Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy

(T,Th, Ed Center 111)



         Ned Hettinger                                                                         Office: 16 Glebe, Rm. 201

         Fall 2012                                                                                Office Hrs: Wed 10-2

         Office Phone: 953-5786                                                        (Also by appointment or

         Email: hettingern@cofc.edu                                                            stop by my office)

         Class web page: https://hettingern.people.cofc.edu/Intro_Phil_Fall_2012/index.html

                                                          

Course Description

 

What makes actions right or wrong? Are morality and beauty in the eye of the beholder? Is religious belief rational? Can society legitimately tell individuals what to do? What do we owe animals, if anything? Are women different than (or inferior to?) men? Is everything (including our minds) purely physical? Are we determined to behave as we do? This course explores these questions while introducing you to some major branches of philosophy: ethics (our main focus), aesthetics, philosophy of religion, epistemology, social and political philosophy, and metaphysics.


Texts

 

James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy (7th edition)

Readings on the class webpage: hettingern.people.cofc.edu/Intro_Phil_Fall_2012/index.html


Evaluation


Midterm Exam (22%) Thursday, Oct 4th

Final Exam (24%)

This will focus on the material from the second half of the course, but may also include necessary material from the first half.

Major Paper (including a paper proposal) (34%)

5-7 page paper exploring a philosophical issue from one of the branches of philosophy that we examine. You will choose your topic and I will also provide a list of some possible topics. A paper proposal is due on Friday, October 19th. The paper is due on Friday, November 9th.

Reading Quizzes (10%)

There will be unannounced quizzes on the reading for the day (approximately 10 for the semester). I do not give quiz makeups, but I give “free quizzes opportunities” that can be used to substitute for a missed quiz. Also, if you will be absent, you may email me a summary of the reading for that day before the class begins and this will count for the quiz should there be one.

Class Participation and Attendance (10%)

This includes general quality of class involvement and attendance. Attendance is particularly important in this class. I want you to learn from each other and from class discussion. Developing the skill of thinking philosophically requires practice and following examples. These can't be adequately done on your own. Poor attendance will lower your grade; extremely poor attendance is sufficient grounds for failing the course. If you have a good reason for missing class, please email me an explanation. Please also come to class on time: Assignments, reading quizzes and an attendance sheet are given at the beginning of class. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet. If the sheet somehow misses you during the class, please come up after class and sign it.

Grading Scale:    I use the College’s numeric grading scale: A = 4.0 , A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7, F = 0.0