Sample Syllabus: Introduction To Philosophy

Sample Syllabus: Introduction to Philosophy

1. Course Description Clarity in thought and clarity of writing are inextricably linked; an introductory philosophy course affords an excellent opportunity to practice both skills simultaneously. In this course, we will survey several traditionally interesting philosophical issues with an emphasis on explaining and clarifying problems, expressing proposed solutions and critically assessing those proposals. By completing writing assignments about the relationship of mind and body, freedom of the will, conditions for knowledge, the definition of good and the existence of God, students develop critical thinking skills and the ability to express those thoughts effectively, while forming their own views on these questions.

2. Instructor Information Dr. Jesse Butler department info office hours info Appointments: Please set up an appointment if you're confused about something, need help getting started on an assignment or would like to receive additional feedback for what you've written.

3. Course Information A. Meeting Places & Times MTWRF: Time, Place

B. Text Doing Philosophy: An Introduction through Thought Experiments by Theodore Schick, Jr. and Lewis Vaughn. [This book is on reserve at Library - visit the circulation desk.]

C. Grades Grades are assigned based on the number and length of written assignments successfully completed, performance on five surprise quizzes during the semester and class attendance. Letter grades are assigned based on the number of "points" a student earns during the semester. 1

Sample Syllabus: Introduction to Philosophy

i. Written Work To receive credit for a written assignment a student must respond to a specific prompt (each of which is on the e-Learning site under "prompts"), and the response must (a) be written in clear, cohesive and grammatical English. (b) address, in a straightforward way, the issue raised by the prompt. (c) contain a bare minimum of quoted material (* AT MOST 10% * of the total number of words of the assignment can be quotation) (d) be original work (not plagiarized). (e) be submitted electronically by midnight of the last day of class. If a submitted assignment fails to satisfy all of (a)-(e) then no credit will be given for that assignment. The submission will be marked ‘0’.

ii. Points a. Points and Written Assignments Points are awarded for each satisfactorily completed written assignment (hereafter ‘response’) according to the following scheme: If the response is + less than 100 words, zero (0) points are awarded. + between 100 words and 199 words, one (1) point is awarded + between 200 words and 299 words, two (2) points are awarded. + between 300 words and 399 words, three (3) points are awarded. + between 400 words and 499 words, four (4) points are awarded. + between 500 words and 599 words, five (5) points are awarded. + between 600 words and 699 words, six (6) points are awarded. + between 700 words and 799 words, seven (7) points are awarded. + between 800 words and 899 words, eight (8) points are awarded. + between 900 words and 999 words, nine (9) points are awarded. + longer than 1000 words, ten (10) points are awarded.

b. Points and attendance & punctuality. + For each period a student attends, one (1) point is awarded + For each period for which a student is late, no points are awarded. + For each period during which a student is absent, one (1) point is subtracted.

c. Points and the five surprise quizzes. 2

Sample Syllabus: Introduction to Philosophy

+ For each of the quizzes successfully completed, one (1) point is awarded.

iii. Final Grade Calculation Points are then tallied and letter grades are assigned based on the number of total points in accord with the following table: 90+ Points = A 87 - 89 Points = B+ 83 - 87 Points = B 80 - 82 Points = B75 - 79 Points = C+ 70 - 74 Points = C 60 - 69 Points = D Less that 60 Points = F

D. Determining Grades i. Electronic grade update info. Text here…

ii. Examples of a Grade calculation Andrew Sample attends 33 (out of a total of 45) periods of class meetings, is never late when he shows up, completes three (out of a total of five) surprise quizzes, completes 9 assignments (each of which meets criteria 3.c.i.(1)-(4) above) of the following lengths: 555 words, 401 words, 1001 words, 1003 words, 400 words, 612 words, 478 words, 1120 words and 1098 words, and turns in one assignment of length 1556 words which is copied straight from en.wikipedia.org - a 75% match according to turnitin.com. Andrew Sample's final grade is: 33 points (for attendances) -12 points (for absences) +3 points (for surprise quizzes) +5 points (for satisfactory assignment of 555 words) +4 points (for satisfactory assignment of 401 words) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1001 words) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1003 words) +4 points (for satisfactory assignment of 400 words) +6 points (for satisfactory assignment of 612 words) +4 points (for satisfactory assignment of 478 words) 3

Sample Syllabus: Introduction to Philosophy +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1120 words) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1098 words) +0 points (for an unsatisfactory assignment) ---87 Points = B+.* Ferit Ontime attends all 45 class periods, is never late, successfully completes all five surprise quizzes and completes just four assignments (each of which meets criteria 3.C.i.a.-e. above) of the following lengths: 1001 words, 1023 words, 1011 words and 1200 words. Ferit's final grades is: 45 points (for attendance +5 points (for surprise quizzes) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1001 words) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1023 words) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1011 words) +10 points (for satisfactory assignment of 1200 words) ---90 points = A

E. Feedback and Comments on Written Work If you'd like to discuss what you've written, please set up an appointment to talk about your work. This feedback is especially helpful for philosophy majors or students considering majoring in philosophy.

F. Classroom Conduct We’ll engage in discussion for much of our class time. In order to have a productive discussion, only one person may speak at a time. Please be on time to class. Please silence your cell phones before class. If your phone rings, don’t answer it. Anyone disrupting will be asked to leave.

G. E-Mail Message Policy Only e-mails that are concise and relevant will receive a response. Don't expect an immediate answer.

H. Academic Assistance 4

Sample Syllabus: Introduction to Philosophy Free tutoring is available at the Teaching Center.

I. Special Needs Students requesting special accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office.

J. Tentative Schedule (days off are indicated with corner brackets) Monday

Wednesday

Friday

K. Twenty Five Philosophical Puzzles ------ ---- ------p1: The paradox of the liar. p2: what is there (ontology)? p3: concept puzzlement, part 1 p4: concept puzzlement, part 2 p5: Cartesian dualism p6: alien brains + identity theory p7: Ned Block’s Chinese nation p8: What Mary Didn't Know p9: What is supervenience? p10: The causal closure of the physical p11: The coupling of the macro and micro p12: What to make of second order volitions p13: animalism p14: soul theory p15: Parfitt's Transporter Tale p16: Ethical Egoism p17: The Thuggees p18: Virtue Ethics p19: God's Omnipotence Paradox p20: The problem of Evil p21: Radical Skepticism p22: Kantian Synthesis p23: What should be corporate responsibility? p24: Why should we educate ourselves in a liberal way? p25: What is the best way to approach philosophy? --------------------------* Andrew also has to live with the eternal shame and disgrace of trying to pass off wikipedia's work as his own. His GPA might recover, but he'll never forget what he tried to do... 5