Quote of the Week Threaded Discussion – Each student is expected to contribute to the Threaded Discussion after reading the material in the Module.
Your first essay submission must be at least 300 words. I would note that the quote itself DOES not count towards the 300-word minimum. Your first essay post must have two distinct paragraphs (described below). Your first paragraph must be at least 100 words. Your second paragraph must be at least 200 words.
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The first lines of your essay post must be the typed out quote you have chosen followed by the book name and page number on which the quote is found.
Begin your essay by typing out the entire quote from the assigned pages in the texts or from the recommended additional internet reading for the Module. Make sure you put the name of the book and the page number in parentheses after the quote. (If you are using the internet readings, please give the name of the reading.) The quote may be either a direct quote of a philosopher OR an explanation offered by the authors (of either text).
The quote must come from the assigned pages (from either text) for the Module or the recommended internet readings for the Module. Do not use quotes from outside internet sources (such as quote.com) as these sites often take quotes out of context and are not reliable for an academic course. Be careful also NOT to use quotes from readings assigned for other Modules.
NOTE: if you are using an explanation by the author(s), make sure you explain which philosopher the author(s) are discussing.
SECOND NOTE: if it is not clear what philosopher the authors are talking about, then choose another quote that will allow you to answer the questions you must answer to fulfill the requirements for paragraph 1 of the essay post.
THIRD NOTE: do not discuss the authors of the textbooks or their qualifications in paragraph 1. Also, do not discuss the fictional part of the philosophical novel, Sophie’s World.
In your first paragraph, discuss the philosopher behind the quote you chose. Answer these questions:
- Who is the author of the quote (or who is the quote about)?
- When did that person live?
- What is the historical context in which the philosopher lived and how did that context impact the philosopher and/or his philosophy?
- What is the overall philosophical perspective and emphases of the philosopher?
In your second paragraph, discuss the meaning of the quote you chose, its relationship to the larger philosophical issues discussed in paragraph 1, and your own reaction to the quote. This is a reflective paragraph – think about and respond to these questions:
- What is the basic meaning of the quote?
- How does the quote you chose illustrate and/or help to explain the larger perspective and emphases of the philosopher?
- Do you agree with the meaning of the quote? Do you disagree? Why?
- Do you see contemporary significance or relevance to this quote? How so?
**Remember, the goal of the second paragraph is to talk about the quote and then your own engagement with the philosophy being expressed in the quote. The personal pronoun “I” should feature prominently in this paragraph!
You must also post one response to a fellow student and one textbook/thought post in response to a question raised by the Professor in addition to your essay post each Module. The response posts are due on or before Sunday.
*One response must be to a fellow student in which you explore the ideas they raised, comment on their response, and/or compare your quote to the one they chose. You must greet the student by name and respond to specific points made in the student’s essay post.
*Your second response must to a post by the Professor in which you answer the questions he raises or comment on one of his points. Please note that your textbook/thought post in response to a question raised by the Professor MUST include a quote from the assigned Module readings (either text) that relates to the question he has asked or point he has raised.
The goal of your textbook/thought post in response to a question raised by the Professor is two-fold:
- To discuss what the philosopher(s) we are studying in the Module would say in response to the ideas raised and/or questions asked
- To further discuss your own thoughts on the ideas and/or questions.
Grading Rubric for Quote of the Week (per Module):
| Essay Post: | |
| The quote must come from the assigned Unit readings | No credit will be given for quotes which do not come from the assigned readings! |
| The essay is at least 300 words (with the first paragraph being at least 100 words and the second paragraph being at least 200 words). The beginning words of the quote with citation information is found in the subject line of the post. | 3 points |
| In the first paragraph of the essay post, the student presents the basic biographical information about the philosopher and explains who he is, where/when he lived, and the historical context in which the philosopher lived and how that context influenced the philosopher’s perspective and philosophy. | 3 points |
| In the first paragraph of the essay, the student explains what his main philosophy (emphases, main points, etc.) was. The first paragraph effectively summarizes the major philosophical emphases of the philosopher and his major contribution(s) to the history of intellectual thought. | 3 points |
| In the second paragraph of the essay, the student explains specifically how the quote illustrates and/or | 3 points |
| explains the main perspective and emphases of the philosophy being discussed. The meaning of the quote is explained, and the student explains how that meaning expresses and/or explains larger philosophical themes of the philosopher being discussed. | |
| In the second paragraph of the essay post, the student discusses her or his own response to the quote, indicating where s/he agrees and/or disagrees. The paragraph is reflective and personal to the student. | 3 points |
| IMPORTANT REMINDER: any website or book that is used to write your post must be cited at the end of the post. This includes the Module readings as well as additional resources. Utilize both in-text (see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/) and works-cited (see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/) MLA formatting guidelines. Failure to cite all sources will result in a 30% deduction in points (first offense) and then a 0 (second+ offense) for the discussion grade! | |
| 1 Response Post to a fellow student: | |
| Refers to the student by name and is at least 150 words in length (the greeting and any sentence that simply states agreement, etc., does not count towards the total number of sentences) | 2 points |
| Content of the Response specifically discusses point(s) made by the student in the 2nd paragraph of the essay and indicates your reflection on both the philosophy of the quote and the student’s response | 3 points |
| 1 Textbook/thought post in response to a question raised by the Professor | |
| At least 150 words in length | 2 points |
| Includes a full quote (typed out sentence) from one of the assigned readings for the Module with author last name/page number in (parentheses) after the quote. Utilize MLA in-text citations please. | 4 points |
| Content of the Response clearly answers the professor’s questions by both referring to a philosopher (or philosophical school) mentioned in the readings and by discussing your own response/reflection on the question | 4 points |
NOTE: missing the first posted deadline for the essay will result in a 3-point deduction. No opportunity will be given to make any posts after the second posted Module deadline.
Module Reading Quizzes– Each Module Reading Quiz is an opportunity for students to make sure that they understand the required material thoroughly. The Module Reading Quiz consists of T/F, M/C, and Matching questions.
