Table of Contents
| Spring 2006 |
| PHIL 1301: Introduction to Philosophy |
Austin Community College Rooms and Times Deleted from Web Version |
Most situations can be handled briefly after class; for longer discussions you are invited to make use of office hours; appointments may also be made as necessary. In the event of urgencies, please call or email (contact info deleted from web version)
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.
Frequent writing assignments require computer printing. Some readings require internet access.
Classics of Western Philosophy. 6th Edition. Hackett. 2002.
We will also make use of texts online at gutenberg.org.
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.
| Students will demonstrate improved critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. |
| Students will be able to reason philosophically about issues of both personal and universal significance. |
| Students will be able to identify major divisions and concepts in philosophy. |
| Students will learn how to identify and approach philosophical materials with increased confidence in their own ability to make the experience meaningful to themselves. |
A typical week begins with a lecture introducing materials and issues, followed during the next meeting by short reports and responses to materials, finally ending up with student reflections on issues raised by the week's study. The method of approach is designed to sustain active rehearsal of skills needed for philosophical reflection (ie conceptual choice, creation, clarification, application, re-adjustment, re-creation, re-clarification, and so on). Short of the overall course portfolio, there are no major tests or papers; however, there will be weekly requirements for reading and discussion, with frequent short writing exercises that range from one paragraph to two pages in length. Frequent group work and presentations place a pedagogical premium on the experience of philosophy as dialogue, education as student activity, and human liberation through democratic methods.
The final portfolio should contain original papers that bear comments from the instructor. In addition to a complete portfolio of short writing assignments, attendance and participation in groupwork will be required.
Final grade will be based on a cumulative review of comments made by the instructor on a portfolio of the student’s work.
| A = materials are complete (one to three absences or assignments missing or “late”); and the student has produced work that is frequently noted by the instructor as excellent for taking initiatives in further reading, exhibiting proficiency in conceptual development, and an ability to test analytical consequences through use of vivid and challenging examples. |
| B = materials are nearly complete (four to six absences or assignments missing or “late”); and the student has produced work that has been frequently noted as good for reviews of assigned readings (with thorough citations), conceptual clarity (with careful definitions), and appropriate examples (clearly applied). |
| C = materials are fairly complete (six to eight absences or assignments missing or “late”), and the work is frequently noted as helpful, but comments also indicate that the student has been frequently prompted to present more thorough reviews of readings, more clarity in conceptual development, and more particular specificity in examples. |
| D = materials are incomplete (nine absences or assignments missing or “late”) or materials are frequently marked as insufficient. |
| F = more than nine absences or assignments (three weeks' worth) missing or late. |
For the method of this course to be successful, it is essential that students come to class with preparations in hand. Failing to attend or to bring preparations on time will result in loss of grade points as explained above in the grading system. Any absence on a day that an assignment is due, or any failure to present preparation in time for group work will translate into a paper marked “late” for grading purposes. Any excused absence must be documented within one week. Two late marks on the attendance sheet will convert to one absence. In saying that “A” work may include up to two absences, etc., the instructor is acknowledging that things come up, accidents happen, life rhythms ebb, and under many circumstances it is a struggle to make the time for higher education. It is not necessary to have an “excused” absence every time to do very well in this course. Some “flex time” is built in. For this reason, it is “okay” now and then to miss class for other, often praiseworthy priorities. However, students who use up their flex time early in the semester may find that accidents continue to happen, etc., and this will begin to affect grades. In the end, it is only fair that students who attend regularly should be candidates for higher grades on the basis of their participation, especially in a classroom pedagogy that emphasizes dialogue between students. When students do not show up or arrive late for group conversation, it is experienced as a disruption among those who do; every absence decreases possibilities for fruitful discussion all around.
The instructor has no stipulations other than what is allowable by the college, nor does the instructor initiate withdrawals.
It is impossible to do great intellectual work without reading great work from others. Scholastic honesty is simply the practice of stipulating carefully who and what you have been borrowing from. There is never any shame in borrowing. In fact, philosophical schools are marked by patterns of borrowing. But if you borrow without carefully noting your source, then we have a problem with scholastic dishonesty.
Anytime a student borrows (for example, copies and pastes from a web site) exact words, phrases, or sentences, the material should be placed into quote marks with clear references. Likewise, anytime a student borrows ideas or inspiration, but not the exact words, the source materials should be acknowledged and cited.
Citations may be in any format, but should include complete information needed for a reader to locate the exact passage: author, title, date, page number (or exact page URL – a root directory is not sufficient.)
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": "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)
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.
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.)
"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)
| WED, Jan. 18 |
| WELCOME: Introducing the syllabus; Socrates and Alcibiades, the role of philosophy in an ambitious world |
| FRI, Jan. 20 |
| READ: Alcibiades I, online at gutenberg.org (be sure to skip all the intro matter and go to where the actual dialogue starts at PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE). |
| DUE: Three paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Socrates has in mind for this dialogue and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does Alcibiades learn? (with sample quotes). (3) What does the dialogue suggest to you about the role of philosophy in an ambitious world? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a rep to present. |
| MON, Jan. 23 |
| L:ECTURE: Further thoughts on the relationship between knowledge and virtue in Plato’s Meno. |
| WED, Jan. 25 |
| READ: Meno (Cahn book) |
| DUE: Three paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Socrates has in mind for this dialogue and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does Meno learn? (with sample quotes). (3) What does the dialogue suggest to you about the relationship between knowledge and virtue? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Jan. 27 |
| DUE: One page discussion. What do you think is the relationship between education and a good life? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Jan. 30 |
| LECTURE: On the relationship between faith and justice in Plato’s Euthyphro. |
| WED, Feb. 1 |
| READ: Plato’s Euthyphro (Cahn) |
| DUE: Three paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Socrates has in mind for this dialogue and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does Euthyphro learn? (with sample quotes). (3) What does the dialogue suggest to you about the relationship between faith and justice? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Feb. 3 |
| DUE: One page discussion. What do you think is the relationship between faith and action? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Feb. 6 |
| LECTURE: On the relationship between knowledge and love in Plato’s Phaedrus. |
| WED, Feb. 8 |
| READ: Plato’s Phaedrus (Gutenberg.org) or WEBLINK: MIT Internet Classics (easier to read, but incomplete) |
| DUE: Three paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Socrates has in mind for this dialogue and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does Phaedrus learn? (with sample quotes). (3) What does the dialogue suggest to you about the relationship between knowledge and love? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Feb. 10 |
| DUE: One page discussion. What do you think is the relationship between knowledge and love? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Feb. 13 |
| LECTURE: Revisiting the relationship between knowledge and morality in Nietzsche. |
| WED, Feb. 15 |
| READ: Nietzsche selections (Cahn) |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Nietzsche has in mind and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What do these selections suggest to you about the relationship between knowledge and morality? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Feb. 17 |
| DUE: One page discussion. Topic open ended (although if you are stuck on choosing a topic, you may default to reconsidering the relationship between knowledge and morality after Nietzsche.) |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Feb. 20 |
| LECTURE: Human nature in Sartre’s Existentialism. |
| WED, Feb. 22 |
| READ: Sartre’s essay on Humanism (Cahn) |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Sartre has in mind and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does this passage suggest to you about human nature? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Feb. 24 |
| DUE: One page discussion: What is human nature to you? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Feb. 27 |
| LECTURE: Human nature in Augustine. |
| WED, Mar. 1 |
| READ: Augustine’s essay on Free Will (Cahn) |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Augustine has in mind and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does this passage suggest to you about human nature? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Mar. 3 |
| DUE: One page discussion. Topic open ended (although if you are stuck on choosing a topic, you may default to reconsidering human nature.) |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Mar. 6 |
| LECTURE: Kierkegaard's subjectivity. |
| NOTE: Selecting film for discussion after Spring Break. |
| WED, Mar. 8 |
| READ: Kierkegaard (Cahn) |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Kierkegaard has in mind and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does this passage suggest to you about subjectivity? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| NOTE: Selecting film for discussion after Spring Break. |
| FRI, Mar. 10 |
| DUE: One page discussion: What is truth to you? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| SPRING BREAK |
| MON, Mar. 20 |
| LECTURE: James and the American-style approach to truth. |
| WED, Mar. 22 |
| READ: James [Will to Believe] (Cahn) |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that James has in mind and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does this passage suggest to you about truth? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Mar. 24 |
| DUE: One page discussion. What is truth for you (considering Kierkegaard and James)? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Mar. 27 |
| SCREENING: Selected Film |
| WED, Mar. 29 |
| DISCSSSION: Brainstorming concepts. |
| SCREENING: Selected Film |
| FRI, Mar. 31 |
| DUE: One page conceptual approach to film: in the first sentence of the paper name and define a concept that you find helpful in your own thinking about the experience of the film. |
| SCREENING: Selected film. |
| MON, Apr. 3 |
| RESEARCH: Class will not meet. Instructor will be available at campus library during class time in case students need assistance. The purpose of the research is to locate one excellent source for exploring a concept of your choosing. An excellent source is usually lengthy, such as a book, chapter in a book, or a journal article (NOT newspaper or magazine). |
| WED, Apr. 5 |
| READ: Your selected research source. |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that the author of your research source has in mind and how does she go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What did you learn from this reading? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Apr. 7 |
| DUE: One page discussion. Based on your acquaintance with an excellent development of one concept, how would you revise or invent a concept to better make sense of your own experience? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Apr. 10 |
| RESEARCH: Class will not meet. Instructor will be available at campus library during class time in case students need assistance. The purpose of the research is to locate one excellent source for exploring a concept of your choosing. An excellent source is usually lengthy, such as a book, chapter in a book, or a journal article (NOT newspaper or magazine). |
| WED, Apr. 12 |
| READ: Your selected research source. |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that the author of your research source has in mind and how does she go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What did you learn from this reading? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Apr. 14 |
| DUE: One page discussion. Based on your acquaintance with an excellent development of one concept, how would you revise or invent a concept to better make sense of your own experience? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Apr. 17 |
| LECTURE: Contemporary philosophy born of the American South: Angela Davis in Alabama. |
| WED, Apr. 19 |
| READ: Internet sources on Angela Davis. |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Davis has in mind and how does she go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does your research into Davis suggest to you about philosophy today? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Apr. 21 |
| DUE: One page discussion. In your opinion what is a problem of contemporary life and what concept would you propose to enrich a philosophical understanding of the issue. |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, Apr. 24--Final Weeks Linked and Slightly Re-Scheduled |
| LECTURE: Further South, the contemporary philosophy of Enrique Dussel; for the purposes of this lecture, I will focus on the final chapter of Ethics and the Theology of Liberation where Dussel places the liberation project between heaven and earth as we know them, followed by the final chapter of the Underside of Modernity, where Dussel clarifies his commitment to a philosophy of economy ("because the poor demand it!"). Also important for the purposes of this lecture will be the final three chapters of the Invention of the Americas in which Dussel re-centers the meaning of modernity as history since 1492. |
| WED, Apr. 26 |
| READ: Internet sources on Enrique Dussel (any selection from the menu in English or Spanish) |
| DUE: Two paragraphs: (1) What is the purpose that Dussel has in mind and how does he go about it? (provide direct quotes to support your claim). (2) What does your research into Dussel suggest to you about philosophy today? |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| FRI, Apr. 28 |
| DUE: One page discussion. In your opinion what is a problem of contemporary life and what concept would you propose to enrich a philosophical understanding of the issue. |
| GROUPS: Discuss preps, nominate a (rotating) rep to present. |
| MON, May 1 |
| RESEARCH DAY: Put the finishing touches on preparation for oral presentations. Professor will be available all day via telephone. |
| WED, May 3 |
| ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Identify a problem area, present two existing concepts that address the problem area, and modify or create a concept that you think would be better suited to philosophical reflection on the problem area. |
| FRI, May 5 |
| ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Identify a problem area, present two existing concepts that address the problem area, and modify or create a concept that you think would be better suited to philosophical reflection on the problem area. |
| MON, May 8 |
| ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Identify a problem area, present two existing concepts that address the problem area, and modify or create a concept that you think would be better suited to philosophical reflection on the problem area. |
| WED, May 10 |
| DUE: One page review and response to an oral presentation of your choice. |
| DISCUSS: Responses to oral presentations |
| FRI, May 12 |
| PORTFOLIO DUE: With 2-page review of course. |
| GROUPS: Share reviews, nominate reader. |
| Absent or late to final counts double. HAVE A GOOD SUMMER! |
Note: syllabus xml formatted with Docbook tags and transformations using oXygen xml editor; spellchecking with openoffice writer.