Thursday, February 25, 2010

Modern Philosophy Poster Board

Poster presentation should be approachable at three levels:

(1) a title and organization that inform the casual passerby of the general nature of your work;

(2) a presentation method that would let a somewhat interested observer know the trends of your argument and the nature of your conclusions;

(3) enough information to convince an individual working in the same area to stop and find out more about your project (i.e., engage in conversation with the presenter). Remember, the major role of a poster, or of any presentation, is to communicate your results and ideas to the audience.


1. The size of the poster must not be excessive. Reasonable, maximum dimensions are approximately 3 feet high and 4 feet wide.

2. The title should be displayed clearly across the top in large letters. Beneath the title, and in smaller print, should be the name of the presenter and the course in which the work was done.

3. Verbiage should be kept to a minimum. Written statements should be in large print, which is easily readable from a distance of 3 to 4 feet.

4. An abstract may be included, but space limitations may dictate that you concentrate on the more important components such as introduction, methods, sources, etc.

5. The Introduction should be moderately brief and to the point so that the reader becomes immediately aware of the purpose of the investigation. It probably should be confined to one paragraph, and should be located at the upper left of the poster.

6. The Materials and Methods (or argument(s)) section should be labeled clearly as such, and should follow immediately after the Introduction. This section often lends itself to the diagrammatic presentation with a minimum of verbiage. Insofar as possible, easily followed flow diagrams should be used.

7. Results are the most important part of the poster and generally should occupy the center of the exhibit. The results should consist of a maximum number of illustrations (i.e., graphs, photographs, etc.) that are simple and easy to read, and a minimum of verbiage. Color-coding graphs and figures facilitate ease of interpretation.

8. Conclusions should be stated in a clear and especially concise fashion. Generally, this section would be located to the right of the results. Itemization (listing) of conclusions is legitimate and can facilitate comprehension. Discussion should be kept to a minimum and should include only the most important points.

9. A reasonable number of figures included on a poster is six, but this depends on the subject matter being presented.

10. For investigations consisting of separate components, the sequence in which the components are described in Materials and Methods should be maintained in the Results and Conclusions section.
TIPS:

1. Try to create a well-balanced board.

2. Except for the TITLE and Subtitles keep font size consistent.

3. Start early so there is time to make alterations.

4. Don't go wild on having too many colors - be consistent and reasonable.

5. Fancy borders, weird colors, and neon colors are distracting.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

DVD for Modern Philosophy

Being John Malkovich is now on reserve in the Library. 

IOCC 201 Lecture

The DVDs are on reserve in the Library!  (By the end of the day on the 18th).
Thanks
Dr. Berg

MODERN EXAM UPDATE

QUESTION #3, SECOND SENTENCE:  PLEASE REPLACE "SPINOZA" WITH "DESCARTES".
THANK YOU!

There is a folder marked "Philosophy 305" by my door.  Please put your exams in that folder if I am not in my office.
Thank you,
Dr. Berg

Friday, February 12, 2010

Modern Philosophy Paper Instructions

Although there are many literary ways to express philosophical ideas, I would like you to stick to writing a traditional "position" paper. This is the most basic, straightforward approach, which involves taking a stand on an important issue and defending it. As this is the most common means of defending ideas in an academic setting (and other settings as well), it should be mastered before you go on to write short stories, parables, dialogues, poems, etc.
What needs to be included in your essay?

• Your opening paragraph should explain the purpose and plan of your essay. What are you writing about and why?

• Included in your first paragraph should be a THESIS STATEMENT, a simple statement of your position on the main issue that your essay will discus.

1. An explanation of the views you are discussing:

• it is essential that your explanation of these views be clear, concise, fair, and accurate. The clarity of your explanation often reveals how well you have understood the view you are explaining.

• a good summary emphasizes the main points of another's view and the reasoning behind it (if this is known).

• Paraphrasing and quotation may be helpful here, but cannot be used as a substitute for explaining the ideas in your own words. All quotations must be thoroughly explained.

2. An explanation of your own view

• this may involve explaining any words which might be misunderstood.

• it may also involve a comparison of your view with those of others, especially concerning any different assumptions you make, different implications of your views, etc.

3. A defense of your position

• This is not just an explanation of why you believe what you believe, but provides good reasons for believing it.

• If your reasons would not convince your roommate, is that because your roommate is a blockhead or because your reasons are lousy ones? If your reasons are lousy, is this view really worth believing?

Should you do outside research?

• Sure, especially if you are going to also work in your major field of study.

• Any use of outside sources must be documented.

What documentation is required for quotations?

• All quotations from the texts should be followed by the page number(s) in parentheses.

• Quotations or references to other sources should include full bibliographical information (author, title, publisher, page #), preferably in a footnote or endnote.

• Plagiarism meets with little sympathy from me. If I catch you, expect to fail this class and be reported for administrative action. Plagiarism includes:

o making use of the ideas of others without credit--EVEN IF these ideas are explained in your own words

o paraphrasing by changing a few words in the original (which leads me to believe that you have not understood well enough to explain in your own words)
Length: 1750-2500 words, with my “common sense” rule as your guiding feature.

Topic: You may select any topic.

You must submit BOTH a hard copy of the paper and electronic version of your paper on the day that it is due. Late papers (w/o proper documentation) will be reduced by 10% for each day that it is late.

Due: The last day of class.

Grade value: 100 points

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Feb 10 Modern Philosophy meets from 11:10-12:10.

Thanks!

Friday, February 5, 2010

No Modern Philosophy today Friday the 5th

Sorry folks, but we can not meet today.  It is not so much the weather as the fact that I must work on the accreditation preparation for the College.  Please read the email sent by Vice President Cayan yesterday and attend the open student meeting.   Philosophy and Religion majors I will be looking for you at the meeting and if you are not there expect to answer many questions on Leibniz.  Keep on track with the reading and I will finish Hobbes and keep moving, question papers are still due next week for both readings.
Dr. Berg