PHIL1301
Brandon Watson
Spring 2008
TTh 1:25-2:40 (13350) RGC1 320
TTh 2:50-4:05 (13315) RGC1 220
Office Hours:
RGC Portable, 11:15-12:15 Tuesday
RGC Portable 11:15-12:15 Thursday
Course Summary
Students will be introduced to various significant philosophical issues and thinkers and to the practice of philosophical analysis. There are no course prerequisites for Introduction to Philosophy. A passing score or the equivalent on the reading and writing portions of the TASP is required. The content of the course can roughly be divided into two (overlapping) parts, which we can refer to as Historical Highlights and Philosophical Applications. In Historical Highlights we will look at a small sample of high points in the long and venerable tradition of Western philosophy, while in Philosophical Applications we will examine the relevance of philosophy to everyday practical life.
Course Rationale
Philosophy is one of the principal forces that have shaped Western civilization and history, so a basic understanding of the methods and subject matter of philosophy affords a deeper understanding of ourselves and an informed grasp of the present. In addition, critical thinking skills are so central to the methods of philosophy that the study of philosophy provides an excellent opportunity to learn and practice those skills in a focused way.
Course Objectives
1. Students will demonstrate improved critical reading, thinking, and writing skills.
2. Students will be able to reason philosophically about issues of both personal and universal significance.
3. Students will be able to identify major divisions and concepts in philosophy.
Course Materials
Plato, Gorgias.
Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy.
Descartes, Discourse on Method.
All of these texts may be found online. In addition we will make use of some of the following work:
Duhem, Essays in the History and Philosophy of Science
There will also be minor additional readings on particular topics which either will also be available online or will be made available in class by the instructor.
Instructional Methodology
Class activity will typically involve lecture and class discussion, with some group activities scattered throughout. Reflection papers will be assigned regularly, and there are three in-class quizzes. In addition, students will be required to write their own philosophical dialogue. Students will be required to collect work done during the course into a final portfolio. The purpose of this approach to instruction is (1) to instruct students in those elements that will serve as a firm foundation to any further philosophical course or activity; and (2) to encourage philosophical reflection, and articulation of that reflection, on topics covered in the course.
Course Assignments and Evaluation
During the course, students will create a course portfolio. The required elements of this portfolio are as follows:
(1) Reflection Papers: These will be short papers of two to three pages on various texts and topics discussed in the course. Students are responsible for all reflection papers; failure to include any of them in the portfolio will adversely affect the student’s grade. A list of reflection paper assignments will be made available so that students may be sure they have completed all of them.
(2) Philosophical Dialogue: Students will write their own philosophical dialogue, consisting of at least six to seven pages, on any topic they choose. An outline of the intended argument of the dialogue will be handed in separately halfway through the term and is also required for the portfolio.
(3) Quizzes: There will be three brief take-home quizzes. Three of them will be on logic, on history of philosophy, and on feminist thought; there will also be one in-class quiz, on all three subjects. These quizzes will be devoted primarily to terms and names, but will also have short answer questions.
(4) Exhibits of Found Philosophy: Philosophical issues are constantly being raised and considered all around us. Sometimes the philosophical discussion of these issues is good and sometimes it is bad; sometimes the topics discussed are of major importance and sometimes they are relatively minor; sometimes their philosophical character is explicitly recognized and sometimes it is not; but it takes surprisingly little searching to find examples of philosophical topics, questions, and discussions in everyday life. Students should provide with their portfolios two or three examples of such found philosophy. Examples might be from newspaper articles, opinion columns, comic strips, transcripts of conversations, advertisements, or any number of other sources. The exhibits should each include the example, where it was found, and a short discussion (it usually need not be more than a brief paragraph) pointing out how it exemplifies philosophy in everyday life.
These are all the required parts of the portfolios. Students are strongly encouraged, however, to submit relevant supplementary materials with their portfolio: journal entries, poems, short stories, dialogues, drawings, additional exhibits of found philosophy, or anything else relevant to the philosophical content of the course. This portfolio is intended to let the student show that they have developed a basic foundation in philosophy and have begun to engage in serious philosophical reflection. Think of it as a sort of artist's portfolio for the art of rational thinking. A and B grades will be reserved for students whose portfolios contain all required materials, and those students will tend to do best who, in addition to doing good work for the required materials, also show initiative and serious engagement with philosophical topics through supplementary materials.
The final grade for the course will consist of the grade for the portfolio (90%) combined with the grade for class participation (10%).
Course Policies
Attendance: Attendance is not strictly required, but, as class participation is part of the final grade, it is strongly encouraged. Students are responsible for making prior arrangements to make up the in-class quiz, where this is at all possible.
Withdrawals: Withdrawing from a course may affect financial aid, veterans’ benefits, international student status, or academic standing. Students are urged to consult with their instructor or an advisor before making schedule changes. Per state law, students enrolling for the first time in fall 2007 or later at any Texas college or university may not withdraw (receive a W) from more than six courses during their undergraduate college career. Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to withdraw from a course without having it count toward this limit. Students are encouraged to carefully select courses; contact an advisor or counselor for assistance. See the Student Handbook, p. 22, for additional information.
Incompletes: Except in truly extraordinary circumstances, resorting to Incomplete grades is strongly discouraged.
Scholastic Dishonesty: "Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework." (Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 32)
Cases of scholastic dishonesty will be pursued according to the procedure set forth in the Student Handbook, “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” Section J, “Academic Dishonesty."
Academic Freedom: Students have the right to believe whatever they happen to believe and, within the appropriate constraints that follow from the organization of a course and its class meetings, to express those beliefs. Grades will never be based on the beliefs that a student maintains, but only on the quality of the philosophical work performed by a student in conjunction with the course.
Student Discipline: Students at the College have the rights accorded to all persons under the Constitution to Freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, petition, and association. These rights carry with them the responsibility for each individual to accord the same rights to others in the College community and not to interfere with or disrupt the educational process. As willing partners in learning, it is expected that students will comply with College rules and procedures. ACC students are recognized as responsible persons who neither lose the rights nor escape the responsibilities of citizenship. Enrollment in the College indicates acceptance of the rules set forth in this policy, administered through the office of the Campus Dean of
Student Services. Due process, through an investigation and appeal process, is assured to any student involved in disciplinary action. (See the "Student Discipline Policy" in the Student Handbook, http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/policies4.htm for details.)
Office of Students with Disabilities: "Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester." (Student Handbook, 2002-2003, p. 14)
Brief Outline of Course
HH = Historical Highlights
PA = Philosophical Applications
(1) General Introduction to Philosophy and to the Course
(2) Rudiments of Logic and Critical Thinking (PA)
(3) Ancient Philosophy (HH)
Major Unit: Plato on Sophists vs. Philosophers
Minor Unit: Aristotle on Causal Explanation
(4) Medieval Philosophy (HH)
Major Unit: Boethius on the Consolation of Philosophy
Minor Unit: Aquinas on the Ways to God
(5) Early Modern Philosophy (HH)
Major Unit: Descartes on Method and the Cogito
Minor Unit: Hume and Shepherd on Miracles
(6) Philosophy of Science (PA)
(7) Brief Introduction to Feminist Philosophy (PA)