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Syllabus contents: |
PHIL100, Spring Quarter 2005 |
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Syllabus Instructor:
Prof. Michael Rosenthal Class
Meeting Times and Location: Sections: AA TTh
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Course Description The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with several of the major themes in classical Western philosophical thought and to provide an overview of their historical development. What is real? What can we know? What is the basis of a good life and a just society? We will examine these questions and various answers to them through reading excerpts from the works of some of the great philosophers in chronological order, from the ancient to the modern period. We will also pay particular attention to the different styles and methods of philosophical argument. Students will be encouraged not only to master the material itself but also to develop their own critical and philosophical skills. The format of this course will be a mixture of lecture and discussion. Assignments and Grading Policy Participation: There are several basic skills involved in philosophy, including reading critically, writing argumentatively, listening carefully, and talking constructively about ideas. If you do not attend class and section regularly you will not be able to participate and develop some of these skills, especially listening and talking. Lack of participation may affect your final grade in a variety of ways. All assignments will be given out in class. I will not send you assignments via e-mail. If you miss class you will have less time to prepare your assignments. You will be less prepared to write your papers and take the final exam. You may well miss the section quizzes and so receive a lower score on this assignment as well. It is in your interest both in terms of your grade and your education to participate regularly in class. Papers: You will be required to write two short papers (3 pages each). For each paper you will be able to choose between two or three assigned topics. The first paper will be due at the beginning of your section on Tuesday, April 19th. The second paper will be due at the beginning of your section on Tuesday, May 17th. No papers will be accepted via e-mail or fax. More detailed instructions will be provided with the paper topics approximately two weeks before the due date of each paper. Each paper will be worth 120 points, i.e., 30% of your final grade. Together, both papers will be worth a total of 240 points, or 60% of your final grade. Skills Assignments: Most weeks I will present a basic philosophical technique or concept and you will be given a relatively simple assignment to test your understanding of it. There will be six assignments and you must complete five of them. Each assignment will be given out in class on Friday and due at the beginning of your section on Thursday. The due dates for these assignments are noted in the schedule below. No assignments will be accepted via e-mail or fax. Late assignments will not count for your total. If you do not adequately complete at least five of the assignments your final grade will automatically be reduced by 0.25 points (e.g., from 3.1 to 2.85). Section Quizzes: Every week in your section, sometimes on Tuesday, sometimes on Thursday, there will be a brief quiz, consisting of two questions concerning the text being discussed that day. These quizzes will be graded in class. There will be no make-up quizzes except under the following circumstances: (1) illness supported by doctor’s note; (2) death in the family. These quizzes will add up to 60 points, i.e., 15% of your final grade. Final Exam:
On Monday, June 6, Important Notes: 1) In order to pass this class, you must pass each category of assignment. If, for example, you fail the section quizzes or the final, you will not pass the course. Moreover, the mere completion of the assignments does not guarantee that you will pass the course. They have to meet the minimum standard of quality set by the instructors. Here, by “failing grade” I do not mean 0.0, but anything under a 0.7, which the university defines as the point at which a student will no longer receive credit for the course. Required text available in the University Bookstore: Classics of Western
Philosophy, 6th edition, ed. Steven M. Cahn, Hackett
Publishing
Co., 2002 (ISBN: 0-87220-637-8). Class Schedule and Required Readings Note: (1) Please remember that although I have tried to be as specific as possible this schedule is only a guide. (2) I reserve the right to get behind or go more quickly through the readings or even change them. (3) Please read the whole week’s assignment before the first class of each week and then re-read each assignment before each class. (4) All page numbers refer to the required text. (5) Bold text reminds you of due dates for assignments. Week 1 – The Life & Death of Socrates 3/28 What is Philosophy? 3/30 Plato, Apology (29-41) 4/1 Plato, Apology (29-41)
4/4 Plato, Crito (42-48) 4/6 Plato, Phaedo (49-81) 4/7
[Skills
Assignment #1 – Argument – due in section] 4/8 Plato, Phaedo (49-91)
4/11 Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, (240-250) 4/13 Nicomachean Ethics, Book II-III, (250-262) 4/14
Skills
Assignment #2 – Definition & Analysis– due in section] 4/15 Nicomachean Ethics, Books X (314-323)
4/18 Anselm, Proslogion, Gaunilo’s Reply, and Anselm’s Reply (377-399) 4/19
[First Paper due in section] 4/20 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Question II (417-420) 4/22 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Question XIII, XIX, & XII (421-428)
4/25 Meditation I (452-462) 4/27 Meditation II (462-466) 4/28
[Skills
Assignment #3 – Dilemma – due in section] 4/29 Meditation III (466-473)
5/2 Meditation IV (473-476) 5/4 Meditation V (476-479) 5/6 Meditation VI (476-486)
5/9 An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Sections I-IV (734-748) 5/11 An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Sections V-VII (749-765) 5/12
[Skills
Assignment #4 – Counterexample – due in section] 5/13 An Enquiry…, Sections VIII, XII (765-775, 795-802)
5/16 Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Preface and Section I (954-964) 5/17
[Second Paper due in Section] 5/18 Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Section II (964-984) 5/19
[Skills
Assignment #5 – Reductio – due in section] 5/20 Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Section II (964-984)
5/23 Utilitarianism, Chapters I-II (1015-1030) 5/25 Utilitarianism, Chapters III-IV (1030-1037) 5/27 Utilitarianism, Chapter V (1037-1049)
5/30 Memorial Day (NO CLASS) 6/1 Twilight of the Idols (1080-1094) 6/2
[Skills
Assignment #6 – Irony – due in section] 6/3 Twilight of the Idols (1080-1094)
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Last Updated: |
Contact the instructor at: rosentha@u.washington.edu
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