An important part of our course is Discussions.  A great way to do philosphy is to talk philosophy with other intelligent, interested, fair-minded people.  One place where online courses have an advantage over traditional classroom is in the way the Discussion fuction allows us to discuss the topics we're studying:

• One benefit of carrying on our discussions using the Discussions function on CULearn is that it allows us time to consider and formulate what we want to say.  In traditional classrooms, we have to be able to formulate our thoughts on the fly.  This is especially a challenge in philosophy, where the ideas are often difficult, unfamiliar, and hard to state clearly.
• A second advantage is that one has time to reflect on what someone else has said before giving one's reply to it.  In traditional classes, we are forced to reply to our interlocuters more or less by giving the first thought to come to mind.  A higher quality debate can occur if each party has time to digest the others' remarks and reflect on them before offering one's response.
• Finally, many of us are just intimidated by the thought of speaking in the classroom.  Some people thus choose to stay silent, while others might be nervous while they particpate.  This is not only unpleasant in itself but can make it harder to be articulate.  Online discussions avoid these problems.

Online discussions, however, can also have their drawbacks.  The biggest problem is that, for some reason, when people interact with others online, they are often less respectful.  Nice people can turn into mean-spirited "flamethrowers" when communicating at a computer terminal.  Thus, our number one rule of conduct during our discussions is: be respectful.  It may be more challenging to do so in our course than in other courses because it is easy to get emotional about the important moral issues we'll be discussing.  Nevertheless, make it a point to treat your fellow discussants with the respect with which you expect to be treated.  Avoid reducing anyone to a stereotype based on the views he or she holds.  It is ok to disagree -- in fact, we better not all agree, or we will have nothing to discuss.  Just do so respectfully.

Here are some further guidelines.  We'll have higher quality discussions if we keep them in mind:

• In general, for any post you make, try to have just one main point.  In some cases it might be appropriate to make several points in a single post, but the more focused our discussions are, the better they will be.  Making just one point at a time helps to keep things focused.
• When giving your view about something, be sure also to give your reasons for holding the view. Don't just say, "I believe that ... ."  Say, "I beliefs that ... because ... ."
  
• When replying to the post of a classmate, don't put words in their mouth, or assume they hold views they have not espoused in the post.  Reply just to what they've written.
• If you are replying to an argument that someone has given, make sure it is clear which part of the argument you are attacking.
• Make sure your posts are relevant -- to the main topic of the thread, or to what others have said.
  

What I Look For In Determining Your Grade for Discussions

Discussions are worth 25% of your grade for the course.  Part of this is determined by the quantity of your participation, but quality is more important.  The following adjectives signify features that contribute to the quality of a post:

• Clear.  First and foremore, make it completely clear to us what you are trying to say.  Don't make us struggle to interpret you.
• Accurate.  Make sure what you've written accurately expresses the idea or ideas in your head.  Don't say what you don't mean.
  
• Succinct.  Avoid being too wordy.  Try to express your thoughts as economically as you can, while retaining clarity.
• Relevant.  Make your points relevant to what has come before -- either to the main topic or to what others have said.
• Supported.  Don't just baldy assert your viewpoint -- support it with reasons.  Persuade others that it might be correct.
• Thoughtful.  Don't just "shoot from the hip."  Think a little bit about what you plan to say before you say.  Make sure it seems true to you, and tinker with your words if it is not quite right before you put up the post.
• Clarifying.  If you think you can clarify a disagreement others are having, or clarify someone else's post, that's a nice thing to do.
• Amplifying.  Offering new ideas is good, but so is trying to build on and improve upon the ideas that are already in the thread
• Engaged.  Being able to engage with others, either by disagreeing with them (and saying why) or by agreeing with and expanding upon what they have said, will make our discussions better.
  

FAQ's

Q: You say we will be graded on quantity.  How frequently are you expecting us to contribute to discussions?

A: There is no clear answer to this question, because one can make up for quanitity with quality.  Also, some posts are much more substantive than others.  Also, in some cases, a few students with have a lengthy back-and-forth in which one might contribute a dozen posts.  But these dozen wouldn't count for as much as  a dozen substantive posts on different topics.  All that said, a good rule of thumb is contribute at least several times per unit.  Definitely don't feel you need to participate in every single discussion topic (indeed, it would make discussions to "crowded" if all 32 of us contributed to each one).  You might aim to participate in about every other discussion topic.

Q: Do we get credit for replying to existing threads, or only for starting a new thread?

A: You definitely get credit for reply to existing threads.  I want to encourage you not only to share your ideas on the topic itself but also your ideas on what your classmates have said.  This is supposed to be a genuine back-and-forth discussion.