Assignments

Examinations
You will be responsible for two written examinations that will assess your ability to understand, analyze and evaluate course issues. A study guide will be provided to you at least five days before the examination date.

Presentations
You will be responsible for giving two presentations in class, the first expository in nature and the second evaluative, critical, agonistic or otherwise from your perspective. The readings you choose must be different from your critical responses.

Critical responses
You will be responsible for handing in two responses to two separate readings. The length depends on the form of delivery (i.e. 750 words written, four minutes audio/video). The focus should be on getting clear about key concepts, developing your interpretation to part of the argument covered in that reading and/or examining those areas lacking in clarity and understanding. You are free to email the instructor files for this assignment, to comment on our course blog, to post something on our course wiki, or to hand in something physical. Whichever way you choose, this assignment is due on or before the class period of the chosen reading.

Essay
You will be responsible for writing a 2,000 word essay.

Short writing assignments
I will spontaneously ask you to show your knowledge of course readings for the day, provide me with your understanding and interpretation of the text, give a critical analysis of a central passage or idea, and/or explain your own position(s) in relationship to the authors or other positions brought up in class discussion through an in-class writing exercise, a short take-home essay or a contribution to our course blog or wiki. Notes: The lowest score will be dropped in the final evaluation.

Reading journal
You will be responsible for keeping a detailed written account of your own analysis of, and reflections on, class readings. Have the journal in a format I can read on the date it is due (for example: if you keep an online journal, blog, wiki, etc., just give me the URL and have it ready to be viewed just the class in which it is due). Use the following as guidelines:

i) Note what appear to be key concepts and/or arguments and explain them as best as you can to yourself (e.g. “responsibility for Sartre is...,” “Derrida's notion of metaphysics should be understood as...”)

ii) Work through any difficult passage(s) by thinking through examples, possible interpretations, consistent explanations with other parts of the text, etc.
iii) Argue with the reasons and positions taken by the author(s) and develop your own thinking with regard to the issues they raise (e.g. “Heidegger is nonsense, because....” - what follows the “because” here is most important)
iv) Brainstorm, reflect, doodle, diagram, rant - whatever it takes to make the reading something specific and meaningful for you