PHI2010

Introduction to Philosophy

"Philosophy is the art of life."
-Marcus Tullius Cicero

Week 2: The Problem of Morality
            Read Pages 325-407

Week 3: The Problem of God
            Read Pages 433-527

Week 4: The Problem of the Mind
            Read Pages 65-157

Week 5: The Problem of Knowledge
            Read Pages 529-586, and 597-598

Week 6: E-Conference and Final Exam

For information on readings, please log in to Angel Learning.

***Click here for the syllabus***

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About this Course:
In this class, students will exercise powers of critical reflection through in-depth analysis of some of the major perennial philosophical problems as exemplified in the thought of several important philosophers. This class will focus both on understanding the structural features of arguments (by way of formal and informal reasoning) and on the importance of the problems themselves (by discovering applicable contexts for the problems).

This is a web-enhanced course. That means that throughout the duration of this class, you will need access to a computer and will need to spend approximately one hour weekly on the course in Angel Learning. You may use computers for free through the campus library and computer courtyards.

Additionally, this is a Gordon Rule course. As a result, this course will require you to complete multiple writing assignments with a total average of at least a C in order to pass this class.

Textbook
The text for this class is Doing Philosophy: An Introduction Through Thought Experiments by Theodore Schick, Jr. and Lewis Vaughn, published by McGraw-Hill Higher Education Press. Its ISBN number is 978-0-07-299197-0 and its ISBN13 number is 0-07-299197-6. There will be two copies of the text available on reserve at the library. Supplemental materials will be available on MDC Angel Learning (information below). I will also put several reference books on reserve for you to use when you are working on your e-conference paper.

Course Competencies

·  knowledge of basic terminology associated with philosophy by identifying and/or correctly using philosophical vocabulary

·  comprehension of theories held by major philosophers by classifying them in relationship to their philosophy

·  knowledge of the criteria that can be used to evaluate the validity and cogency of philosophical arguments by identifying and assessing the premises and logical structure of arguments

·  knowledge of basic philosophical ideas by explaining the theories of important historical and contemporary philosophers

·  the ability to analyze the relationship of philosophical positions by comparing and contrasting them

·  the ability to critically evaluate a philosophical theory by presenting arguments for and/or against selected philosophical theories

General Education Outcomes

·  Solve problems using critical and creative thinking and scientific reasoning.

·  Demonstrate knowledge of ethical thinking and its application to issues in society.

There will be four main requirements in this course: an e-conference paper (your term paper), a mid-term exam, a final exam, and five weekly writing assignments. Each will be worth 1/4 of your final grade. All of these assignments will be completed online in Angel Learning. All of these assignments will be completed online in Angel Learning. The schedule for these assignments is attached.

 Exams: The mid-term and final exams will be at most 5 questions that will test both factual and objective knowledge and the analytical thinking skills conveyed in this class. The exams are open-book and open-note, and completed on Angel Learning. You will be given 4 days (2 weekdays and a weekend) to complete the exam. The exams will require you to write short essay answers (approximately 1 page) to each question, and will provide the rubric I will use to grade you.  Each test will be worth 100 points.

 E-Conference/Term Paper: The term paper will be about 3-4 pages and will demonstrate your ability to make and assess arguments. You will have the option to turn in at least one draft of the paper to me for review. I recommend this to ensure optimal performance on the paper, and to maximize the skills you will take away from writing this paper. Though only 3-4 pages in length, there will be very specific parameters to this assignment, and it will make very particular demands of your writing skills and critical thinking skills. We will spend some class time going over exactly how to write the paper so you will be adequately prepared to meet the challenge. You will also receive a rubric that will show you exactly how the paper will be graded. During the last week of class, you will be required to post your paper to the e-conference forum on Angel Learning. You will then be required to respond to at least three other students’ papers, and to respond to all comments on your papers. The paper is worth 80 points, and your participation in the e-conference forum is worth 20 points, for a total of 100 points. See the addendum for more details.

 Weekly Writing Assignments: There will be 5 weekly writing assignments. These assignments are open-book and open-note, and will be completed in Angel Learning. You will have approximately one week to complete the assignment in Angel Learning. Each one is worth 20 points, for a total of 100 points.

 Extra Credit Assignments: You will have five opportunities to earn extra credit by taking a weekly reading quiz in Angel. Each extra credit quiz is worth 4 points, for a total of 20 possible extra credit points.

 Each of the four assignments (mid-term and final exam, e-conference paper, and weekly writing assignments) are worth 100 points. At the end of the semester, I will total together your points, add any extra credit you have earned, and divide by 400 for your final percentage. The percentages convert to letter grades using the standard 10 point grading scale.

·  Reading Assignments: Reading assignments are posted on the course site and in Angel Learning on http://faculty.mdc.edu/sjamil. It is your responsibility to keep up with the reading assignments.

 ·  Academic Integrity: Lying, cheating, plagiarism, or any form of academic dishonesty in anything related to this course (attendance, make-up work, etc.) will be grounds for institutional punishment in accordance with the Students Rights and Responsibilities Manual.

 ·  Late Work and Make-Up Work: The only reason I will accept late work is when an appropriate, documented excuse is presented. Because most of the graded work is done online, and you have several days to do it, it is only in rare cases that I will accept work late for full credit. Work turned in late without a documented excuse will be subject to a five point per 24 hours late penalty. Incompletes are only granted in extreme cases, when documentation is provided.

 ·  Attendance: I keep track of attendance for administrative purposes only. There will be a pre-printed sign-in sheet handed out each time class meets. You will initial to sign in for that day. By initialing, you agree that you were present in class for the material covered. It is your responsibility to withdraw from the course by the requisite deadline if you do not want to stay in the course.

 ·  Lateness: Walking in late disrupts the class and the learning curve for everyone in the room, so do not be late to class.

 ·  Access: Students requiring special services to aid them in this course need to self-identify to the Access office, and have the Access office send me the requisite paperwork within the first three weeks of the semester. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Access office will make all arrangements necessary, but you must self-identify and specifically request that the Access department contact me. For more information, see the Student Rights and Responsibilities manual.

 ·  EA/EO: MDC is an Equal Access/Equal Opportunity campus. As explained in the Student Rights and Responsibilities manual, MDC does not discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.

 ·  Intellectual Respect: The college community represents a wide diversity of opinions and beliefs, and though one of the goals in this class is to challenge those opinions and beliefs (our own and those of others), we must do so in the most respectful of ways. Eye-rolling, name-calling, etc. are not acceptable at all in this classroom. If you do decide to degrade, insult, or demean someone’s opinion, you will be asked to leave class and not to return until you can act like a grown-up. All challenges to opinions and beliefs must be intellectually grounded and appropriately spoken. I never, ever, ever want to hear the words “That’s stupid.” We aren’t five year olds, and we can articulate our thoughts beyond that.