Philosophy 101:
Introduction to Philosophy
Chapman University
Department of Philosophy
Spring, 2012
Syllabus
Course Description
Students will engage with a number of famous philosophical
debates, as argued by Socrates, RenŽ Descartes, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Simone
de Beauvoir, about life and death; what exists and what doesn't (metaphysics);
how one can know what exists and what doesn't (epistemology); and what values
are and why they matter at all (ethics).
Course Information
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Meeting Times................................ |
Wednesdays, 7:00 to 9:50PM |
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Meeting Location............................ |
Beckman Hall (BH), Room 204 |
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Website............................................ |
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Reading and Assignment Schedule. |
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Instructor......................................... |
Christopher Lay, PhD |
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Contact............................................ |
lay@chapman.edu |
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Office Location............................... |
Cafe Lucca |
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Office Hours................................... |
Wednesdays, 4:30 to 6:30PM, and by appointment |
Course
Goals and Objectives:
1) To develop the ability to state and support a thesis, to apply knowledge of critical reasoning, to accurately interpret philosophic sources, and to clearly communicate a balanced account in writing.
2) To develop the ability to construct and to analyze complex
arguments, and to distinguish good reasoning from bad.
3a) To develop the ability to
demonstrate knowledge of some of the most important figures and theories in metaphysics
and epistemology.
3b) To develop the ability to
demonstrate knowledge of some of the most important figures and theories in the
history of philosophy.
3c) To develop the ability to
demonstrate knowledge of some of the most important figures and theories in
philosophical ethics.
4) Ability to understand and to
critically evaluate philosophies from cultures and worldviews besides one's
own, and to see one's culture from outside perspectives.
Texts
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Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics Of Ambiguity, translated by
Bernard Frechtman and published by Citadel. |
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Rene Descartes: Meditations
on First Philosophy, edited by John Cottingham, published
by Cambridge University Press. |
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Friedrich Nietzsche: On the Genealogy of Morality, translated by Carol Diethe, edited
by Keith Ansell-Pearson, published by Cambridge University Press. |
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Plato:
Five Dialogues, translated by G. M.
A. Grube, published by Hacking Publishing Company. |
Course Grade and
Assignments
Participation: 10%
In-Class Quizzes: 30%
Midterm Take-Home Essay: 20%
Final Take-Home Essay: 40%
Participation
Participation
in philosophy instruction is essential.
You are expected to do the readings on schedule (i.e. before the class
period indicated) and come to class prepared to discuss them. Class participation will decide
borderline grades, either up or down, and in rare cases, extraordinary class
participation can boost your final grade up a third (e.g., from 'B' to "B+"). Talking about the substantive issues of
the course in office hours and via email will also count as class
participation.
Essays
You
will be given a prompt for each essay, and approximately a week to complete
it. The essays for this class must
be philosophical. In line with the
Course Goals and Objectives (detailed above), you will have to represent some
thesis from a text, and then critically engage with it. As such, your own essay must have a
thesis and support for that thesis.
To succeed in writing an essay in this philosophy course, you will need
to constantly and clearly differentiate the point of view expressed in the text
in question from your own point of view.
And once you have shown that you can critically engage with the
philosophical insights found in the texts in question, which requires you to
represent the point of view in question, you will be encouraged to express your
own philosophical insights. Other,
specific expectations for the essay will be spelled out in the essay
prompts. Also, you will be expected
to correct errors in mechanics, usage, grammar, and spelling.
In-Class Quizzes
There will be two, in-class short essay quizzes.
Make-up Quizzes and Late Paper Policy, and Extensions
You will only be able to make up in-class assignments if you
have a credible excuse (e.g., doctor's note, jury summons, obituary notice,
etc.). Likewise, late take-home assignments
will be accepted if you can provide a credible excuse. Extensions for take-home assignments
will be given only when 1) a compelling reason is given and 2) permission is
sought at least three days before the normal deadline. Otherwise, late take-home assignments
will be graded down one third of a letter grade for each day they are
late.
Pass/No Pass
Chapman
University policy states that for students taking courses PASS/NO PASS must
receive at least a "C" to get a Pass (not a C-).
Students with Disabilities
In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any
condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to
perform in this class should inform the instructor at the beginning of the
term. The University no longer makes the initial contact with
professors–the student does. The University will determine
what accommodations are suitable based on documentation and individual student
needs, and students will email this information, in pdf form, to their instructors.
Contact Ms. Andrea Tedford, the Counseling & Disability Services
coordinator, at atedford@chapman.edu or 714-516-4520 (410 N. Glassell St.).
The Disability Services Specialist, Mr. Jason Alexander, will then work
with faculty members, who are asked to provide appropriate accommodations for
these students. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive
and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.
Chapman University Academic
Integrity Policy
Chapman
University is a community of scholars that emphasizes the mutual responsibility
of all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their
own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will be subject to sanction by
the instructor and referral to the university's Academic Integrity Committee,
which may impose additional sanctions up to and including dismissal. (See the Undergraduate Catalog for the
full policy.) To avoid plagiarism,
see the helpful examples offered by Prof. Earl Babbie, Dept. of Sociology, in his
website:
http:www1.chapman.edu/~babbie/plag00.html . He makes clear when someone is staying
so close to an author's ideas (even without exact quotes) that it's
plagiarism. Severe penalties for
plagiarism and cheating include an automatic F for the assignment, an automatic
F in the course, or even expulsion (depending upon the severity of the offense
and whether the student has previously been academically dishonest). All instances of plagiarism will be reported
to the Provost's Office and recorded in the student's file.
Schedule
of Readings and Assignments
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Week One |
Getting
Started |
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Wednesday, February 1st |
Syllabus,
Schedule, Overview, and Introductions |
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Week Two |
Plato's "Apology" The Case |
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Wednesday, February 8th |
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Week Three |
Plato's "Apology" and "Meno" Knowledge, Instruction, the Gods, and
Value |
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Wednesday, February 15th |
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Week Four |
Plato's "Meno" Knowledge and Value |
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Wednesday, February 22nd |
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Week Five |
Descartes' Meditations
Deception and Doubt |
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Wednesday, February 29th |
First
In-Class Quiz |
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Week
Six |
Descartes' Meditations
Certitude
and God |
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Wednesday, March 7th |
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Week Seven |
Descartes' Meditations
God and Truth |
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Wednesday, March 14th |
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Week Eight |
Descartes' Meditations
Truth and the World |
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Wednesday, March 21st |
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Week Nine |
Nietzsche's Genealogy
of Morals Values of Values |
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Wednesday, March 28th |
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Friday, March 30th |
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Week Ten |
Spring
Break |
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Wednesday, April 4th |
No
Class |
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Week Eleven |
Nietzsche's Genealogy
of Morals Values Created |
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Wednesday, April 11th |
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Week Twelve |
Nietzsche's Genealogy
of Morals The Sovereign Individual |
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Wednesday, April 18th |
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Week Thirteen |
de Beauvoir's Ethics
of Ambiguity Freedom and Ambiguity |
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Wednesday, April 25th |
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Week Fourteen |
de Beauvoir's Ethics
of Ambiguity Freedom, Ambiguity, & Responses
to Freedom |
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Wednesday, May 2nd |
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Week Fifteen |
de Beauvoir's Ethics
of Ambiguity Responses to Freedom |
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Wednesday, May 9th |
Part
Two |
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Finals Week |
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Wednesday, May 16th |
Final Essay
Due |