part of the question, or determining whether you're missing something important.

You're welcome to watch the movie again online if you want to review. Here it is on YouTube; streaming on Netflix; streaming on Amazon.

Good luck, have fun!

Grades for Forum 3

Here's a link to your grade on the Mission forum.

Look up your grade by your student ID. If you know you posted, but don't see your grade, send me an email. I probably just typed your ID in wrong.

The first column is your student ID number. The second column is your percentage grade for the first post. The third column is the number of points you earned, out of 75, for the first post. The fourth column is the number of points you earned for your reply to a colleague, out of a possible 50 points.

Let me know if you have questions.

Watch the Movie Streaming Online

Some of you have expressed an interest in watching parts of the film again. Here's a link to rent the movie online: The Mission.

Discussion Forum: The Mission

General Instructions

1. Choose one of the questions below to answer in depth.
2. Spend at least 10 minutes brainstorming your answer to the question; don't be satisfied with the first answer(s) that come(s) to mind, but continue to think more deeply about the problem for the entire 10 minute period. Write your answer in a text-editing or word processing program - don't write it directly in the comment box!
3. The, spend another 10 minutes editing your answer - challenge yourself about your answer, ask yourself why you think the way you do, and develop your answer more completely.
4. Finally, copy and paste your answer in the comment box, below.
5. A good answer will be at least half a page long as you're writing it in your processing program.
6. Answers are due by 4 a.m. Saturday morning.
7. By 4 a.m. on Monday morning, respond to one of your colleagues. You can (respectfully) challenge the person's reasoning, expand on what someone else has said, use a colleague’s idea as a jumping off point to develop something else, or ask a colleague (in detail, and showing why and how you’re confused or unsure of their reasoning) to expand on what they’ve said. But be sure you’re demonstrating serious engagement with the ideas.

Questions
Choose one of the questions below to work on.

1. Mendoza's views of what constitutes the good life undergo sweeping changes in the film; how do his views change, and what do you think it says about how to live a good life?
2. Do you think all, or only some, or none of the people in the film exhibited courage? Why do you think so? Everyone certainly meant to be courageous - how would you describe each person's view of courage?
3. Gabriel's view of courage is based on his religious commitments; could you make an argument for that view, without depending on a particular understanding of the divine?
   

Midterm 1: Euthyphro

Here's the link to the Midterm: #1 - Euthyphro

Don't forget to start early!

Let me know if you have any questions while you're working on the exam.

Good luck!