Grading
Your grade will be based on the following kinds of assessments:
• Brief writings (100-300 words)
• Longer writings (500-700 words)
• Presentations (independent and group)
• Small quizzes (to check for understanding)
• A final project (in lieu of an exam)
Material Requirements
• A notebook (for taking notes and completing in-class
activities)
• A folder (for handouts, assignment sheets, and other
course material)
• A writing implement
Mental Requirements
• A willingness to challenge and question beliefs
• An openness to new ideas, even if they seem strange
• An attitude of respect toward your fellow classmates
and your teacher
• A willingness to see your teacher for help if you
need it
Edline
Turn to Edline for the following:
• Backup copies of the assignments
• Web links for research
Extra Help
See me in TAP in A311 on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I’m
also usually available in my office (B302) after school on Tuesdays
and Fridays.
Absences
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to complete assignments
you missed, pick up handouts that were distributed, and get notes
from a fellow classmate. See me immediately to schedule makeup
work.
Semester Schedule (2008)
Week One
(1/23-1/25)
|
What is philosophy? Bertrand Russell |
| |
ETHICS |
Week Two
(1/28-2/1) |
Results-oriented ethics: Bentham, Mill |
Week Three
(2/4-2/8) |
Act-oriented ethics: Kant |
Week Four
(2/11-2/15) |
Why be virtuous? Socrates |
Week Five
(2/18-2/22) |
The golden mean: Aristotle |
| |
EPISTEMOLOGY |
Week Six
(2/25-2/29) |
Skepticism
|
Week Seven
(3/3-3/17) |
Rationalism: Descartes |
Week Eight
(3/10-3/14) |
Empiricism: Locke |
| |
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY |
Week Nine
(3/17-3/20) |
What’s the purpose of a government?
What’s the best kind of government? |
Week Ten
(3/31-4/4) |
Democracy: pros and cons |
Week Eleven
(4/7-4/11) |
Freedom: its justification |
Week Twelve
(4/14-4/18) |
Legitimacy: the social contract |
| |
METAPHYSICS |
Week Thirteen
(4/21-4/25) |
Free will vs. determinism |
Week Fourteen
(4/28-5/2) |
The mind-body problem
What is consciousness? |
Week Fifteen
(5/5-5/9) |
What is reality? Idealism and materialism |
| |
REVIEW AND FINAL PROJECTS |
Week Sixteen
(5/12-5/16) |
The case of Nietzsche: a critique of philosophy |
Week Seventeen
(5/19-5/23) |
Senior projects |
Week Eighteen
(5/26-5/30) |
Projects |
Week Nineteen
(6/2-6/5) |
Projects |
|
