DQ1 INSTRUCTIONS Fall 2019

Background:
Over the semester, we will be discussing what it means for our beliefs to be justified. That is: What count as good
reason(s) to accept a belief? And more personally, do we actually have good reasons for our beliefs? Beliefs are
interconnected with behavior. The content of and reasons for a belief may have immediate and profound impact in the
world. Moreover, believing (or not) is itself arguably a sort of action. To get us thinking about these issues, we will
discuss the ethics of belief.
For DQ1, Do The Following:
Post a well-reasoned discussion post (±250 words) using college-level grammar in which state and defend your
answer to the following question: Is Clifford’s correct—that is, is it immoral to believe without sufficient evidence?
There is no specific requirement to quote material from the two required videos for Unit 1 (Anti-Vaxers, Conspiracy
Theories & Epistemological Responsibility & Epistemology: The Will to Believe). However, your response needs to be
informed by the background, arguments, and context presented in them and other relevant Unit 1 resources.
Due Dates:
Early Due Date – 03 September @ 11:59pm Final Due Date – 07 September @ 11:59pm
Posting before the early due date is not required. However, if you do so, I will post a critique of your response on the
discussion forum itself, and you will have at least 24 hours to redo your post before the final due date. In the unlikely
event your second post would lower your score, then the higher score will be used.

Grading Criteria:
This is not a yes/no checklist but a set of factors to be weighed in scoring students’ posts.
85 = Exceptional – Direct and specific response to the question, outstanding analysis and reasoning, original
ideas/examples to discuss the topic, no errors/confusion over facts, issues, or views involved, and/or no
irrelevant material.
73 = Good – Direct response to the question, good analysis and reasoning applied to the issues, attempts to
extend beyond ideas/examples presented in the videos, no errors/confusion over facts, issues, or views
involved, and/or no irrelevant material.
63 = Acceptable – General response to the question, acceptable level of analysis and reasoning, does not extend
much (if at all) beyond ideas/examples presented in the videos, may have minimal errors/confusion over
facts, issues, or views involved, and/or minimal irrelevant material.
53 = Needs improvement – Doesn't clearly state a position or fully engage with the question, limited analysis and
reasoning, largely summarizes or repeats material from videos, notable errors/confusion over facts, issues, or
views involved, and/or significant irrelevant material.
00 = No submission, did not follow directions, and/or meet minimum requirements.