Philosophy 1304: Morality and Justice

I. General Advice for the Course:

A. Reading: I strongly suggest taking marginal notes in your books as you read. Taking notes as you read will give you a deeper and more active understanding of what you're reading. I would also recommend sometimes taking more notes on your computer afterward, really trying to map out the main arguments, or to clarify the central distinctions being drawn, etc. I find that this gives me a better understanding of the text than I ever get just from reading through it. You won't always have time to do that, but when you do it will help and you will learn more. Your notes will then also be a great study guide later.

Please be careful not to fall behind on the reading. I've deliberately cut back on what I have sometimes required in the past, so that the amount of reading I am asking of you is very fair and manageable, though I know it is sometimes difficult. The biggest mistake some people make is to start to think, part way through the course, that the readings don't matter, and that it is possible to get by just reading the supplementary notes I provide. I want to be clear up front that this is a mistake: the readings are a crucial component of the course, and it will be necessary to do them in order to do well in the course.

B. Lectures: Again, just as the supplementary notes are no substitute for doing the reading, they are also no substitute for the lectures themselves, which go well beyond both what is in the notes and what you'll find in the reading. The level of detail we will expect both in exams and especially in papers will require both attendance of lectures and careful reading of the material. I also presuppose material from previous lectures as the course progresses, which makes frequent absences a compounding problem. So I don't want anyone to get caught in that trap. Also, just as I recommend taking notes on the readings, I recommend even more strongly taking notes in lecture. The material will usually be complex enough that it will be difficult to remember it in any detail later on if you haven't taken any notes on it. Since you'll be printing out and bringing the outline notes to lecture with you, you should at least take additional notes on those sheets, filling out the basics I've given you; and often it would be wise to take more extensive notes in your notebook.

C. Sections: Attendance of Friday sections, like attendance of lectures, is a required part of the course, and it will be recorded. These discussion sections are an important part of a large class like this, because they give you the opportunity not just to listen to some gas bag lecture about philosophy, but to do philosophy yourselves, in small group discussions. That's an essential part of the learning process: philosophy isn't just something to take in, but something to engage in, and while I always welcome questions and comments during lectures, there are obviously limits to what can be done during a 300 person lecture. If you take advantage of the small discussion sections you can get a lot out of them.

D. Finally, don't be a stranger: If you're having trouble at any point in the course, please don't hesitate to come talk to me or to your TA before the problem gets worse. Philosophy courses can be very difficult, especially the first time, since philosophy involves ways of thinking and writing that are somewhat unfamiliar to many people. There's nothing wrong with that, and we're happy to help with the transition. I'm also very happy to see people during office hours just to chat about ideas and issues from the course.