Introduction to Philosophy (Phil 1301)

Phil 1301: Introduction to Philosophy

§51506 Houston Community College - Central Campus;

1-2:30P.M. Tu/Th--BSCC 205; Professor Thom Burrus, M.A.

▼ Course Description: Introduction to the study of ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes introduction to the history, theories, and methods of reasoning.  (Texas ACGM – Approval Number: 38.0101.51 12). This course is a theoretically diverse introduction to the study of ideas, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena, particularly in the areas of knowledge, ethics, and religion. (HCC Catalog)  CORE CURRICULUM COURSE

▼ Core Requirements, Certificates, AA-Degree Plan, and Transfer Information: HCC CORE HUMANITIES OR MULTICULTURAL AREA, or Elective.  Fulfills Philosophy requirement for various academic and professional four-year college majors and Philosophy AA-degree Plan.  Women and Gender Studies Certificate course.  DISCIPLINE NOTICE:  Students who are pursuing an HCC AA-degree plan are advised that except as noted, this course may not be used to satisfy any other HCC CORE requirement, though it may satisfy certain transfer institution college major requirements.   Students who are in doubt about their enrollment in this course should immediately see an HCC academic counselor who can review his or her AA-degree plan.

▼ Course Requirements: ENGL 1301 or Department Permission

▼ Course Goals: The basis for this inquiry is drawn from history, theories, their application, methods of reasoning, and carried forward to more recent thinkers and issues. Included is the growing emergence of women’s, minority, and non-western voices in philosophy.  Accordingly, this course should not be construed as history-bound, or strictly western in its perspective.  Its thematic elements are contemporary, including the nature and abiding presence of philosophizing in human discourse, and this discipline's impact on current developments in science, the humanities, and political/social order in world cultures.

▼ Expected Learning Outcomes:

1. 1. Recall and Identify the major thinkers, schools, core philosophical questions, terms and concepts found in the history of ideas cross-culturally construed, from ancient times to the contemporary world.
2. 2. Interpret and Explain core philosophical questions and concepts in terms that illustrate a comprehensive understanding of each.
3. 3. Apply core philosophical questions and concepts to contemporary issues and personal experience.
4. 4. Compare and Contrast related core philosophical questions and concepts, and the correlative thinkers and schools with which they are commonly associated.
5. 5. Justify a sound philosophical position on a topic, or topics of contemporary human interest in the areas of knowledge, ethics, or human condition that Integrates and Logically Demonstrates a Synthesis in thought.

▼ Course Learning Objectives:

►1.1   Acquire a broad familiarity with the names of major thinkers, the schools they represent, geographical location, and historical periods.
►1.2   Learn historically significant questions of philosophy, definitions of special terms, and concepts of knowledge, ethics, and human condition.
►2.1   Cultivate reading comprehension of philosophical writings.
►2.2   Distinguish various approaches to interpretation, including conceptual analysis, testing for validity, determining if sound or not sound.
►3.1   Articulate the relevance of philosophy and philosophical questioning to everyday life.
►3.2   Consider how philosophy may or may not apply to differing ways of thinking and cultural influences.
►4.1   Inventory, Summarize, and Assess correlative questions, concepts, and schools of thought found in the history of ideas.
►5.1   Create and cultivate alternative philosophical positions on presented course content.
►5.2   Develop coherent arguments for chosen positions, bringing to bear the rules of logic, written expression and disciplined thinking.
►5.3   Critique chosen positions and adequately Defend against possible objections, both theoretical and applied.

▼ Core Curriculum Competencies: This course stresses the HCC CORE Competencies of reading, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking, and computer literacy.

▼ Students with Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office, and to do so in a reasonable manner.  To visit the ADA Web site, log on to www.hccs.edu, click Future Students, then scroll down the page and click on the words Disability Information.  For questions, please contact Donna Price at 713.718.5165 or the Disability Counselor at your college.  District ADA Coordinator - Donna Price - 713.718.5165

▼ Academic Honesty: The pressure to earn high grades and belief that a good end can justify any means whatsoever leads many students to try cutting corners by resorting to less than honest methods.   Do yourself a favor by avoiding that trap.   The HCC Student Handbook lists cheating, plagiarism, and collusion as scholastic dishonesty.   It defines plagiarism as "the appropriation of another's work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one's own written work offered for credit."   It defines collusion as "the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing work for credit."    Work submitted for this course that is determined to be the result of either cheating, plagiarism, or collusion will earn a "0" for that assignment, and may cause the student to receive either an "F", or “I” in the course depending on your professor’s stated requirements for the assignment and the weight it carries in determining your course grade.    Students receiving an “I” for a course are ineligible for graduation until the “I’ has been removed from a student’s transcript.  Probation or dismissal from HCC and ALL its several colleges may also result.  See Student Handbook.

▼ HCC Attendance & Withdrawal Policies: HCC Students are expected to attend class regularly.   A daily record of absences will be maintained throughout the semester.      NOTE:   IT IS THE RESPONSBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO DROP, OR OFFICIALLY WITHDRAW FROM THIS COURSE IF, FOR ANY REASON, THAT STUDENT IS NO LONGER ATTENDING.   NEW RULES ARE IN EFFECT THAT GREATLY CHANGE HOW AND WHEN THAT CAN BE DONE.    YOU WILL NOT BE WITHDRAWN FROM THIS COURSE BY YOUR PROFESSOR.    FURTHERMORE, THERE ARE POSSIBLE PENALTIES OTHER THAN LOSING ONE'S PAID TUITION THAT EVERY STUDENT MUST CONSIDER CAREFULLY BEFORE WITHDRAWING.    THESE INCLUDE:

1. Students who repeat a course for a third, or more times, may face a significant tuition/fee increase at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities.
2. The Texas Legislature passed a law limiting new students (those starting college in Fall 2007) to no more than six total course withdrawals throughout their academic career in obtaining a baccalaureate degree.  There may be future penalties imposed.
3. No student may withdraw from a course following the set "last date to withdraw", which for Fall 2011 is Thursday, November 3^rd, 2011 at 4:30 pm.   After that date and time, a student can only be given a grade earned, or an "I" for incomplete.    Incompletes must be made up by the end of the following long semester, after which they will automatically change to a grade of "F".    Your instructor will not withdraw you for non-attendance and will withdraw a student if and only if provided a written request from that student.

 

▼Attendance Policy particular to this course: You are allowed a total of four absences, and a maximum of two consecutive absences for this course.  If you exceed these exceptions, you will lose five points off your final grade for every further absence.  Of course, exceptions will be made for any emergencies or extenuating circumstances, but it is YOUR responsibility to inform your professor of any such circumstances IN ADVANCE, and furthermore, YOU are responsible for arranging any make-up of assignments.

 

▼ Required Texts:

►Grube, Plato: Five Dialogues, Hackett Publishing, 2^nd Edition, 2002,

ISBN 978-0-87220-633-55

►Descartes, Rene, Discourse on the Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, Hackett Publishing, 4^th Edition, 1999, ISBN 0-87220-420-0

►Wollstonecraft, Mary, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Dover Publications, Dover thrift Edition, 1996, ISBN 0-48629-036-0

►Gandhi, Mahatma, Selected Political Writings, Hackett Publishing, 1^st Edition, 1996, ISBN 0-97220-330-1

▼Grading Components & Weights:

►Two Exams…20% (x2) [Learning Outcomes 1 & 4]

♦Exams: (including the Final) shall always consist of multiple choice questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, and essay questions.  A study guide shall always be offered at least one class term before every exam.  If a student is going to be absent for an exam due to extenuating circumstances, that student is to inform the instructor prior to the date of said examination.

►Six 2-Page Essays…5% (x6) [Learning Outcomes 2, 3, 4, & 5]

♦Essays: Paper topics shall be distributed in three sets throughout the semester and two 2-page papers will therefore be required over the course of the semester with each individual essay being worth 5%.  All essays submissions must be in 12-pt, Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins with Chicago-style footnote citations.  Documents not in this format shall not be accepted. All submissions are to be sent as a Word document attachment to [email protected].

►Final Exam…30% [Learning Outcomes 1 & 4]

♦Final Exam: The final exam shall not be cumulative, but shall only cover material from the last third of the course.

Due to the fluid nature of teaching, the instructor may change due dates, reading assignments, total points for assignments, and course structure as is deemed necessary by the instructor.

▼Minimum Writing Requirement: 4,000 Words (to be fulfilled in written components of exams and in submitted essays)

▼Grading Policy:

►A=90%-100%

►B=80%-89.9%

►C=70%-79.9%

►D=60%-69.9%

►F=0%-59.9%

▼Tutoring Information

►All PHILOSOPHY students are encouraged to use HCC’s online tutoring system for help with any philosophy class. Questions submitted to the ASK queue will be answered within 24 hours – and usually much before that. Tutors are on duty 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Online tutors will not do homework for you, but they will guide you in the right direction. To maximize the effectiveness of the system, be specific when you ask questions, and let the tutor know what class you are taking.  You will receive two responses – one from an English tutor and one from a philosophy tutor.

►Registering for online tutoring is easy. Go to www.hccs.askonline.net. Select a user name and password that you will remember. Use any e-mail address, and add your student ID number (W number). It will probably take five minutes to set up your Askonline account. After that, you can submit questions in seconds. Tutor responses are not e-mailed to you. To see the answers, log back in to the system and click the bright yellow NEW button.

 

►Online tutoring is also available for accounting, history, government, chemistry, physics biology, math, English, and papers in all disciplines.

▼EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System

►At Houston Community College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is necessary to improve teaching and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked to answer a short online survey of research-based questions related to instruction. The anonymous results of the survey will be made available to your professors and division chairs for continual improvement of instruction. Look for the survey as part of the Houston Community College Student System online near the end of the term.