Philosophy 100 (Fall 2016) Introduction to Philosophy
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PHILOSOPHY 100 (FALL 2016) – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Instructor: Dr. Ted Stolze
Office: SS-132
Office Hour: MTWTH 9:00-9:20; MW 11:00-12:00
Office Phone: 562-860-2451, extension 2774
E-mail:
Webpage: www.cerritos.edu/tstolze
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963)
Transfer Credit:
CSU, UC
Course Description:
In this course we’ll develop philosophical concepts by investigating a wide variety of problems, systems of thought, and cultural perspectives. We’ll be reading carefully and critically selected philosophers and philosophies from ancient Greece up to contemporary Europe and the United States. However, our focus at the end of the course is on the philosophical implications of human-caused climate change and the new geological epoch into which humanity has entered: the Anthropocene.
Texts:
· David Cunning, Everyday Examples: An Introduction to Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2015) = EE
· Roy Scranton, Learning to Die in the Anthropocene (City Lights, 2015) = LDA
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course you should be able to do the following:
Explain Socrates’ statement, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” by applying the statement in at least two of the following areas: ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Demonstrate a basic understanding of methods of philosophy.
Demonstrate an enhanced ability to articulate ideas about philosophical issues.
Use philosophical methods, assumptions, and principles to analyze philosophical ideas and positions, including contemporary problems and issues.
Evaluate philosophical arguments, methods, assumptions, and principles for coherence, relevance, truth, sources, and limits of knowledge.
Explain philosophical arguments, methods, fundamental assumptions, and principles about the nature of reality, self, and freedom.
Explain philosophical arguments, methods, and evaluate fundamental assumptions and principles of various ethical theories, including Deontology, Utilitarianism, and Virtue Ethics.
Evaluate your own philosophical presuppositions, as well as the philosophical presuppositions of others in order to assess the merits of these assumptions.
Course Requirements:
1. Show up regularly and on time. Be prepared to discuss the readings. You should carefully read the assignment before class, noting difficult passages and writing down any questions you’d like to pose in class. You should also briefly reread the assignment after class to confirm that you now understand the author’s main points. You may keep phones and tablets on your desk (except during exams), but there is absolutely no texting permitted during class. Students who violate this policy may be asked to leave class. I also reserve the right to drop any student who is absent for more than six class sessions during the course. If you leave class early without permission, you will be considered absent for that session.
2. Take five exams, each of which is worth 25% of your final grade. However, the lowest score of the first four exams will be dropped.
3. Final grades will be based on the following scale:
90 - 100 points A
80 - 89 points B
70 - 79 points C
60 - 69 points D
0 - 59 points F
4. Arete(the Philosophy Drop-in Tutoring Center) willopen for business on the third week of classes, and the philosophy faculty tutors involved can help youwith logic, reading, writing, or just plain-old understanding philosophy. Drop by anytime they’re open. There is no appointment necessary! Arete is located inBE 118. Their hours are:
M&W: 2-4pm
Tues: 2-6pm
5. Cheating and plagiarism are ethically unacceptable and will result in automatic failure for a particular assignment. For the official Cerritos College Academic Honesty/Dishonesty Policy, see http://cms.cerritos.edu/academic-affairs/academic-honesty.
6. If you have a disability for which you would like to request an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both me and the Disabled Student Programs and Services at (562) 860-2451 ext. 2335, as early as possible in the term.
7. If you are a veteran and would like to take advantage of such support services as counseling and tutoring, please contact the Veterans Resource Center on campus (TE-8), 562-860-2451 ext. 3716 (http://cms.cerritos.edu/va/veterans-resource-center.htm).
Standards for Classroom Behavior and Discussion:
Our goal in this course is to achieve respectful philosophical dialogue in which everyone feels that his or her ideas and contributions to the class are respected. This means not only that we should speak in certain ways, but also that we should listen in certain ways. Respectful philosophical dialogue demands that even if we strongly disagree with others, we should be very careful not to speak in a way that demeans them or their ideas. We should instead engage in active listening—a technique that helps us to be less defensive in responding to criticism or disagreement. Mindful, active listening requires each of us to focus on the words of the person speaking rather than on what we ourselves might want to say, and to reserve judgment until he or she has finished speaking and we are sure that we really understand his or her perspective. At the very least, active listening requires the following respectful behavior:
· No sleeping in class - but daydreaming is okay!
· If you are tired or ill, please stay home and get some rest.
· No side conversations, passing notes, or texting.
· No body language that is disrespectful (e.g., sighs, eye-rolling, muttering under your breath, throw-away comments after a speaker is finished).
Reading Assignments:
Introduction to Philosophy
Weeks 1-4 EE, chapters 1-2
Exam #1
Weeks 5-7 EE, chapters 3-4
Exam #2
Weeks 8-10 EE, chapters 5-6
Exam #3
Weeks 11-13 EE, chapters 7-8
Exam #4
Philosophy in the Anthropocene
Weeks 14-18 LDA and Andreas Malm, “The Anthropocene Myth”(https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/03/anthropocene-capitalism-climate-change/)
Exam #5 (during Exam Week, December 12-16)