Class 1.1 Introduction

Today we are going to get a soft start to class by beginning our discussion of what it would mean to be immortal and whether the choice between a mortal and an immortal life might be difficult. We’ll get to know one another a little bit, sort out some course logistics, commiserate about the chaos and awkwardness of starting online for a week at the beginning of the semester, and talk through expectations over the remainder of the semester.

Course Expectations

My theory about my job is that my job is to create a supportive environment where every one of you is in a position to learn and succeed in this class - and to get the A grade that recognizes that achievement - without diminishing in any way the challenge of the material that we are covering or of coming to grips with big ideas from the humanities and from philosophy in particular in a college-level seminar environment. My job is not to make the course or the material easy; my job is to structure the difficult challenges in such a way that you can learn the most from them and to provide a scaffolding where you can trust that if you put in the hard work, you will be successful.

Reading

There is no assigned reading for this class, but please do take a gander at the course syllabus so that you know what you are getting into. If you aren’t keen on taking this class for your GE seminar, there is someone else who would be more than happy to be able to get in.