“The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates
Philosophy 2010H-0202: Honors Introduction to
Philosophy
Tu/Th
1:30-2:45, BHC 126, Fall 2009
Instructor Information:
Dr.
Jennifer Mundale
Office Phone: 823-5076 or Philosophy Department: (407) 823-2273
Email:
jmundale@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
Office hours: T 3:00-5:00, Th 11:00-1:00, and by appointment
Office: 230 Psychology Building
Website:
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~jmundale (will be activated by August 31)
Required Texts:
There is one required textbook for this class:
Gendler,
Siegel, and Cahn (eds.) The Elements of Philosophy.
A
variety of supplemental online resources and handouts will also be
provided. Note, however, that this is not an online course. It is a face to face course. You are responsible for knowing the content
of the lectures and for anything that is discussed in class. I do not distribute lecture notes, and regular attendance at lectures is
essential to the successful completion of the course.
Course Description:
This is an introductory level course in philosophy, with no prerequisites. The
course is intended to introduce students to some of the major philosophical
fields, figures and topics.
Course Goals and Objectives:
Students
will gain a basic familiarity with major fields such as ethics, ontology,
epistemology, philosophy of mind and logic/critical thinking. Specific topics will include theories for
evaluating the moral status of our actions, common reasoning errors, the
origins and status of our knowledge, the mind body problem, and others. More broadly, students will develop their
abilities to 1) analyze meanings and assertions from diverse philosophical
texts, and 2) think critically about philosophical concepts, assertions, and
arguments from diverse philosophical texts.
Requirements:
As noted above, regular attendance and thoughtful preparation will be essential
to your successful completion of this course. Excessive absence will lower your
final grade. Meaningful class participation will figure positively in
determining your final grade. Disagreement and debate in the exchange of
philosophical ideas are natural, though you must observe a courteous, respectful
attitude toward others in the class. Disruptive or discourteous behavior will
not be tolerated and may result in a lowered grade, a failing grade, or
dismissal from the class. If you miss class, you are responsible for the
material covered in the missed class, as well as for any missed announcements
or handouts.
Email Requirements:
In
order to complete this course, you must have a functional e-mail account that
you check regularly; more specifically, you must regularly check the one that
is listed in eCommunity. Some class
announcements and some reading materials will be distributed exclusively
through the e-mail listed in eCommunity.
It is up to you to insure that you receive them, and you are responsible
for the contents of class e-mailings.
Please note the following new university policy:
“To
comply with new University policy, as of September 28, 2009 eCommunity will
only allow a Knights E-Mail address for students. If you already have a Knights
E-Mail address, eCommunity messages will be sent to your Knights E-Mail
account. If you do not yet have a Knight's E-Mail address, you must get a
Knights E-Mail account to avoid missing important class communications. Please
visit http://www.knightsemail.ucf.edu/
for more information.”
Makeup Policy:
Do
not come to class if you have the flu.
It is important not to infect other students. See your doctor if you believe you have the
flu; they may give you antiviral medication that will diminish its
severity. Because you are allowed to
drop one of the three scheduled tests, a makeup may not be required. Occasionally, more dire circumstances arise
for students, and those I will consider on a case-by-case basis, assuming one
consults me in a timely and responsible manner.
Class Decorum:
How you handle yourself reflects upon who you are, so behave in a way that
shows respect for yourself and for those around you. Please turn off your cell
phone before you come to class. You are expected to arrive on time and stay for
the duration of the class. Coming late, stepping out, and leaving early are
generally discourteous and can be disruptive. It is understood that urgent
situations may arise which make these things necessary and excusable. In all
other cases, this behavior should be avoided. If such behavior becomes
excessive, it will be considered disruptive to the class and represent grounds
for lowering your grade, failing you in the course, and/or taking disciplinary
action. If you know that you will need to leave early, please tell me before
class that you will need to do so.
Basis for Grades:
Three Incremental Tests - 60% ( 30% each, drop lowest of three)
One
Quiz – 10% (over logical/critical thinking skills)
Final
Exam (cumulative, Tues., Dec. 8, 1-3:50 p.m. in regular classroom) - 30%
- I will use the plus/minus grading convention (A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.).
-
Quality class participation will help your overall course grade.
Important
Dates on the UCF Academic Calendar
First
Day of Class: Monday, August 24
Drop
Deadline/Last Day for Full Refund: Thursday, August 27
Add
Deadline: Friday, August 28
No
Class: Labor Day, Monday, September 7
Withdrawal
Deadline: Friday, October 16
No
Class: Veteran's Day, Wednesday, November 11
No
Class: Thanksgiving, November 26 - 28
Last
Day of Classes, Monday, December 7
Final Exam Period:
December 8-14
Commencement:
December 18-19
Preliminary Schedule.
(Keep checking for updates to links and possible modifications).
The schedule may be modestly revised, depending
on class interest and progress. With the
exception of the first day of class, please have readings completed before
class on the day they are scheduled.
Week One, August 25, 27:
Introduction to Class
Week Two, September 1, 3:
Personal Responsibility, Existentialism
Week One, August 25, 27:
Introduction to Class
- Syllabus
-
- Sartre’s essay on Existentialism, pp. 748-754.
Optional: Entry on Existentialism from the Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy.
Week Two, September 1, 3:
Ethics
- “Moral Philosophy”,
pp. 71-75
- Selections from Mill’s, Utilitarianism,
pp. 77-88
- Selections from Kant’s, Grounding
for the Metaphysics of Morals, pp. 105-111.
- Thomson’s, “The Trolley Problem”, pp. 195-208.
Optional: O’Neill’s “A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics”, pp.
112-114.
Week Three, September 8, 10:
Ethics, cont’d.
- Continue with last week’s readings
- Selections from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics,
pp. 114-127.
- This online
handout on Aristotle . (In the handout, excerpted book “sections” toward
the bottom of the handout correspond to what are called “chapters” in your
textbook excerpt of Aristotle, and the translation is slightly different).
Optional: Hursthouse’s, “Normative Virtue
Ethics”, pp. 127-138.
Week Four, September 15, 17:
Ethics, cont’d and Review
Week Five, September 22, 24:
Exam 1, Begin Epistemology and Ontology
- Thursday, begin Epistemology and Ontology
- pp. 337-341, introductory
essay to metaphysics and epistemology.
- pp. 343-344, excerpt from Plato's Meno.
- pp. 380-384, excerpt from Plato's Republic, the Allegory of the Cave
(or online)
- pp. 344-346, "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?" (a.k.a.
the "Gettier Problem)
Week Six, September 29, October
1:
Introduction to Epistemology and Ontology, cont’d.
- Excerpt from Republic, Book
VI (The Divided Line).
- Excerpt from Descartes’ Meditations,
pp. 351-358.
Week Seven, October 6, 8:
Introduction to Epistemology and Ontology, cont’d.
- Excerpt from
- Excerpt from Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, pp.
422-428 (move to next week)
Week Eight, October 13, 15:
Finish Epistemology and Ontology, begin Introduction to Philosophy of
Mind
- Excerpt from Hume’s An
Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, pp. 422-428
- Goodman, “The New Riddle of Induction”, pp. 447-451.
- Philosophy
of Mind basic glossary
Week Nine, October 20, 22:
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (cont’d)
- Searle, “Can Computers Think?”, pp. 677-683.
Week Ten, October 27, 29:
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (Conclude, Review, Test 2)
- Tuesday – Frank
Jackson’s Knowledge Argument: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qualia-knowledge/
- Thursday - Review for Test 2 (see this Review
sheet).
Week Eleven, November 3, 5:
Introduction to Critical Thinking
- Tuesday, November
3, TEST 2
- Thursday, begin: Basic
Logical Concepts, Four Argument
Forms, Scientific Case
History, Informal
Fallacies
Week Twelve, November 10, 12:
Introduction to Critical Thinking, cont’d.
Readings for Week
Twelve:
- Tuesday, November
10: Continue
with readings above
-Thursday, November
12: Categorical Syllogisms
Week Thirteen, November 17, 19:
Introduction to Critical Thinking (cont’d.)
Readings for Week
Thirteen:
- Tuesday, November
17: Cont. Categorical Syllogisms, Venn diagrams (if time)
- Thursday, November
19: Review Critical Thinking, short QUIZ
over Critical Thinking
Week Fourteen, November 24 [Thanksgiving November 26]:
Readings for Week 14: - Tuesday, November
24: In-class film, The Lobotomist, see also:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lobotomist/program/,
and transcript at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lobotomist/program/pt.html
Week Fifteen, December 1, 3 (Last Week of Class), Test 3:
Readings for Week 15:
Tuesday: Cumulative Review for Test 3 as well as Final Exam
Thursday: TEST 3
FINAL EXAM: December 9,
7-9:50 p.m. in regular classroom