NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS ONLINE (Fall 2020)

 

Course Title: Introduction to Philosophy
Course Prefix & Number: PHIL 1301	Section Number:  0344	Sem:  Fall  2020
Semester Credit Hours: 3	Lecture Hours: 3	Lab Hours: 0
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.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS: *Steven Cahn, ed.  Classics of Western Philosophy.  8th (eighth) edition.  Hackett Publishing. ISBN # 978-1-60384-743-8    This needs to be the actual, physical book (e-readers/kindle versions have different pagination systems!!!) In addition, there are 2 films you will be expected to watch online: Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) and The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957).  These can be viewed online in CANVAS for free (under “STUDIO”).  You can also view at Amazon Instant Video OR Youtube for a few dollars ($).  Public libraries might also carry it.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Mark Thompson
Campus/Office Location:	Virtual Office Hours: M / W (8:00 – 9 pm).  Go to “Cisco Webex” (video or non-video, just audio) in CANVAS.   SEE NOTE BELOW FOR FULL DESCRIPTION (Pg. 3: “NOTE ON OFFICE HRS”)
Telephone Number:	--------------------- (use email)
E-mail Address:	USE CANVAS   or    mthompson@nctc.edu

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
5*	Group Quizzes*	20%
2	Movie Essays	30%
8**	Discussion Board Assignments	50%

*Lowest grade will be dropped

** Lowest 2 grades will be dropped

 

 

 

You can earn a maximum of 1,000 pts. in this course:

                                    Quizzes                                                            20 %                200 pts.

                                    1^st Movie Essay                                               15 %                150 pts.

                                    2^nd Movie Essay                                              15 %                150 pts.

                             Discussion Board Assignments                        50 %                500 pts.

 

COURSE PROMISES:  This course is a journey (should you accept it) that will reveal why people think the way they do; it will help answer why people believe in certain ideas and how those beliefs lead to actions and habits; you will learn how to identity common assumptions and foundations that people utilize to make their way through this complex thing called “life”; at the end, you will discover why you are the person you are today, allowing for a more fulfilling human existence.

 

 

NOTE ON COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR PROFESSOR:  You must use your NCTC-based email (either CANVAS or your @nctc.edu email account) to communicate with me. 

 

 

During the week (Monday – Thursday), my policy is to respond to emails within 24 hours.  During the weekend (Friday – Sunday) and on holidays, an email sent to me on those days/times might require 48 hrs. before getting a response.  IF ONE IS NEEDING A QUICK RESPONSE, TRY THE ONLINE OFFICE HOURS (M / W  8 - 9:00 pm) using the “CISCO-WEBEX” link near the bottom left of the CANVAS course).  You will need to schedule a time (a 15-min. block).

 

FAQ

 

1. All assignments will be due Saturday. This will allow you to develop a habitual schedule for these 4 months.  For Discussion Board assignments, each student will be assigned to a small group of students (4-5).  You will interact with them and get to know a small group for this semester (your temporary “family”) For quizzes, you will post answers to 1 or 2 questions about the assigned text (see CALENDAR).  You will not see your other group members’ answers until you first post.  The aim of these quizzes is to ensure that you have read and understood the assigned material.    
2. Modules consist of a variety of responses (quizzes, video clips to watch, power-point lectures, written lectures, Movie Essays, typically concluding with a Discussion Board assignment).  These will help you make sense of the assigned text pages, and should be performed/watched AFTER you’ve completed the textbook reading (and accompanying quiz).  These textbook readings are the heart of this course; each MODULE is a collection of activities designed to substitute for face-to-face, in-class lectures.  There will be 1 module every 2 weeks to complete.  They can take anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hrs (not including the readings!), so you should begin as soon as possible.  If you wait until the day they are due, you will feel rushed and your educational experience will have been a waste.  You will not have to do all the activities in 1 day; you can work at your own speed.  The key to successful online learning is to self-pace your learning experience.  Reading the textbook (1-2 hrs.) and completing the modules are all you need; however, it is imperative that you be proactive and start near the beginning of the new module week (Monday).
3. There are no “exams” for this course; it is hoped that this will alleviate any “test anxiety” that you may be prone to.  It is important to periodically check your syllabus to know what assignment is approaching (and its due date).  This is a responsibility of the student, although the professor will provide helpful reminders occasionally under “Announcements.”  When in doubt, consult your syllabus schedule.  Reduce unnecessary stress!!!
4. NOTE ON OFFICE HOURS:  If you need to speak with me (realtime audio, using your computer’s or i-phone’s microphone), you can schedule a 15-min. block of time during my office hours (see days and hours above) by clicking on “Cisco Webex” in CANVAS.  Then, click on which 15-min. block you’d like to reserve in order to chat with me.  If you do not have the audio capability to converse with me, we can head to “Conference” (under CANVAS) and just type in realtime.  Lastly, we can just email (old-fashioned).

 

HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS:

 

If you are unfamiliar with philosophy, it is going to be different than any other class you’ve taken.  And, since it is online, it might be even more challenging.  Philosophy and science were only recently separated into isolated disciplines.  The essence of philosophy is to question things (often things that we simply accept as true because we’ve been habituated to accept things uncritically) and to construct rational and reasoned accounts for the nature of things in question.  The “nature of things” also involves the natural world; this is why people were previously labeled “natural philosophers.” Today, we have “scientists” and “philosophers,” but the truth is, all humans do a little of everything.  We think based on the information given us from a young age.  These include cultural memes, scientific “proofs,” “conventional wisdom,” and other ideas.  Each particular group, community, tribe, and nation from a particular era generates their ideas from a certain context—the social, political, cultural, and intellectual environment.  This “habitat” (for lack of a better world) can allow certain thoughts to become “Truth” while discouraging other “truths.” An example is the debate between creationists and evolutionists; Darwin, the popularizer of evolution, was fighting against his era’s context; he was able to convince some people (mainly the new profession of scientists), but today, creationist ideas like the Intelligent Design Movement (see Stephen Meyer’s Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design for a recent and cogent summary) are battling this professional scientific environment.  For the longest time, the word “science” (Latin: Scientia) has meant “knowledge” in general.  It is only recently that people began distinguishing scientific knowledge from other types of knowledge (like math, history, psychology, etc.).

As a result, you may find the readings to be rather difficult, for they will lack “factual” quality of other disciplines.  So if you like to have a sense of certainty, you may find yourself confused and frustrated—but don’t despair.  You might have to read them a couple times to understand what’s being argued.  This is to be expected. 

            I encourage you to budget out your reading time throughout the week.  You will need at least 2 hrs. each week (typically, 1 reading per week).   If you try to skim through this material you will not make sense of it.  Most of our readings will present and follow out an argument.  You have to follow the argument in order to understand the reading:  that is the point of philosophy.  The conclusions are easier to simply accept, but the point is to understand WHY a conclusion is made.  Finally, make sure that when you read you are alone and in a quiet place.  Newspapers, magazines and some textbooks can be mulled over in noisy and crowded places.  Our material cannot.  Carve out bits of time to read wherein you are free from the television, internet, phones, other people etc.  This alone will greatly aid your ability to understand what you read.  If you don’t believe me, I would recommend reading Nicholas Carr’s enlightening The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains (New York: Norton, 2010).  You can also watch a short interview with the author here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tqRMbg7MPc  Better yet, ask yourself after 5 minutes what you’re thinking of as you attempt to read your textbook for an uninterrupted hour:  Emails? Headline news? Sports scores?

So, I will be available via email for your questions at any time during the week.  I check my email daily and will get back to you within 24 hours (though maybe not on weekends) if you have a question about what you encounter in your reading.  I will also have Virtual Office Hours so we can chat live (click on the “Cisco Webex” link in CANVAS during my office hours):  SEE TIME/DATES ABOVE, UNDER “OFFICE HOURS.”  You will need to “schedule” a time by clicking on a 15-minute block of time.  These are NON-video chats (AUDIO ONLY) using your computer’s OR iphone’s microphone.  If you do not have access to a microphone, we can chat by typing back-and-forth under “Conference.” If you’d like to ask a private question, email me instead. 

            If you seek additional sources, beware of the internet, even though this is an online course.  There are all kinds of sites that can claim to help you out, but many are run by charlatans, or deal with things beyond our scope.  We will be looking at tiny slices of what a given philosopher has written, so whatever you find on the internet about Plato or Locke may have no bearing on what we are focusing on in class.  I encourage you to either email me with questions or to talk to your other group members or bring it up during office hours.   

            Lastly, remember that philosophy is the art of living.  The point of our encounters is not to get you a job, but to help you understand yourself and your world!

 

Other Helpful Texts and Support Materials:

 

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 either at bookstores (Half-Price Books) or online to purchase (quite cheap).  I found these very helpful when first studying philosophy.  In addition to being concise and to-the-point, the author (Paul Strathern) is usually funny (a little anti-religious, however). 

                  

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.

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is  Friday Oct 30.

 

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

 

 

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.

 

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CALENDAR

 

                    Instructor reserves the right to alter schedule at ANY time. 

 

 

 

*Quizzes will be under “Discussions” in CANVAS (or find in MODULES)

 

UNIT 1:  “The Origins of Philosophy”

 

AUG 24^th –  SEPT 5^th        Complete Module #1 (“Pre-Socratics, the Origins of Philosophy, and Plato”)  DUE: Saturday (9/5) at 11:59 pm.  BE SURE TO POST TO DISCUSSION BOARD!!

                                   

UNIT 2:  METAPHYSICS   (Some Metaphysical “Problems”)

 

SEPT 7   –  19^th   Quiz: (have read) Augustine, On Free Choice of the Will, pgs. 372-384; DUE: Saturday (9/12) at 11:59 pm.  BE SURE TO POST TO DISCUSSION BOARD!!

 

                             Complete Module #2 (Freewill vs. Determinism in Christian Metaphysics”) DUE: Saturday (9/19) at 11:59 pm

 

       

 SEPT 21   –  OCT 3^rd  Quiz: (have read) Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, pgs. 499-500; 533-539;  DUE: Saturday (9/26) at 11:59 pm.  BE SURE TO POST TO DISCUSSION BOARD!!

 

                        Complete Module #3 (“Early Modern Philosophy and the Mind-Body Problem”)  DUE: Saturday (10/3) at 11:59 pm

 

 

          UNIT 3: EPISTEMOLOGY (“What can I know and how?”)

                                   

                                   

    

OCT 5^th   –   10^th  NOTE: THIS MODULE IS ONLY 1 WEEK!     Complete Module #4 (“The Revival of Skepticism”; Quiz: (have read) Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism, pgs. 352-362;  DUE: Saturday (10/10) at 11:59 pm. 

 

OCT 12^th   –   24^th  Quiz: (have read) Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding,  pgs. 670-679; 687-688;  DUE: Saturday (10/17) at 11:59 pm. 

 

                                    WATCH FILM ONLINE: Inception  (link is in “Modules” or “Studio”) See study guide and instructions under “Files”           

                                   

                                    Complete Module #5 (“Locke and the Impact of Empiricism”;  DUE:  Saturday (10/24) at 11:59 pm. 

 

                                     

                                    NOTE: In this module, you will need to watch the movie Inception (link in “Modules” or “Studio”); MOVIE ESSAY #1 DUE SATURDAY (Oct. 24^th) at 11:59 pm (Upload to link in CANVAS ([Under “Assignments”])  

 

 

        UNIT 4: PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY (“What difference will it make in my life?”)

 

 

OCT 26   –  NOV 7^th   Have read: HANDOUT on CANVAS: Nietzsche, “On Truth and Lie[s] in a Nonmoral Sense”

 

                                    Complete Module #6 (“Friedrich Nietzsche and the ‘Will to Power’”)  DUE: Saturday (11/7) at 11:59 pm. 

 

 

NOV 9   –  21^st   Quiz: have read: James, Pragmatism and “The Will to Believe,” pgs. 1266-1272; 1278-1280) DUE: Saturday (11/14) at 11:59 pm.

 

                                    Complete Module #7 (“American Pragmatism”)  DUE: Saturday (11/21) at 11:59 pm. 

 

 

UNIT 5: EXISTENTIALISM (“Are we fated to be free?”)

 

 

NOV 23^rd   –   DEC 9^th   NOTE: THIS MODULE EXTENDS INTO FINALS WEEK!  (Have read): HANDOUT on CANVAS, Ortega y Gasset, “Man Has No Nature”;  Complete Module #8 (“French Existentialism”)  DUE: Saturday (12/5) at 11:59 pm. 

 

 

                                    WATCH FILM ONLINE (link is in “Modules” or “Studio”): See study guide and instructions under “Files”: The Incredible Shrinking Man 

 

DEC. 9TH         MOVIE ESSAY #2 DUE WEDNESDAY, DEC 9^th at 11:59 pm (Upload to link in CANVAS ([Under “Assignments”])