Philosophy 100: Introduction to Philosophy

Santa Ana College Humanities & Social Sciences

Philosophy 106: Introduction to Philosophy

Spring 2017 Section 30279 Room D-105 Friday 6:30pm – 9:40pm & Saturday 8am – 11:10am

Course Syllabus

Instructor David Kelsey E-mail: [email protected] Office hours by appointment [email protected]

Course description: This course consists of a survey of historical and contemporary ideas on how to live the good life. We will study material from four different areas of philosophy: philosophy of religion (weeks 2-3,) epistemology (weeks 4-5,) philosophy of mind (weeks 5-6,) & Ethics (weeks 7-8). As well as learning about these topics you will also learn how to assess philosophical positions and arguments.

Student Learning Outcomes: Student who successfully complete this course will: 1. Understand, and develop sustained analytical responses to, key historical and contemporary philosophical doctrines and arguments concerning issues relating to human nature, the mind and consciousness, epistemology, metaphysics, religion, and ethics. 2. Synthesize ideas from different philosophical readings in order to grasp larger philosophical conceptions and viewpoints. 3. Write effective essays that demonstrate knowledge of the course material related to the essay thesis and that analyze the material in a clear, systematic, original, thoughtful, and well- developed manner. 4. Engage in critical discussion and dialogue with other class members about the philosophical doctrines and arguments covered throughout the course.

Reading: David Kelsey, Introduction to Philosophy Readings and Analysis (3rd edition, 2015, ISBN: 9781259895197) Anthony Weston, A Rulebook for Arguments (4th edition, 2009, ISBN: 9780872209541) Selected articles and other materials to be determined

Class website: You can find course materials on the course website. Here is the url: www.davidkelseyphilosophy.com

Requirements: 2 in class exams (60%) One 4-6 page paper (20%)

1 Class participation (20%)

Note: If you fail to take either of the mid-term exams or the final, you will receive zero (0) points for that exam, whereas if you take but fail the exam, you will receive at least some points. Please keep that in mind if you are considering not fulfilling any of the course requirements.

Grading:

The Exams: The details of the 2 in class Exams have yet to be decided, but these will most likely consist of a variety of short answer and essay questions.

The Paper: The paper must be typed on a Microsoft word document. The font should be size 12 and either Garamond or Times New Roman. The paper must be 4-6 pages in length. The details of the paper topics have yet to be decided. Paper topics will be handed out no later than 2 weeks before the paper due date.

Class Participation: Class Participation will count for 20% of your overall grade in the class. This grade will consist of the following: your overall contribution to class discussion and several pop quizzes. Overall Contribution to Class discussion: During a class meeting I will keep track of who is participating in lecture and who isn’t. For each class you will be assigned a grade based upon your class participation. This won’t be for every class meeting. Instead I will grade participation during some or even most class meetings. For the class meetings I do grade participation, things that will help your participation grade include: simply paying attention, simply not disturbing class (for example by arriving late or leaving early or by talking to a fellow student during lecture,) and, of course, any helpful comments you make. And if you do anything to disturb class during lecture this will hurt your participation grade. Pop quizzes: I may give pop quizzes through the course of the semester. A pop quiz will consist of no more than one short essay question. The topic of the essay question will most likely be something from the previous class lecture. Note that I will give pop quizzes if tardiness becomes a problem. Also note that a pop quiz will always be handed out at the minute class is set to begin. The quizzes will then be collected at 15 minutes after class begins with absolutely no exceptions to this rule!!!

Late Work: Late work will be assigned the following late penalty. Up to 2 days late: 10% late penalty (i.e. an assignment that is due Wednesday but which is turned in on Friday will be penalized 10%) 3 or more days late: 25% late penalty

Absence/Drop Policy It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw officially from a course. However, because of enrollment demand a student may be dropped by the instructor when not appearing at the first class meeting. A student may also be dropped for excessive absences when the total hours of absences exceed 10% of the total scheduled hours of the class. Under extenuating circumstances, a student may be reinstated by the instructor.

2 Dates to remember Last day to drop without a W: 4/27/2017 Last day to drop with a W: 5/27/2017 Last day to get a refund: 4/22/2017 Last day to add (add code required): 4/27/2017 Student Conduct All students are responsible for maintaining appropriate conduct while enrolled in classes through the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD). Guidelines for student conduct are set forth in the RSCCD “Standards of Student Conduct” policy. Detailed information regarding student discipline and rights within this policy is available in the college catalog and student handbook. Students who violate the Standards of Conduct are subject to disciplinary action, which includes, but is not limited to, removal from class, suspension and expulsion.

Class Rules of Conduct: Please observe the following rules when attending class: 1. Arrive on time and leave after class is dismissed (Please notify the instructor if you must arrive late or leave early.) 2. No eating in class. Drinking water or coffee during class is ok, but please clean up after yourself! 3. Turn off all cell phones (no calls or text messages during class Please!) 4. Avoid side conversations and in general any disruptive behavior. Continued rudeness or disruptiveness may result in being ejected from the class and, eventually, being dropped from the course.

Confidentiality: Your work and performance is considered to be confidential. For this reason the instructor will not discuss your grade and/or standing in the course with anyone but the student. Information will not be made available to any outside members including: parents, friends, relatives, etc. If you are under 18 years of age and this issue poses a problem, then please do not take this course.

Accommodations for Disabilities: A Student with a disability, who would like to request an academic accommodation, is responsible for identifying herself/himself to the instructor and to the Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) office. To make arrangements for academic accommodations, contact the DSPS Office in Johnston Center, U-103, or phone (714) 564-6264, TTY (714) 564-6284 for a referral to the appropriate DSPS Department. Note: It is the disabled student’s responsibility to contact the course instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss potential plans when classroom evacuations are necessary.

Academic Honesty: Students of the Rancho Santiago Community College District are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. To falsify the results of one’s research, to steal the words or ideas of another, or to cheat on an examination, corrupts the essential process by which knowledge is advanced. Academic dishonesty is seen as an intentional act of fraud, in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work of another without authorization, or uses unauthorized material or fabricated information in any academic exercise. We as an institution also consider academic dishonesty to include forgery of academic documents, intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others, assisting other students in acts of dishonesty or coercing students into acts of dishonesty. For specific policy information and procedures followed in matters of student violation of academic honesty, see the current SAC catalog.

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabus. Topics and assignments may be modified as the semester progresses to accommodate the needs of the class. The class will be informed of such changes if and when they occur.

3 Schedule of Lecture Topics, Readings and Assignments: The schedule set forth below is subject to adjustment—we may go faster or slower, in which case I may add another topic or drop one. I will announce any such adjustments as much in advance as is possible. Unless and until an adjustment is announced, however, you should assume we will cover the topics and readings indicated on the dates and in the order given below. You will get much more out of the lectures and the accompanying class discussion if you have done the assigned reading beforehand, so all reading assignments should be completed prior to the class for which they are assigned. I may spend more time on some aspects of the assigned reading than others (indeed I may touch on some parts of each assignment only briefly), but you should still read all of the material specified for each assignment. You will be expected to be familiar with all of the material assigned (even what we don’t specifically discuss) for the mid-term and the final exam.

April 21: Lecture 1a: What is Philosophy? Read Chapter 1 of Kelsey, Introduction, pages 1-8

April 22: Lecture1b: What is Philosophy? Read Chapter 1 of Kelsey, Introduction, pages 1-8

April 28: Lecture 2: Arguments Read Chapter 1-6 of Weston, pages 1-45 Lecture 3: Evaluating Arguments Read chapter 7 of Weston, Extended Arguments, pages 49-55

April 29: Lecture 3: Evaluating Arguments Read chapter 7 of Weston, Extended Arguments, pages 49-55

May 5: Lecture 4: Introduction to Philosophy of Religion Read chapter 3 of Kelsey, Aquinas & the Five Ways, pages 16-22 Read chapter 6 of Kelsey, Hume & the Argument from Design, pages 34-38 Lecture 5: Anselm & the Ontological Argument Read chapter 2 of Kelsey, Anselm & The Ontological Argument, pages 11-15

May 6: Lecture 6: Pascal’s Wager Read chapter 4 of Kelsey, Pascal & The Wager, pages 23-27 Lecture 9: Writing Philosophy papers Hand out 4-5 page paper topics Exam #1 review

May 12: Exam #1 This exam will cover lectures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8

4 Lecture 7: Mackie’s argument from Evil Read chapter 5 of Kelsey, Mackie & The Argument from Evil, pages 28-33

May 13: Lecture 8: Introduction to Epistemology Read chapter 7 of Kelsey, Gettier & The Definition of Knowledge, pages 41-46 Lecture 10: The Epistemology of Rene Descartes Read chapter 8 of Kelsey, Descartes & The Meditations, pages 47-68 May 19: Lecture 10: The Epistemology of Rene Descartes Read chapter 8 of Kelsey, Descartes & The Meditations, pages 47-68

May 20: Lecture 10: The Epistemology of Rene Descartes Read chapter 8 of Kelsey, Descartes & The Meditations, pages 47-68

May 26: Lecture 11: George Berkeley Read chapter 9 of Kelsey, Berkeley & Idealism, pages 69-85

May 27: Lecture 12: Introduction to Philosophy of Mind & Descartes Read chapter 8 of Kelsey, Descartes & The Meditations. Note that you need read only pages 57-68 Lecture 13: Physicalism Read chapter 10 of Kelsey, Armstrong & The Nature of Mind, pages 89-102 Read chapter 11 of Kelsey, Smart & Identity Theory, pages 103-108

June 2: Lecture 14: Jackson’s Mary Thought Experiment Read chapter 12 of Kelsey, Jackson & The Knowledge Argument, pages 109-113 Lecture 16: Utilitarianism Read chapter 13 of Kelsey, Mill & Utilitarianism, pages 117-124 4-6 page paper due

June 3: Lecture 17: Kant & Williams Read chapter 14 of Kelsey, Kant & The Groundwork, pages 125-136 Read chapter 15 of Kelsey, Williams & Integrity, pages 137-144

June 9: Remaining class business Exam #2 review

June 10: Exam #2 The final exam will cover lectures 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17