OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE GENERIC COURSE SYLLABUS

I. Course Course Course Prefix Number Name Credit Lecture Lab PHL 290 Topics in Philosophy 1-4 0-4 0-4

II. Prerequisites

May vary by topic.

III. Course (Catalog) Description

Course explores selected topics in philosophy. Topics included vary, with focus on a single philosopher, group of philosophers, or particular philosophical problem. Course may be repeated up to three times for up to nine credits.

IV. Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:  read and critique major philosophical works;  assess the relevance of philosophical works to their own lives and contemporary social problems;  demonstrate their understanding through philosophical writing and through class participation;  subject their own views and the views of others to rigorous philosophical examination.

V. Academic Integrity and Student Conduct:

Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

 cheating,  plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),  falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),  helping others to cheat,  unauthorized changes on official documents, COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC) Page 2 PHL 290

 pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,  making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and  any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.

Please review the Code of Academic Conduct and the Code of Student Conduct, both located online at www.oakton.edu/studentlife/student-handbook.pdf.

VI. Outline of Topics

Examples of possible topics for this course are as follows:  19th Century Challenges to Traditional Moral Theory: An examination of works of John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Soren Kierkegaard. Although the views of these four philosophers are radically different, they all seek to undercut traditional moral theory, and this course will compare, contrast, and evaluate their efforts. This course will especially focus on the question, “Why be moral at all?"  The Intersection of Philosophy and Psychology: An examination of what psychologists have said about morality and the development of a sense of morality. This course will particularly focus on the works of Freud, Piaget, and Gilligan. We will ask whether these psychologists have made philosophical mistakes. We will also ask if philosophers who do not examine the insights of psychology make equally naive mistakes. We will look at large number of philosophers who have responded to Gilligan by developing a philosophically sophisticated version of the ethic of care.  Jean-Paul Sartre: A study of Sartre's philosophy through his formal works of philosophy and through his novels and plays. This course will focus on Sartre's claim that human beings are totally free and not determined by biological or social factors. In addition to reading parts of his major work Being and Nothingness. We will also examine novels such as Nausea and plays such as No Exit.  Contemporary American Philosophers Look at America: This course will look at contemporary American philosophers particularly those philosophers who offer criticisms of various aspects of our society, ranging from Noam Chomsky on the media to Cornel West on materialism and nihilism. In looking at these philosophers we will debate the relevance of philosophy to contemporary life.  Philosophy of Language: An exploration of the claim that the language we speak determines our conceptual framework.

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VII. Methods of Instruction

Methods of instruction may include lecture, class discussion, small group discussion, student presentations, and films. Field trips may be required. The specific methods will be noted on the syllabus.

VIII. Course Practices Required

Course may be taught as face-to-face, hybrid or online course.

Students must be required to read college level philosophical works and must be required to write at least 15 typed pages of material. This writing may take the form of a long term paper or several shorter critical papers. Students may be required to defend their views in class discussion and in formal presentations. There may be several in-class essay exams.

IX. Instructional Materials

Note: Current textbook information for each course and section is available on Oakton’s Schedule of Classes.

The instructional materials will vary with the topic. Normally, students will be reading substantial works by major philosophers rather than anthologies or introductory texts. For example, this might be the reading list for the course "19th Century Challenges to Traditional Moral Philosophy" described above.  John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism and On Liberty  Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844  Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra and The Genealogy of Morals  Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling

X. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress

Exams, quizzes, papers, journals, oral presentations, group work, and class participation may all be used to evaluate student learning. (The weight of each assignment or exam in calculating the final grade must be specified in the syllabus.)

XI. Other Course Information

A. Disabilities If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the Access and Disability Resource Center at the Des Plaines or Skokie

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campus. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program. Oakton Community College is committed to maintaining a campus environment emphasizing the dignity and worth of all members of the community, and complies with all federal and state Title IX requirements.

Resources and support for  pregnancy-related and parenting accommodations; and  victims of sexual misconduct can be found at www.oakton.edu/title9.

Resources and support for LGBTQ+ students can be found at www.oakton.edu/lgbtq.

B. Discrimination The Oakton Community College Catalog states: Oakton Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital status in admission to and participation in its educational programs, activities and services, or employment practices. The College does not tolerate sexual harassment or sexual assault by or of its students or employees. In keeping with this policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, in this class all of us (myself included) should strive to listen and give careful consideration to all ideas expressed in class, especially those that are different from our own, without attacking or demeaning the people who have those views. We should also strive to avoid using insulting terms or telling offensive jokes when talking to or about individuals or groups.

C. Instructor information  Office and office hours:  Phone  Email and website

Approval Dates: (Faculty: Do not include the following information on your individual syllabi created for class distribution.)

Effective beginning term: Fall 2013 Ending term:

Syllabus prepared by: Date:

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Revised by: Hollace Graff Date: March, 2006

Reviewed by Dept/ Program Chair: Hollace Graff Date: March, 2006

Approval by Dean: Linda A. Korbel Date: June 2013

Generic syllabus format revised 09/16

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