Academic Integrity

It is good practice to regularly review Loyola’s policies related to academic integrity here. Keep in mind that materials from this course cannot be shared outside the course without the instructors’ written permission. In the case of a violation of these policies, we follow Loyola’s recommendations, which read as follows: “Plagiarism or any other act of academic dishonesty will result minimally in the instructor’s assigning the grade of ‘F’ for the assignment or examination.”

Student Accessibility Center

Loyola University Chicago provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Any student requesting accommodations related to a disability or other condition is required to register with the Student Accessibility Center (SAC). Professors will receive an accommodation notification from SAC, preferably within the first two weeks of class. Students are encouraged to meet with their professors individually in order to discuss their accommodations. All information will remain confidential. Please note that in this class, software may be used to audio record class lectures in order to provide equal access to students with disabilities. Students approved for this accommodation use recordings for their personal study only and recordings may not be shared with other people or used in any way against the faculty member, other lecturers, or students whose classroom comments are recorded as part of the class activity. Recordings are deleted at the end of the semester. For more information about registering with SAC or questions about accommodations, please contact SAC at 773-508-3700 or SAC@luc.edu.

Ground Rules

We expect from you:

Respect: We expect you to interact respectfully with the readings, with your classmates, and with me. We will be covering controversial issues, and at times you may disagree with what someone else says. That’s fine. In fact, it’s a good thing. The best philosophy is carried out in conversation, and the best conversations often involve disagreement. But while we may disagree, I expect everyone to approach our disagreements with a respectful attitude.  

Preparation: We expect you to complete your assignments by the day for which they are assigned.  

Thoughtfulness: We expect your work to demonstrate time spent thinking. Our texts merit careful reading; your classmates have insightful things to say; the issues we will be covering are complex. So whether you are explaining another’s view or putting forward your own, we expect your work and comments to reflect thoughtfulness.  

Punctuality: We expect you to arrive to every class session and turn in every assignment on time. If you turn in an assignment late, we reserve the right to deduct up to 10% from the assignment’s total value for every day it is late.

You can expect from us:

Respect: We expect you to approach our course with a respectful attitude, and you can expect the same from me.

Timeliness: We will return your assignments in a timely fashion. We will also reply to emails within 48 hours of receiving them.

Preparation: We will come to class prepared for the day’s session.  

Availability: We will be available at office hours to answer your questions about assignments, grading, or other aspects of the course.

Grading Scale

Your final grade will be rounded to the nearest percentage point, and will be assigned based on the following scale:

A: 94-100%

A- 90-93%

B+ 87-89%

B 84-86%

B- 80-83%

C+ 77-79%

C 74-76%

C- 70-73%

D 60-69%

F 0-59%

Means of Evaluation

Just a reminder: your grades for PHIL288E and BIOL395E will be linked. All your points count towards both classes, so your grades in both classes will be identical.

There are 300 points for the classes. We will keep a running tally of your accumulated points on Sakai, so you can check your grade there throughout the semester. The course’s assignments, their respective values, and due dates are listed below; all are subject to (slight) modification. For details about each assignment (including details about how you will be graded, follow the associated link).

Final Project: 100 points (DUE Tuesday, December 12 at 3pm)

• Final Project (80 points)

• Individual Reflection (20 points)

Reflection Papers: 4 x 20 pts: 80 pts

• Reflection 1: AI Ethics Assignment, DUE September 21

• Reflection 2: Enhance Your Children, DUE October 19

• Reflection 3: Live Like a Luddite, DUE November 14

• Reflection 4: Apology, DUE December 7

Biology Quizzes and Assorted Assignments: 80 pts

• There will be a series of very short quizzes administered throughout the semester assess how well the assigned materials have been studied, and to identify misunderstandings or gaps in knowledge.

• Mini-tech reviews, lightning presentations, and small-group summaries: Throughout the semester, we’ll be asking that small groups prepare materials to describe how a specific biological phenomenon or technology operates.

• Your biology quizzes will typically take place on Tuesday at the beginning of class.

Participation: 40 pts