Professor
Talbott (Email:
wtalbott@u.washington.edu) Winter
Quarter 2013
Office: SAV 387 PHIL
450A
Office
Hours: Thurs. 3:30-4:30 pm Epistemology
and by appointment TuTh 1:30 - 3:20 pm
Phone: 543-5095 SAV
136
Website: http://faculty.washington.edu/wtalbott/
SYLLABUS
PHILOSOPHY 450A: Epistemology (5 Credits/"W" Credit)
DISABILITY RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS. If you would like to request academic
accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Resources for
Students (DRS), 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from DRS indicating you
have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the
letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for the
class.
I. Course Goals: Do we know
anything? If so, what do we know and how
do we know it? What is knowledge? What sort of justification is necessary for
knowledge? In the sense of justification
in which it is necessary for knowledge, are we justified in believing
anything? If so, what are we justified
in believing and how are we justified in believing it? Can we know or be justified in believing an
answer to any of the previous questions?
If so, on what basis? Do the
answers to the previous questions depend on one's political or other
commitments? In this course, we will
consider various attempts to answer all these questions. The course aims to familiarize the students
with some of the most important work in contemporary epistemology and to
develop their ability to understand it and to critically evaluate it. The course will provide students with an
opportunity to develop their ability to explain difficult philosophical
readings and issues, to argue for their own views, and to take seriously the
views of those with whom they disagree. Students
who successfully complete the course will earn "W" credit for the
course.
II. Course
Readings.
III. Course Requirements:
1. CLASS
PREPARATION AND ATTENDANCE. The class
meets TuTh from 1:30 to 3:20 pm in SAV 136.
Everyone is expected to do the assigned
readings in advance and to attend and to participate in the discussions.
2.
EMAIL ACCOUNT. You are required to check
your U.W. email account regularly. I
will use email to broadcast general course announcements. You can use email to ask me questions about
the course, including questions about the readings or the discussion in
class. You can usually count on
receiving a reply within 24 hours. My
email address appears above.
3. END-OF-CLASS QUESTIONS (1-5 Points
Each). At the end of each class except the
day of the midterm exam, you will be asked to give a written answer to a
question on the readings or the discussion in lecture. These assignments will provide practice for
writing answers to exam questions.
Answers to end of class questions may not be turned in late, unless the
absence is excused. All answers to end
of class questions for excused absences must be submitted before the Final
Exam. If you are present or have an
excused absence and receive less than 1/2 credit for your answer to an
end-of-class question, you may resubmit for up to 1/2 credit. All resubmits must be received before the
Final Exam.
4. PAPERS.
You are required to
turn in two 6-8 page papers during the quarter.
The paper topics appear on separate handouts.
Each paper is worth 100 points. You
will post a draft introduction to your paper on the PHIL 450 GoPost site, vote by email for the best introduction, and
then submit the final version of your paper to the PHIL 450 electronic dropbox. See the
paper topic descriptions on the PHIL 450 Web site for more information.
Papers that are turned in late will be penalized, unless the lateness is excused. YOU MUST BE IN CLASS AND ON TIME ON THE DAY A PAPER IS DUE TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT.
There is a separate handout of
Paper Guidelines. Please make sure you
review the Paper Guidelines before turning in your papers. PAPERS THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE GUIDELINES
WILL BE PENALIZED.
Undergraduates—especially those who have not taken an upper level
philosophy course before—are encouraged to have a draft of your paper read by
one of the tutors in the Philosophy Writing Center (SAV 362).
5. MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAM. There will be a Midterm Exam in class on Tuesday Feb. 12. Review questions for the exam will be distributed in class on Thursday Jan. 31. The Final Exam will be held on Friday March 22 from 2:30 to 4:20. Final Exam Review Questions will be distributed in class on Thursday March 7. There will be review sessions in class before each exam.
6. TERM PAPER
OPTION. With my permission, you may
substitute a term paper (10-15 pages) for the Final Exam. Term paper topics must be approved by me on
or before Thursday March 7. If you do a term paper, it
is highly recommended that you turn in a draft for my comments. Drafts are due by the final class session, Thursday March 14. Final term papers are due at the Philosophy
Department Office, SAV 361, at 4:30 pm on Wednesday
March 21. Philosophy
graduate students are required to substitute a term paper for the final exam.
IV. Course Web Site. All handouts, study questions, paper
assignments, end-of-class questions, and the text of transparencies used in
class will be available on the course Web site (see URL above). So if you are ever absent, you can check the
course Web site to find out what you missed.
V. Grades. Grades will be based on points earned as follows: (1) End-of-Class questions (approx. 100 points). (2) Short papers (220 points—110 points each (10 points for introduction; 100 points for final paper). (3) Midterm Exam (100 points). (4) Final Exam (100 points). Grades will be assigned at the end of the course based on total points earned as follows: 96% = 4.0; 95% = 3.9; 90%= 3.5; 80% = 3.0; 65% = 2.0; and 50% = 1.0. Your contribution to discussion in class can improve your grade, but cannot lower it.
VI. Academic Integrity. Whenever you turn in
any assignment in this course, the understanding is that what you are turning
in is your own original work, except to the extent that you explicitly credit
others for their contributions. You have an obligation to avoid even the appearance
of impropriety, by always attributing any argument or idea that you have
borrowed, even if you have modified it, to its source. The source may be written or oral. For example, if an argument was suggested by
a fellow student, include that information in a footnote. If it is determined that there has been
cheating that involves one student copying another's work on an assignment or
exam, if both students were aware of the copying, both will receive zero
credit for the assignment or exam, in addition to any other sanctions that
might be imposed.
VII. Extensions Of Time. Extensions of time should be requested in
advance of the deadline. Unexcused,
late work will be penalized. I am
generally willing to give extensions of time for any good reason. Except in cases of genuine emergency, I do
not give Incompletes.
VIII. Course Evaluation. Thursday March 14, in
class.
The course evaluation is your opportunity to evaluate my performance and
to provide suggestions for improving the course.
IX. Return of Final Exams. Unless
other arrangements are made, Final Exams will be available for pick-up in the
Philosophy Department Office, SAV 361, during the first week of spring quarter. If you would like your Final Exam to be
mailed to you, please provide me with a stamped, self-addressed envelope for
mailing.
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