Course Syllabus

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Phil 490          Philosophy Readings Course        Fall 2025

Instructor Information

Instructor: Mary Ange Cooksey
Email:  mcooksey@iue.edu
Phone: 765.973.8438
Office: Online meeting space https://iu.zoom.us/j/2038778745  (Links to an external site.)

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays between 1pm-5pm (or by appointment) (Links to an external site.)

Communication Preferences: Canvas e-mail is my preferred means of contact. I will return your e-mails within 24 business hours. 

Course Description

P 490 is an advanced course in the discipline of Philosophy. It is a readings/special studies course wherein a student selects her own course of study and locates resources to support the examination and explication of the topic or issue selected. The independent study culminates in the written documentation of the work in the form of a longer, researched essay focusing on one element or dimension of the chosen topic.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Recognize and describe humanistic, historical, or artistic works or problems and patterns of the human experience within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through illustrating an understanding of ethical terms and theories .

  2. Apply disciplinary methodologies, epistemologies, and traditions of the humanities and the arts within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through the application of ethical understanding to current issues.

  3. Analyze and evaluate texts, objects, events, or ideas in their cultural, intellectual or historical contexts within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through illustrating an understanding of traditional ethical theories about life rights at the beginning of life .

  4. Analyze the concepts and principles of various modes of humanistic or artistic expression within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through illustration of an understanding of traditional ethical theories about life rights at the end of life .

  5. Recognize content and apply that knowledge to other works within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through illustrating an understanding of traditional ethical theories about individual rights in relation to those human communities. 

  6. Apply artistic or humanistic methods to create, interpret, or reinterpret creative products through performance or criticism within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through evidencing the ability to develop philosophical ethical inquiry into a compelling current issue .

  7. Develop arguments about forms of human agency or expression grounded in rational analysis and in an understanding of and respect for spatial, temporal, and cultural contexts within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through evidencing an understanding of traditional ethical theories about the beginning and ending of life, as well as those about the relationship between the rights of the individual and society.

  8. Evaluate conflicting narratives and evidence in order to explore the complexity of human experience across space and time within the philosophical discipline of Ethics through evidencing an understanding of traditional ethical theories about the beginning and ending of life, as well as those about the relationship between the rights of the individual and society..

Campus Learning Outcomes

 Course Outcomes

 How you will demonstrate this to your instructor

CLO #1  Recognize and describe humanistic, historical, or artistic works or problems and patterns of the human experience. 

LO #1  Demonstrate CLO #1 within the discipline of Philosophy through illustrating an understanding  of  discipline specific terms and theories

 

Comparison and contrast of philosophical  terms and theories in concept and content in your annotated bibliography and final course paper

CLO #2  Apply disciplinary methodologies, epistemologies, and traditions of the humanities and the arts. 

LO #2   Demonstrate CLO #2 within the discipline of Philosophy through the application of philosophical understanding to current issues

 

Designation and classification of current issues as philosophical concept and content in your annotated bibliography and final course paper

CLO #3  Analyze and evaluate texts, objects, events, or ideas in their cultural, intellectual or historical contexts. 

LO #3  Demonstrate CLO #3 within the discipline of Philosophy through illustrating an understanding of traditional theories 

 

Comparison and contrast of opposing views and ideas regarding philosophical notions concept and content in your annotated bibliography and final course paper

CLO #4  Analyze the concepts and principles of various modes of humanistic or artistic expression. 

LO #4 Demonstrate CLO #4 within the discipline of Philosophy  through illustration of an understanding of traditional  theories 

Comparison and contrast of opposing views and ideas concept and content in your annotated bibliography and final course paper

CLO #5  Recognize content and apply that knowledge to other works.

LO #5 Demonstrate CLO #5 within the discipline of Philosophy through illustrating an understanding of traditional theories 

Comparison and contrast of opposing views and ideas concept and content in your annotated bibliography and final course paper

 

CLO #6Apply artistic or humanistic methods to create, interpret, or reinterpret creative products through performance or criticism. 

LO #6  Demonstrate CLO #6 within the discipline of Philosophy through evidencing the ability to develop philosophical  inquiry into a compelling current issue 

Developing an individualized course of study for examination and theoretical explication Final Course paper Writing Assignment 

CLO #7Develop arguments about forms of human agency or expression grounded in rational analysis and in an understanding of and respect for spatial, temporal, and cultural contexts. 

LO #7  Demonstrate CLO #7 within the discipline of Philosophy through evidencing the ability to participate in philosophical inquiry into compelling historical and current issues 

  Developing an individualized course of study for examination and theoretical explication in the Final Course paper Writing Assignment 

CLO#8Evaluate conflicting narratives and evidence in order to explore the complexity of human experience across space and time.

LO #8   Demonstrate CLO #8 within the discipline of Philosophy through evidencing the ability to participate in philosophical  inquiry into compelling historical and current issues 

Developing an individualized course of study for examination and theoretical explication in the Final Course paper Writing Assignment 

 

 

 

Technical Requirements

You will need the following in order to participate in this course:

Technical Support 

The following resources are available to all IU students: 

More Detailed Information about this Course:

Please scroll down to the bottom of the syllabus for a course summary for all assignments and due dates. 

Please read and remain aware of the following policies and protocols:

- Check course announcements every Monday. I generally read your assignments and post important announcements over the weekend. You will want to check announcements each Monday to see what is going on for the week.

 

Trigger Warning - Contact me immediately if your have questions or concerns about course material. In this course, we cover a spectrum of topics and materials that are complex, sophisticated and personal. Please let me know at any time if you have questions or concerns about what you are reading, the theories put forth by our authors, or other matters concerning the course content.

 

- All assignments are to be professionally prepared, submitted on time, and engage our text by integrating responses with specific references to the writing that is included in our course materials. Make time each week to explicate, analyze and respond to our course materials in an academic and scholarly way.

- Give yourself the opportunity to read deeply, take notes, and fully integrate your responses to the questions posed at the end of each chapter in a critical, analytical, thoughtful and reflective way.

- Each assignment should be prepared and submitted directly within Canvas. Do not attach documents, and do not worry about spacing, margins, etc...Canvas resolves these as you cut and paste into the text submission. Please contact me immediately if you have questions or concerns about how to properly submit your assignments or how to do so.

- Only complete assignments will be scored. If you find assignment scores missing throughout the semester, chances are that something was missing from your work. Make time to be sure that your submissions are complete.

- All scores and grades will be posted in Canvas. Every time you submit an assignment, you will be doing so through our learning management system - Canvas. Therefore, all scoring, grades, marks and comments on your work will be posted in Canvas. Your progress will be visible and 'studyable' for you at all times. Please take advantage of this fact by monitoring your progress and making adjustments where needed to ensure your successful completion of our class by the end of the term.

- Please contact our campus IT office or IU online immediately to resolve any technical issues associated with your on line class. You are responsible to ensure access to our on line class and all related materials each week. Please contact someone form your campus' IT office or contact IU IT support or someone from the office of IU online to help you resolve technical issues immediately.

Create a contingency plan - An Emergency Action Plan - If for any reason your computer fails during the semester.

Save copies of all submissions and back them up. Again - repeating the statement above: In this day and age, there is no excuse for missing work or submission dates due to technical difficulties. This is an on line course for which computer access is requisite, and for which you need to make sure you can access all of our materials at all times. Because of this, and because documents may become corrupted and computers do fail, save all of your submissions and back them up in a portable way - like on a removable flash drive or placement of them in the cloud.


Contact me immediately if you have questions or concerns. You may reach me at any time on line or by calling 765.973.8438. This is my office phone but it rings directly into my computer - which is nearly always open.

 

University Policies 

 

Additional Information and University Policies

Accommodations

Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with disabilities (e.g. mental health, learning, chronic health, physical, hearing, vision neurological, etc.) You must have established your eligibility for support services through the appropriate office that services students with disabilities. Note that services are confidential, may take time to put into place and are not retroactive; Captions and alternate media for print materials may take three or more weeks to get produced. Please contact your campus office as soon as possible if accommodations are needed. Find your campus office serving students with disabilities at the  IU Accessibility Services Link (Links to an external site.).  For information and assistance with adaptive and assistive technologies in particular, contact Assistive Technology and Accessibility.  (Links to an external site.)

Vendor Accessibility Statement

 IU has created one place wherein all vendor accessibility statements have been compiled. Click here to view the Vendor Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.)

Academic Integrity

All work should be your original product unless explicitly noted otherwise. Any materials you reference or take from others should be properly cited. Cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication in any form will not be tolerated, regardless of any justification.

 

 

Plagiarism

Honesty requires that any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged. Offering the work of someone else as one’s own is plagiarism. The language or ideas thus taken from another may range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs to entire articles copied from books, periodicals, speeches, or the writings of other students.

Specifically, according to the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct (Links to an external site.) a student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge indebtedness whenever:

  • Directly quoting another person's actual words, whether oral or written
  • Using another person's ideas, opinions, or theories
  • Paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others, whether oral or written
  • Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material
  • Offering materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment.
  • Using Artificial Intelligence without appropriate citation and documentation

The offering of materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment also is considered plagiarism. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or materials taken from another source is guilty of plagiarism.
(Faculty Council, May 2, 1961; University Faculty Council, March 11, 1975; Board of Trustees, July 11, 1975) Source comes from IU's Policies site.

Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. The minimum consequence is failing the assignment. In a case of more serious offense, a student may fail the course. Students should NOT present work from other courses in this class (i.e., using pieces of previous papers you have done is considered plagiarism). 

Title IX Sexual Misconduct

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. Title IX and our own Sexual Misconduct policy prohibit sexual misconduct. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. I encourage you to visit Stop Sexual Violence (Links to an external site.) to learn more. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with a  Mental Health Counselor at Indiana University East. (Links to an external site.)

It is also important that you know that federal regulations and University policy require me to promptly convey any information about potential sexual misconduct known to me to our Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IUE’s Title IX Coordinator (Links to an external site.). In that event, they will work with a small number of others on campus to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available to the student who may have been harmed. Protecting a student’s privacy is of utmost concern, and all involved will only share information with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.

 

Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct

Students are expected to adhere to the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities (Links to an external site.) at all times. Any inappropriate behavior, disruptive conduct (e.g., engaging in hostile or disrespectful commentary on the site, or discussing irrelevant evidence) or non-compliance with faculty directions can result in a charge of Academic and/or Personal Misconduct, the consequence of which could be a variety of sanctions either from the instructor or the Dean of Students. 

Resources for Students in Distress

Indiana University East (IUE) is committed to promoting the well-being and safety of its students. If you are experiencing stress, depression, or having suicidal thoughts do not hesitate to use the resources available: Center for Health Promotion (CHP) during business hours at 765-973-8216; IUE Police 765-973-8429; Dean of Students Dean of Students 765-973-8252. Additionally, there is anonymous help available 24/7 at the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which can be reached by phone at: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Additional assistance can be found at the suicide prevention lifeline.org (Links to an external site.)

 

Right of Revision

The instructor reserves the right to revise or adjust the course syllabus to best accommodate the pace and needs of the students.

Fair Use Policy

Copying or recording synchronous classes and asynchronous course materials without the express prior approval of Professor Cooksey is prohibited. All copies and recordings remain the property of Indiana University and Professor Cooksey. IU and Professor Cooksey reserve the right to retrieve, inspect, or destroy the copies and recordings after their intended use. These policies are not intended to affect the rights of students with disabilities under applicable law or IU policies.

The materials in this Canvas course are instructor created unless otherwise noted.

***An important note about the video lectures throughout the modules: you may detect course tags on these recorded projects that indicate they were initially produced for another class. If so, be assured the content also has been deemed highly relevant to this course as well.

 

Indiana University Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to create a positive learning environment for all students. IU policy prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, sexual exploitation, and dating and domestic violence.  If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with Jennifer Claypoole, Director of Mental Health – 765-973-8646.

 

It is also important that you know that because of my role, University policy requires me to share information brought to my attention about potential sexual misconduct with the campus Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator or the University Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator.  In that event, those individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.  I encourage you to visit stopsexualviolence.iu.eduLinks to an external site. to learn more.

 

Indiana University also prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

 

If you feel like you have experienced discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct and wish to make a report, please contact Yemi Mahoney, Springwood Hall 204, 765-973-8474, ymahoney@iu.edu or make a report through the online reporting form here..

 

Bias Incident Reporting

Indiana University is committed to creating welcoming, inclusive, and respectful campus communities where everyone can thrive and do their best work—a place where all are treated with civility and respect. If you experience or witness an incident of bias, you should report it.  For more information, see Bias Incident ReportingLinks to an external site.. 

 

 

Accessibility and Accommodations

Indiana University is dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities have the support services and reasonable accommodations needed to provide equal access to academic programs. To request an accommodation, you must establish your eligibility by working with Accessible Educational Services (AES) on your campus - asiue@iue.edu . Additional information can be found at accessibility.iu.eduLinks to an external site.. Note that services are confidential, may take time to put into place, and are not retroactive; captions and alternate media for print materials may take three or more weeks to get produced. Please contact your campus AES office as soon as possible if accommodations are needed.

 

Mental Health:

IU East offers free counseling services to all students on campus. The Counseling office is located in WZ 116A. The services range from one-on-one sessions with an IU East licensed clinical professional to group support sessions. The sessions are typically 1 hour long and can be done in person or through a secure zoom call. You must be present in the state of Indiana during the Zoom call. Students are offered up to six free sessions per semester. If you are seeking help, appointments can be made at 765-973-8646. To schedule an appointment online or find resources if you are struggling in any way, please visit this page https://www.iue.edu/healthy/mindLinks to an external site.

Basic needs security: 
Any students who face challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course should contact the Dean of Students Amy Jarecki (phone number: 765-973-8525) for support. Additionally, IU East employs a student advocate (phone number: 765-973-8395), to help. Furthermore, please notify me if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to provide any resources that I may possess.

 

     Academic support and student services:
IU East offers a variety of services to assist you in your academic endeavors. This includes everything from advising for your courses to student counseling support. A list of the academic support and student services offered for our students can be found hereLinks to an external site..  

 

Honesty statement:
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of this university.  All members of the academic community must be confident that each person’s work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed and presented.  Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful.  All submitted written work is to be done by the student her/himself.  The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from reduction in grade, probation to expulsion.  Using someone else’s work as if it is your own— plagiarism— is a serious university offense and will be dealt with following university guidelines.  You must cite borrowed ideas or text, including lecture material, regardless of whether it is a direct quote or a paraphrasing.  When in doubt— cite. (See section III, Student Misconduct, of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and ConductLinks to an external site., available on the “Campus Course Policies” link, available on the left tab of your courses in Canvas).

 

 

 

 

Policy Updates for the current semester:

 

INDIANA UNIVERSITY POLICY ON DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT: As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to create a positive learning environment for all students. IU policy prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, sexual exploitation, and dating and domestic violence. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with Jennifer Claypoole, Director of Mental Health – 765-973-8646. For more information, you can visit our Chat with a Counselor site. It is also important that you know that because of my role, University policy requires me to share information brought to my attention about potential sexual misconduct with the campus Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator or the University Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator. In that event, those individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken, and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist. I encourage you to visit stopsexualviolence.iu.edu to learn more. Indiana University also prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. If you feel like you have experienced discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct and wish to make a report, please contact Josie Brush, Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator for Regional Campuses– jvbrush@iu.edu – 812-855-7559 or make a report through the online reporting form here.

 

Please keep in mind that all IUE Faculty are considered Responsible Employees for purposes of IU policy. This means we have an obligation to report incidents of possible discrimination, harassment, and/or sexual misconduct known to us to our Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator: Yemi Mahoney, Springwood Hall 204, 765-973-8474, ymahoney@iu.edu.

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due