Course Syllabus
PHILOSOPHY 6 — INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY, Section 8466, SUMMER 2021, PROF. MULDER
Zoom Meeting Times, Mondays 10:00-12:00, June 14 - July 19.
Final Exam open July 20-22.
Zoom Office by appt: available Tuesday/Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00
Contact: Message me through “INBOX” in CANVAS (email: dmulder@santarosa.edu)
Important Dates
TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS:
AS SOON AS YOU ARE ENROLLED IN THIS CLASS, ***CLICK ON YOUR CANVAS ACCOUNT (just under SRJC logo in the top left), click "NOTIFICATIONS," and make sure "ANNOUNCEMENT" is turned ON. Also, turn on CONVERSATION MESSAGE under CONVERSATIONS. You may select others if you choose***
Students With Special Needs
Every effort is made to conform to accessibility standards for all instructor-created materials. Students should contact their instructor as soon as possible if they find that they cannot access any course materials. We can AWLAYS find a way to make it work! Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278).
COURSE TEXTS:
Think, by Simon Blackburn (Oxford, 2001)
Plus sources available for free online:
The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell
What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel
Meditations, by Descartes
Apologia, by Plato
BEWARE searching topics in this course online!! Inaccurate, oversimplified information on philosophical topics is common online!
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This is an introductory course in the HISTORY and main TOPICS of philosophy. We will cover the major figures from ancient, medieval, classical modern, and contemporary philosophy. We will also become familiar with the major positions and arguments in philosophical theorizing about truth, reality, knowledge, morality, and justice. Along the way we will become familiar with philosophy's distinctive method of rational inquiry and the structure of argumentation.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
CLASSROOM RESPECT and COURTESY.
* Please show respect to your fellow students and the instructor. It's OK to disagree with others but do so respectfully rather than in a way that shuts people down or makes them feel hurt.
* Please arrive on time for class.
* Please pay attention, listen to the instructor and other students’ comments, keep camera on if at all possible.
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CLASS PARTICIPATION (15 points)
* Class participation includes several stages:
a. Showing up-participation (I make no distinction between “excused” and “unexcused”; you're either participating in a class meeting or you aren't)
b. Paying attention-participation — keep camera on if at all possible
c. Active involvement-participation, such as engaging in Zoom classroom discussions
d. Online Discussion Boards
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HOMEWORK, ONLINE QUESTIONS:
a) Assigned homework readings in the textbook and on the webnotes for the class.
b) Exercises/Questions turned in online through Canvas for a letter grade. Worth 25 points each. Some exercises, some short written answers. There will be five exercise sets.
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SHORT ESSAY, 20 points: One brief essay (approx. 2 pages double-spaced) on a figure or topic in philosophy.
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FINAL EXAM worth 40 points (comprehensive)
· If you pass the final (55% or better) your letter grade will not drop from what it was before the final.
IF YOU MISS THE FINAL, YOU WILL GET A SCORE OF ZERO. THIS WILL DROP A PERSON'S COURSE AVERAGE ONE FULL LETTER GRADE.
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GRADING SCALE: A = 100-90%; B = 90-79%; C = 79-67%; D = 67-55%
Participation, Zoom/Online Activity: 15 points
Online Homework: 25 points each (x5)
Short Essay: 20 points
Final Exer. Set: 40 points________
200 points total
Required Software
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