Course Details

Introduction to Philosophy
Rowan University
Philosophy 09121, Section 02
Spring 2014
Mondays and Wednesdays: 1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Esby Gym, Room 111

Instructor: Sean Landis
Email: landis@rowan.edu
Phone: 609-980-8367
Course Website: http://2014rowanphilosophy.blogspot.com
Office Hourse: by appointment

Required Texts
Core Questions in Philosophy, 5th Edition, by Elliott Sober

About the Course
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy. Throughout the semester, we will explore a handful of classic philosophical questions: What is knowledge, and what can we know? What evidence is there regarding the existence of a God? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Do humans have free will?

We will also be developing various philosophical skills, including:

• Understanding: the ability to identify and explain an author’s main point in your own words, along with the ability to identify and explain an author’s argument in support of this main point.
• Evaluating: the ability to critically and charitably determine whether these arguments provide accurate, logical reasons in support of their main points, along with the ability to engage in critical and charitable dialogue with people who hold different views from your own.
• Defending: the ability to develop your own arguments in support of your opinions on the ethical issues we study, along with the ability to honestly assess your opinions and critically evaluate the quality of your arguments in support of them.

A broader goal of this course is to gain an appreciation for philosophical reflection. Hopefully, we will learn that careful, systematic, detailed thought is a great tool for increasing understanding on complex topics.

Assignments
Each assignment is created carefully, and designed to both measure and improve upon specific skills that students are expected to develop throughout the semester. I try to explicitly point out the educational importance of each assignment (both below and when I assign it), but if an assignment’s value is ever unclear, let me know! I value student feedback. Sometimes complacency makes me continue using an assignment that isn’t very helpful, or sometimes I haven’t explained an assignment clearly enough. 

Tests: There will be three tests, each one worth more points than the last. Tests are a chance to demonstrate your understanding of a wide variety of topics and skills that we’ll study throughout the semester. To this end, there will be a variety of question types on the exams. Test #1 will be on the logic and knowledge sections of the course. Test #1 will last about 25 minutes, and be held at the beginning of class on the scheduled day. Test #2 will be on everything covered during the first half of the course, and will last the first half of class (80 minutes) on the scheduled day. Test #3 is cumulative—that is, it will be on everything covered throughout the whole course. Test #3 will also last 80 minutes, and will take place during finals week.

Reading Responses: There will be four reading responses, which are to be handed in at the beginning of class the day they are due. Each assignment is an approximately 500-word essay response to a specific question about one or more of the week’s readings. The responses are a chance to do philosophy. To this effect, the focus of the responses will be on paraphrasing (demonstrating that you understand the reading by explaining it in your own words) and critically evaluating (presenting objections to the argument in the reading, or responding to such objections) the philosophical arguments being presented in the readings.

Fun Wednesdays: There will be 3 in-class graded assignments scheduled on some Wednesdays during the semester. These will be a chance to more casually discuss some issues more loosely related to the class, yet more closely connected to important practical concerns of our everyday lives.

Attendance/Participation: Most of this will be based on your attendance. If you’re there every class, you’ll get full credit for your attendance grade. In addition, there will be a lot of informal group work throughout the semester in which students get together to analyze the readings or philosophical issues being discussed in class. Group work can impact this grade. I value your attendance, and I expect you to show up each day. I also realize, though, that we sometimes need added motivation to attend each day, and I use this grade as a small carrot to motivate you.

Extra Credit: I like giving extra credit! I’ll be giving some official extra credit assignments throughout the semester. I’ll also be offering some extra credit points more informally during class time. Remind me about this if I slack off on dishing out extra credit points.
 
Grades
A = 934-1000 total points
A- = 900-933 total points
B+ = 867-899 total points
B = 834-866 total points
B- = 800-833 total points
C+ = 767-799 total points
C = 734-766 total points
C- = 700-733 total points
D+ = 667-699 total points
D = 634-666 total points
D- = 600-633 total points
F = below 600 total points

Test #1: 150 points
Test #2: 250 points
Test #3: 300 points
4 Reading Responses: 50 points each (200 points total)
Fun Wednesdays: 50 points total
Attendance/Participation: 50 points

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism (using someone else’s words or ideas in a paper or assignment without giving credit to the source) will not be tolerated in the class. Students found guilty of either will definitely fail the exam or assignment on which they plagiarize—and possibly the entire class. FYI: I’m pretty good at catching plagiarists. I recommend not trying it!

Excused Absences: Any assignment will only be rescheduled for an excused absence. Excused absences include religious observance, official college business, and illness or injury (with a doctor’s note). An unexcused absence on the day of any assignment or test will result in a zero on that assignment or test.

Disability Accommodations: If you have special requirements let me know as soon as possible so we can make all necessary arrangements.

Expectations
Philosophy can be a difficult subject to master. I expect each student to put in a lot of effort on a variety of fronts.

Read the Textbook. The textbook is, in my opinion, well written, full of insights, and quite helpful. Still, the assigned readings are often dense. This means that you may not fully understand what you read the first time you read it. Do not despair; this is common. Philosophical writings are best understood upon multiple readings. You should develop the habit of reading the assigned pages a few times, including both before and after our class discussion of the relevant material.

Attend Class. While the book is informative, often time the assigned reading is only a launch pad, and the key skills or concepts we’re learning during a given section goes beyond the book. If you can’t attend class one day, that’s unfortunate, but OK (and outside excused absences, you need not tell me why—frankly, I don’t care why you’re not there). But don’t make a habit of missing classes.

Participate in Class. Our classroom is a judgment-free zone. I’m not concerned with students acting perfectly or seeming smart during class. In fact, effective learning involves discussing precisely the things we don’t fully understand yet. Learning is a process that involves lots of failing: getting it wrong, figuring out where we went wrong, and trying again. Lots of class time will involve this type of (helpful) failing. This goes against how many of your classes are run. Good. I think many assumptions in our current education institutions aren’t conducive to effective learning. In class we’ll engage in helpful discussions. If something confuses you, let me know! Chances are, it confuses other students, too. Sometimes, I think I’ve understood something I read, only to discover upon discussing it that I haven’t really grasped it. Getting feedback from a group of smart people who’ve read the same thing as you is invaluable to learning. I understand some students are shy (I was shy myself in college), but try not to be timid simply out of fear of looking silly or stupid.

Practice. In addition to guided discussions, class time will involve a lot of informal group work on philosophical problems. There will also be lots of optional extra credit assignments. These are chances to practice. We are mostly developing skills in this class, skills that cannot be picked up in five minutes. Skills take prolonged training and effort, like learning to play the piano or hitting a 90-mph fastball. Again, be OK with failing! Just try to fail better each time you practice.

Because of this, I try to measure students based on the progress they make throughout the course. A student who struggles early in the semester is not doomed to a low grade. Early struggles are merely a warning sign that more or a different kind of effort is required. On the other end of the spectrum, for a small percentage of students, getting a good grade in this class will be relatively easy. For such students, I encourage you to challenge yourself. Don’t settle for merely learning the most basic skills we’re studying. Try to develop the more advanced skills touched on throughout the course. Read the articles linked to on the course blog! Talk to me outside class! Commit yourself to taking full advantage of this class.

Care About Learning. This should be your primary goal of taking this class—not getting a good grade, or socializing, or impressing me, or whatever. While I understand that these other things are important (I care a lot about the social value of college, for instance), these should not supersede your devotion to learning.