PL 101                                          Division V Core Requirement

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
SYLLABUS FOR SUMMER 2008
Instructor:  Dr. Sharon Kaye                   
Office:  Philosophy Department (AD, B11)
Phone:  397-4769
E-mail:  skaye@jcu.edu

Class Meetings:  
This is an on-line distance learning course.  You will be able to work through the course material at your convenience.  Although there will be no meetings, you will be required to take the two exams from home at the appointed day and time.

First Exam: 
Monday, July 28th, 12-12:50 pm
Friday, August 15th, 12-1:50 pm

Office Hours:          
I will be available by telephone MW 5-6
Please feel free to e-mail me anytime.
I am also happy to make an appointment if you need to see me in person.

Course Work:           

First Exam (Monday, July 28th)                         15%
First Paper (due Monday, August 4th)                20%
Second Paper (due Monday, August 11th)         25%
Final Exam (Friday, August 15th)                      25%
Question Sets     (due daily)                            15%
                  
Required Texts:   More Philosophy for Teens, (Prufrock, 2007)

Course Description:

The unexamined life is not worth living.  This is what Socrates said in the fourth century B.C.  He set out to examine his life, and in so doing he launched the tradition of Western Philosophy.  How do I know what is true?  Do I have a soul?  Does God exist?  Do I have control over my fate?  How should I live?  These are some of the questions philosophers ask.  Anyone who takes time to think carefully about important issues can be considered a philosopher, but philosophy at its best is a discipline that requires training and practice.
     
In this course we will survey the central problem areas of philosophy through classic authors of the ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary periods.  Our goal will be two-fold: first, to learn how these authors thought through philosophical problems; second, to think them through for ourselves.  Our method will be to study the art of argumentation.  By the end of the course you should be able to identify arguments, analyze arguments, and construct arguments of your own.

On-line Feature:
This distance-learning course is designed to minimize the need to meet on campus.  Your textbook will enable you to learn this material on your own.  In each chapter there are four question sets: 
      Introductory (I)
      Reading comprehension (R)
      Discussion (D)
      Essay (E)

You are required to read one chapter each week day, type your answers to the questions in all four sets, and email them to me by midnight.  Your grades for these assignments will be pass/fail.  (There are a total of fifteen chapters and a total of fifteen points possible for the question sets.)  The questions on your exams will be drawn from these questions.  You are required to take the two exams from home on the scheduled days at the scheduled times.  Instructions for your paper assignments are contained in a separate document.   

Evaluation:
Your final grade will be calculated in accordance with standard university letter grades. 

A = 92 and above  A- = 90-92  B+ = 88-89  B = 82-87   B- = 80-81 
C+ = 78-79  C = 72-77   C- = 70-71  D+ = 68-69  D = 62-67   D- = 60-61
F = 59 and below.

You will receive specific information about grading with each assignment.

Assignments:
Papers are due as listed in this syllabus unless announced otherwise.  Late papers are automatically penalized 3% per day.  Exams will take place as listed here unless announced otherwise.  There are no make-ups for exams:  missing an exam results in zero.  Using aids on an exam constitutes cheating, and using secondary sources on a paper without citing them constitutes plagiarism.  Instances of cheating and plagiarism automatically fail and are reported to the dean.

Disabilities:
Students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations if needed.  If you believe you need accommodations, please see the director of services for students with disabilities, ext. 4967.  Accommodations must be arranged in advance.

Timetable

Date                            Topic                                                               Assignment