INTRODUCTION TO PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY FALL 2011: PHL100-83F
LORI NASH

Class Meets:  Tuesday and Thursday 12:45-2:05 p.m. in Campus Center 208
		August 28 - December 8, 2011

Office:  240 Campus Center        Email:  lori.nash@oswego.edu	  Phone:  ext. 3264
Office Hours:  Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and Thursday 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. 
		  			
Student Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you should
a)	have an understanding of a number of key philosophical issues in the following areas 
	      of philosophy: history of philosophy, philosophy of religion, epistemology, ethics,
	      and social philosophy.
b)	be able to read a philosophical work, extract an argument from a text, and evaluate an argument;
c)	be able to engage in a philosophical discussion;
d)	be able to use the library and use library resources to conduct academic research;
e)	be able to write a philosophical paper;
f)	be able to document sources;
g)	be familiar with campus resources, opportunities, and facilities; and,
h)	be engaged with learning opportunities outside of the classroom.   

By passing this course, you will fulfill the Humanities General Education Learning Outcome:
	Students will demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of at least one of
            the humanities in addition to those encompassed by other knowledge areas required by
            the General Education Program.

How you will achieve the learning objectives

We will be reading historical and contemporary philosophical works.  The kind of reading we will be doing is close textual analysis.  I will give you study questions to guide you through the readings; we will discuss the readings during class.  Your participation in these discussions will be graded to encourage your participation.  Reading quizzes will be used to help you keep up to date with class readings.  The midterm test and final exam will be used to help you retain the course material.

You will be writing an academic philosophy paper.  I have broken the process of writing the essay into steps to help you learn how to write an effective philosophy essay.  At each step, I will give you feedback so that you can feel confident about proceeding to the next step.       

Guest speakers will provide you with an orientation to campus resources, opportunities, and facilities.    

Required Text:  Mulvaney, R. ed. Classical Philosophical Questions, 
		    13th Edition.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Prentice Hall, 2009.

Recommended Text:  Diana Hacker, Rules for Writers.  SUNY Oswego Edition

Evaluation:	 library assignment		  5%	Grading System:  A-, A	    90 - 100%
		 3 reading quizzes (5% each)	15%			       B-, B, B+     80 - 89%
		 midterm test			20%			       C-, C, C+     70 - 79%
		 essay			  	25%			       D-, D, D+    60 - 69%
		 active participation		10%			       E		    0   - 59%
		 final exam			25%
					          100%

College Statement on Intellectual Integrity

SUNY Oswego is committed to Intellectual Integrity.  Any form of intellectual dishonesty is a serious concern and therefore prohibited.  The full policy can be found at http://www.oswego.edu/integrity.  

College Statement on Disability

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

Course Policies

It is important to keep involved in the class throughout the term as students who miss classes typically do poorly in the course.  If you are unable to attend class because of illness or a personal crisis, please contact me as soon as the illness or crisis has subsided.

If you miss a test, quiz, fail to submit an assignment, or miss the final exam, you will receive a grade of 0.

If you are absent from 6 or more classes, you will fail the course.

A student who is found to have engaged in an act of intellectual dishonesty will receive a failing grade for the course and the details of the incident will be reported to the Office of the Dean.  

How to Succeed

The best way to do well in this course is to attend all classes, read all of the assigned readings, write out answers to the assigned homework questions, ask questions during class, actively participate in class discussions, study for tests, reading quizzes and the exam, and leave yourself plenty of time to write your essay.  Record all due dates in a day planner so that you can effectively manage your schedule.  If you have any questions about the course policies or the course material, please make an appointment to meet with me or contact me at lori.nash@oswego.edu.

METHODS OF EVALUATION

Library Assignment (5%)
Jim Nichols of Penfield Library will provide an orientation to the library and instruction in proper documentation.    Following his presentation, there will be an assignment that will test your research and citation skills. 

Reading Quizzes (5% x 3 =15%)
You will be tested on your ability to understand the assigned readings.  I will give you a passage from one of the readings and you will identify the author and explain the passage.

Midterm Test (20%)
The midterm test will consist of questions that require 2-3 paragraph answers.  The test is based upon the homework questions and the material covered in class.  You are not permitted to use your text or notes for the test.  

Essay (25%)
You will be asked to write one 1200 - 1500 word essay.  There are five parts to the essay: 
a) essay sources (2%), b) statement of problem and positions (5%), c) critical discussion (5%), d) final essay (10%), and e) documentation (3%).  A paper with poor documentation will receive a grade of 0/3.  A paper with deceptive documentation will result in a failing grade for the course.  

Active Participation (10%)
Active participation involves attending classes, arriving to class on time, reading the assigned material, writing answers to the homework questions, and providing thoughtful comments during class discussions.  The following is used to determine your participation grade.  

Excellent attendance		missed no classes
Good attendance 		missed 1 class
Fair attendance 		missed 2 - 3 classes
Poor attendance 		missed 4 - 5 classes
Unsatisfactory attendance 	missed 6 or more classes (FAILING GRADE IN COURSE)
	
Excellent contributions	completed assigned work; spoke in 18 or more class discussions
Good contributions		completed assigned work; spoke in 12-17 class discussions
Fair contributions		most work completed; spoke in 6-11 class discussions
Poor contributions		some work completed; spoke in 1-5 class discussions
Unsatisfactory contributions	little work completed; never spoke in class

Final Exam (25%)
The final exam will consist of questions that require 2-4 paragraph answers.  The exam is based upon the homework questions and the material covered in class.  You are not permitted to use your text or notes for the exam.
  
SUPPORT SERVICES

During the term, if you experience significant challenges which begin to interfere with your ability to successfully complete this course, please let me know as soon as possible lori.nash@oswego.edu or ext.3264.  If you anticipate that you will be away from class for several days, please contact Student Advisement (ext. 2240).  If your significant challenges are emotional challenges, please contact Counseling Services (ext. 4416).  

Schedule

Date	    Topic				Reading	 		Graded Work 
 Aug 30    Introduction, Syllabus
Sep 1	    Plato and the Trial of Socrates	#1   Plato

Sep 6						#2   Plato	
Sep 8						#2   Plato	                  READING QUIZ (5%)

Sep 13	    Christy Huynh: MyPlan		#2   Plato
Sep 15	    Jim Nichols: Penfield Library 			 LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT (5%)		            
Sep 20	    Philosophy of Religion		#4    Aquinas			
Sep 22	    					#9    Hume

Sep 27	    Philosophy & the Meaning of Life	#55  Tolstoy	             ESSAY:  SOURCES (2%)	
Sep 29	    No Class

Oct 4	    Ted Winkworth: LifeStyles Center	#56 Camus
Oct 6	    					#57  Russell

Oct 11	   Knowledge				#26  Descartes	            ESSAY:  PROBLEM (5%)
Oct 13						#27  Locke 

Oct 18						#29  Russell
Oct 20								               MIDTERM TEST (20%)
			
Oct 25						#31  James    	
Oct 27    Ethics				#12  Plato		

Nov 1      					#13  Rachels           ESSAY:  DISCUSSION (5%)	
Nov 3						#10  Benedict	

Nov 8						#11  Stace	                  
Nov 10						#14  Aristotle	                             READING QUIZ (5%)

Nov 15	    					#15  Bentham	
Nov 17						#16  Kant	

Nov 22	    Social Philosophy			#46  King	         FINAL ESSAY (10% + 3%)	
Nov 24	    Thanksgiving - No classes

Nov 29	    					Mohr (E-Reserve)
Dec 1      Applied Ethics			#53  English           	     READING QUIZ (5%)

Dec 6						#56 Singer 
Dec 8	    Review					        ACTIVE PARTICIPATION (10%)	

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.            FINAL EXAM (25%)