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NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
T/R 11 am – 12:20 pm CORINTH Room #257
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Course Title: Introduction to Philosophy
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Course Prefix & Number: PHIL 1301
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Section Number: 417
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Sem: Spring 2019
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Semester Credit Hours: 3
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Lecture Hours: 3
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Lab Hours: 0
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Course Description (NCTC Catalog):
A study of major issues in philosophy and/or the work of major philosophical figures in philosophy. Topics in philosophy may include theories of reality, theories of knowledge, theories of value, and their practical applications.
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Course Prerequisite(s): None
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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:
*Steven Cahn, ed. Classics of Western Philosophy. 8th (eighth) edition. Hackett Publishing.
ISBN # 978-1-60384-743-8
In addition, there is 1 film you will be expected to watch OUTSIDE the classroom: Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010). This can be viewed online at Amazon Instant Video, Youtube, or other (unspecified) places. The Corinth library has 1 copy on reserve (48-hrs.). Public libraries might also carry it. You will also need notebook paper and pencil/pens. These are standard tools of students and should always be carried into class for unannounced and otherwise spontaneously produced assignments. You will also need 2 BLUE BOOKS for your 2 exams.
*The TEXTBOOK / HANDOUTS are required on designated days. HARD COPIES ONLY. No computers/phones will be allowed once class starts.
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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Name of Instructor:
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Mark Thompson
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Campus/Office Location:
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Room #209 (Office Hours: Tues. and Thur. 12:30 – 1:30 pm OR by appointment)
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Telephone Number:
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--------------------- (use email)
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E-mail Address:
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USE CANVAS or mthompson@nctc.edu
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GRADING CRITERIA
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# of Graded Course Elements
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Graded Course Elements
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Percentage or Point Values
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daily
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In-Class Assignments / Oral Participation/ Attendance
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10% (100 pts)
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2
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Exams
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48% (480 pts)
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2
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Movie Essays
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32% (320 pts)
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4
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Discussion Boards
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10% (100 pts)
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CALENDAR
Instructor reserves the right to alter syllabus schedule at ANY time.
Ì = Bring textbook or hard copy of handout to class (or 1 pt. deducted for attendance)
UNIT 1: METAPHYSICS (“What exists in the world?”)
JAN.
T (22nd) INTRODUCTION; DISCUSS SYLLABUS
R (24th) Ì Discuss HAND OUT (have read before class): “What Are We Doing in This Class? Is Philosophy Possible?” by Donald Palmer
*Reminder: 1ST DISCUSSION BOARD DUE Sat. 1/26 at midnight (Part 1: main post)
T (29th) LECTURE: “Origins of Philosophy”
R (31st) LECTURE: “Plato and Forms”
*Reminder: 1ST DISCUSSION BOARD DUE Sat. 2/2 at midnight (Part 2: responses)
FEB.
T (5th) Ì A. Group Quiz: (have read: Aristotle, Metaphysics, pgs. 193-194; 243-249 secs. 1-8; 254-255, secs. 1 and 2)
B. LECTURE: ARISTOTLE
R (7th) Ì LECTURE: ARISTOTLE
T (12th) LECTURE: “Heidegger and the Question of Being”
R (14th) Ì A. Group Quiz: (have read: HANDOUT on CANVAS [Heidegger, “The Question Concerning Technology”])
B. LECTURE: HEIDEGGER
T (19th) “ “ “ “
R (21st) EXAM 1 (Bring BLUE BOOK and PENCIL OR PEN). NO NOTES ARE ALLOWED
Be sure to watch Inception over the weekend (We will discuss on Tuesday)
UNIT 2: EPISTEMOLOGY (“What can I know and how?”)
T (26th) DISCUSS FILM (Inception)
R (28th) LECTURE: “Empiricism vs. Rationalism”
MARCH
T (5th) Ì A. Group Quiz: (have read: Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, pgs. 499-500; 533-546)
B. LECTURE: DESCARTES
R (7th) Ì LECTURE: DESCARTES; DISCUSS MOVIE PAPER #1 GUIDELINES
SPRING BREAK (No class)
T (19th) Ì Have read: LOCKE: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, pgs. 670-679; 687-688; 734-740)
B. LECTURE: LOCKE
R (21st) Ì “ “ “ “;
MOVIE ESSAY #1 DUE MONDAY (3/25): 9 pm (Upload to “Vericite.com”): Link is in CANVAS (Under “Assignments”)
MOVIE ESSAY #1 DUE MONDAY (3/25): 9 pm (Upload to “Vericite.com”): Link is in CANVAS (Under “Assignments”)
UNIT 3: THE HUMAN PSYCHE (“What do I desire and why?”)
T (26th) LECTURE: “Augustine, Free Will, and Original Sin”
R (28th) “ “ “ “
APRIL
T (2nd) Ì Have read: HANDOUT on CANVAS (Nietzsche, selections from Beyond Good and Evil)
R (4th) LECTURE: “Nietzsche and the ‘Will to Power’”
T (9th) Ì A. Group Quiz: (have read: James, Pragmatism and “The Will to Believe,” pgs. 1266-1272; 1278-1280)
B. LECTURE: JAMES
R (11th) Ì LECTURE: JAMES
T (16th) EXAM 2 (Bring BLUE BOOK and PENCIL OR PEN). NO NOTES ARE ALLOWED
UNIT 4: EXISTENTIALISM (“Can I control my fate?”)
R (18th) LECTURE: “Origins of Existentialism”
T (23rd) Ì A. Group Quiz: (have read: HANDOUT on CANVAS [Ortega y Gasset, “Man Has No Nature”])
B. LECTURE: Ortega y Gasset
R (25th) LECTURE: “Sartre and Nothingness”; DISCUSS MOVIE PAPER #2 GUIDELINES
T (30th) Ì BEAUVOIR: Have read: HANDOUT on CANVAS (The Second Sex)
MAY
R (2nd) LECTURE: “Beauvoir and American Women in the 1950s”
T (7th) WATCH FILM (in class): The Incredible Shrinking Man (Part 1)
R (9th) WATCH FILM (in class): The Incredible Shrinking Man (Part 2)
EXAM WEEK: MOVIE ESSAY #2 DUE (Date/Time to be Announced Later)
Discussion Board Dates to Remember (each part due by MIDNIGHT): Discussion Board 1 Due (Saturday) 1/26 and 2/2, Discussion Board 2 Due (Sat) 2/9 and 2/16, Discussion Board 3 Due (Sat) 4/6 and 4/13, Discussion Board 4 Due (Sat) 4/27 and 5/4
You can earn a maximum of 1,000 pts. in this course:
In-Class Assignments and Attendance 10 % 100 pts.
Discussion Boards 10 % 100 pts.
First Exam 24 % 240 pts.
Second Exam 24 % 240 pts.
1st Movie Essay 16 % 160 pts.
2nd Movie Essay 16 % 160 pts.
FAQ
- The In-Class Group Quiz will occur during the first 15-20 minutes of class (see calendar). Each student will be part of a small group of students (4-5) in which these conversations will take place. The aim of these discussions will be to go over the assigned material and/prepare both a written and oral group response. Each group will then be assessed by the professor during the group quiz.
- For Discussion Board Participation students will reply once to the professor’s prompt and twice to 2 other students (in that student’s group). The first reply should be at least 200 words and will be due 1 WEEK before the actual deadline (see calendar above); the second and third should be at least 100 words each (400 words total). The first reply is 28 pts; each response to a classmate is 11 pts (max. total of 50 pts.) Each discussion board thread will open on a Monday and remain open for 2 weeks (closing on Saturday night at MIDNIGHT). The 1st response is due the 1st week; the 2 classmate responses are due the following week.
- The First and Second Exams will occur in class (blue book and pen/pencil required). Both essays will have a prompt given at the beginning of class, which will relate to the assigned readings and material covered in class. Students will have 1 hr. and 15 minutes for each exam.
NOTE ON ABSENCES: Students who arrive 20 or more minutes after the start of class will be considered partially absent for that day (1 pt. deduction), as will students who leave early or who attend without a hard copy of the required text/handout. As we have only 25 total class meetings, attendance, bodily participation, and reading are all crucial components for this class.
NOTE ON TECHNOLOGY: The use of electronic devices—phones, laptops, e-readers, etc.—are prohibited. Such devices should be put away during class time. Further, students are required to bring their books/handouts to class, having completing the assigned reading for that class session. Students must bring materials (paper and pen) with which to take notes and work on any in-class assignments. WARNINGS will be given during the first 2 weeks. Thereafter, each interruption of class by a student using their phone/computer will result in the student being counted as fully absent. Students who persist may be subject to disciplinary actions (SEE HANDBOOK BELOW)
Campus Behavior (Academic Catalog: “Student Responsibilities”)
North Central Texas College reserves the right to take disciplinary measures appropriate to any violation and in keeping with its own best interests and the interests of other students. Such disciplinary action may result in a student being placed on probation or suspension from the College. In the latter case, a student will be given the opportunity to show his or her innocence or mitigating circumstances in a hearing before a Student Services Committee. This committee may uphold previous decisions or refer the case to the Chancellor of the College for final review. See handbook: https://www.nctc.edu/_documents/academics/student-handbook.pdf, specifically “Responsibilities” 2. d.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS:
- When studying/reading the text, turn off your phone/computer—or better yet, place these “things” in a different room; the spatial arrangement of your study area can significantly determine your brain’s ability to concentrate for extended periods of time. Don’t believe me? Just try it!
- Don’t think of your engagement with the textbook as a “forced exercise” or an “assignment I have to do” for “school.” Instead, view this moment as an opportunity to converse with the dead; in essence, you’re conjuring the ghost of Plato/Nietzsche, etc. and seeking advice/knowledge about this crazy world we all inhabit (and in their case, have inhabited).
- After completing the readings and assignments (exams, etc.), think about the level of comprehension and exam score you projected to obtain. Was it accurate? If not, come talk to the professor, bringing your notes and textbook so you can display what kind of notes you are taking while reading at home to prepare for each classroom sitting. It’s no use expecting different results by doing the same thing over and over: learn from your experiences.
Other Helpful Texts and Support Materials:
Try looking at these books in the LIBRARY. Some items are on both campuses (Flower Mound and Corinth) while others remain in one or the other:
Philosophy in 90 Minutes: One of my favorite series—you can read these literally in 90 minutes. All of the philosophers that we have assigned text readings for can be found on reserve at Corinth’s library for 2 hours (with the exception of our last 3: James, Wright, and Beauvoir). They must be read inside the library, but I found these very helpful when first studying philosophy. In addition to being very concise and to-the-point, the author (Paul Strathern) is usually funny (a little anti-religious, however). You can also buy these online for pennies and find some in used book stores. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BEFORE COMING TO CLASS ON THOSE DAYS IN WHICH WE HAVE ASSIGNED READINGS OVER A PARTICULAR PHILOSOPHER.
Does the Center Hold? This is an introduction to the big philosophical issues accompanied by bizarrely drawn illustrations.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (online). plato.stanford.edu: a trusted online source of everything philosophical.
ABSENCES/MAKEUPS:
There are no makeups for in-class assignments. EXAMS ARE TAKEN IN CLASS ON THE ASSIGNED DAYS (SEE CALENDAR/SCHEDULE). If student is absent they need to bring medical/legal/funeral documentation for why they were not able to make it to class. Student should contact professor via email ASAP. If makeup exam is approved by professor, it will need to be taken within 1 week or a zero will be recorded.
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, April 4th.
DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209. Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.
North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. https://www.nctc.edu/_documents/academics/student-handbook.pdf
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Name of Chair/Coordinator:
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Crystal R.M. Wright
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Office Location:
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Gainesville Campus, Room 824
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Telephone Number:
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940-668-7731, ext. 4320
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E-mail Address:
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cwright@nctc.edu
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Name of Instructional Dean:
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Dr. Bruce King
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Office Location:
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1525 W. California St., Gainesville, Texas
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Telephone Number:
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bking@nctc.edu
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E-mail Address:
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940-668-4267
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