Spring 2005
PHL100: Problems of Philosophy
Park 305, MWF 11:30 am - 12:25 pm
Professor: Craig DeLancey
Office: Piez Hall 225
Office Hours: MWF 10:00 -- 11:00 a.m., M 3:00-4:00, and by appointment
Email: delancey@oswego.edu

Introduction

This class is an introduction to philosophy. We will take a problem-oriented approach, studying some of the issues that have been of special interest to philosophers. The goal is to become familiar with some of the concerns, techniques, and accomplishments of philosophy as a tradition and discipline.

We will touch on the topics in the book and several other topics. You should also send me an email if there is some philosophical issue that you would be interested in learning about or discussing, and I will add it to the class.

Text

We'll use one text for this class:

Sober, Core Questions in Philosophy

Lectures will sometimes diverge from the order of material in the text, in order to provide you with different perspectives on what we are learning. We will also have some additional readings online, and view some movies in class.

Assignments and exams

There will be three exams and periodic random quizes on the readings. The exams will be short answer, and will test your familiarity with the material and with applying philosophy. The quizes will be at random times, and will ask very basic questions about the readings.

If you have a disabling condition which may interfere with your ability to successfully complete this course, please contact the Disability Services Office.

Grading

The raw grade will be determined in roughly the following way:

Random reading quizes: 30%
Class exams: 40% (20% each)
Comprehensive final exam: 30%

These numbers can change because if we discern that random quizes are unnecessary their share can go down, and if they prove frequently necessary, their share will go up.

See my grading policy for a brief note on how I turn the raw grade into a final grade.

If you miss an exam and have an excused absence for the day you miss the exam, you may make it up, by special appointment with me, when you are able to come back to class. It is your responsibility to arrange any make-up exams as soon as you know you are going to miss the exam. Otherwise you may lose the opportunity to take the test, since I cannot give make-up exams after the class has gone over the answers.

Here is how you secure an excused absence: Only prior notification with credibly documented or easily verifiable reasons (e.g., medical visits to Mary Walker, documented participation in official sporting events, etc.) will result in excused absences. You must notify in writing, call, or email me prior to your absence from class. You must notify the Philosophy Dept. secretary, Jane Santore, before you are going to be absent, via email at santore@oswego.edu, or by phone at x2249. However, you must make sure she knows your name, the number of the course, the date, and your easily verifiable reason, along with a request to forward the information to me. It is better to give your information to me, except when you are unable to communicate with my phone or email for some reason.

Please hold onto all of your assignments and exams. Sometime before the end of the semester I recommend that you ask me to review the grades that I have recorded to make sure that I have not made any mistakes.

College Policy on Intellectual Integrity

Intellectual integrity on the part of all students is basic to individual growth and development through college course work. When academic dishonesty occurs, the teaching/learning climate is seriously undermined and student growth and development are impeded. For these reasons, any form of intellectual dishonesty is a serious concern and is therefore prohibited.

The full intellectual integrity policy can be found at www.oswego.edu/administration/registrar/policy_text.html#cpii

Office Hours

In addition to the listed office hours, I encourage you to make appointments. I am available quite a bit. Please try to come to office hours with specific questions in mind. You can of course come with a general request for help, but it is always helpful if you spend a little time thinking about how I can best help you out.

Objectives

By the end of this class, you should know:

• What deductive and inductive arguments are;
• What valid and sound deductive arguments are;
• Be able to describe accurately several of the historical attempts at a proof of the existence of God, with recognition of some of the difficulties;
• Understand what a "philosopher's god" is;
• Be able to describe the problem of free will, and libertarian and compatibilist "solutions";
• Understand dualism and physicalism in the philosophy of mind, and example applications like the problem of consciousness;
• Understand rationalism and empiricism;
• Know the "cogito ergo sum" argument;
• Understand what realism, antirealism, and relativism are;

Schedule

I will frequently update an online schedule of readings and assignments. It is your responsibility to check the www pages for the class at least every other day!