Duty is the necessity of acting from respect for the law, Immanuel Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals.

Attendance

Lecture. Attendance at lecture is encouraged and material may be presented at lecture that is not contained in the reading. The lecture outlines are study aids and not substitutes for presence in lecture.

Section. Attendance and participation in section is mandatory. Section attendance and participation count for 15% of the final grade.

Assignments

There are three opinion pieces, two papers and two exams (midterm and final) required for the course. Completion of all seven assignments is required. In other words if you don't turn in a paper (or opinion piece) or you skip an exam you will fail the class.

Opinion Pieces. Opinion pieces are short essays (1-2 pages) stating and defending your point of view on an assigned question. No research is required and each student must write his or her own essay.

Papers. Papers are detailed discussions of the course reading and must be written on one of the assigned topics. The papers will be based solely on the course reading and lectures. Each student must write his or her own paper. There are no rewrites allowed.

Exams. The midterm is a fifty minute in-class exam and the final is a two hour exam. Both the midterm and the final are closed note and closed book.

Academic dishonesty

Plagiarism. Plagiarism is the use of the words or ideas of others without giving appropriate credit. For a helpful discussion of citation practice and plagiarism see Crediting Others by Walter Edelberg. The penalty for plagiarism starts with failing the class and can be more severe for repeat offenders.