How This Class Works


This online synchronous class offers students the opportunity to study an absolutely central work of early modern Western Philosophy, Rene Descartes' Meditations On First Philosophy, along with the Objections and Rene Descartes' Replies. This study occurs in part through weekly scheduled online class sessions with the course instructor, Gregory Sadler.

Students are provided with resources focused on the main concepts that are examined and discussed each week of our class, as well as linked-to resources on Rene Descartes' works and thought more generally.

We will be meeting every week using Zoom in class sessions running approximately 90 minutes. During these class sessions, the instructor will present and discuss the key ideas from the readings for that week, using examples drawn both from Descartes' text and from contemporary life. There will be ample time in each session for students to ask questions, get clarifications, raise problems or issues, or make comments in general.

In these Zoom sessions, students can participate in the manners they wish. It is up to each student whether they use their camera or microphone, or don't, whether they communicate through the chat, or not.

There will also be discussion forums set up where students can carry on further conversations and discussions with each other or with the instructor. This can be a very valuable way to foster additional learning and engagement in online classes.

Students will be expected to observe norms of civility, relevance, and respectfulness in the class sessions and the discussion forums. We want this ideally to be a class in which all learners are able to have an enjoyable and valuable set of learning experiences.


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