I encourage you to complete assignments on time! However, I understand that unexpected and unpleasant things happen in life. (That, in fact, is one of my research focuses.)

First and foremost, if you have a disability, please don’t hesitate to contact the Center for Accessible Education (CAE) to request a letter for me. We can then work out an adjusted timeline.

Second, if you’re sick or have a personal emergency, please let me know. Supporting evidence, such as a doctor’s note, is appreciated.

It is much preferable to request an extension as early as you can. Post hoc adjustments will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances.

I commend your ambition!

First, keep up with all the readings and make sure you can reconstruct the arguments in your own words. Try to raise questions or objections about them in class.

As early as possible, identify any questions or issues that genuinely interest you, and jot down your thought processes. Come see me during office hours so we can talk about them and work out how to develop them into your final project.

Be sure to leave yourself enough time for rewriting and polishing your final paper.

I also strongly recommend discussing your ideas with your peers, both in class and outside of it.

Please note that none of these steps guarantees an A grade—but they will all help point you in that direction.

I understand that for many reasons—working a part-time job, being new to the major, caring for a sick family member—some students may reasonably aim for an acceptable grade rather than an exceptional one. I respect that.

I encourage you to learn as much as you can manage, and not to give up completely. There’s no shame in learning 50% of the material if that’s truly all you can do right now.

To aim for a solid B, try to keep up with the readings as much as possible and start your paper draft early. It can be very effective to focus your learning around your final project. Understanding the argument in the reading you’re writing about—and reconstructing it clearly and accurately—can usually secure you a B grade, even if you don’t have much more to say beyond that.

I applaud your effort to deliberate and ask questions! You can email me philosophical questions, but please know it’s often unrealistic to expect a full answer over email. As you may have seen, philosophy can be pretty complicated! For some questions, I might be able to give a clear yes or a definitive no, but for others, that just isn’t possible.

Like you, I can also be really busy at times and have limited bandwidth. We also want to avoid any misunderstandings that can happen when trying to explain complex ideas over short email exchanges.

It’s much more effective to talk about these questions in person—either during discussion sections or in office hours—so we can give them the attention they deserve. If it’s something quick, you’re also welcome to catch me right after class!