Syllabus
Course Description and Overview:
This course will survey a range of topics of interest to philosophers and prepare the student for further work in several areas of philosophy. We will examine some perennial philosophical questions and their treatments by both classical thinkers and more contemporary philosophers. Topics to be discussed include the nature of reality, the veridicality of experience, space and time, personal identity, the nature of mind, and moral judgments.
Successful study of philosophy requires both quiet study and active engagement. I expect students in this course to read serious philosophy and to participate in class discussions. This course is designated as writing-intensive, which means that you will complete four writing assignments and have some opportunity to re-write in response to comments. Students will write four papers and a final exam. Additionally, each student will prepare an in-class presentation.
Texts
Articles posted below.
Movies, available on reserve from the Media Library on the third floor of CJ.
My lecture notes, posted here after classes.
Your responsibilities this course include the following, with their contributions to your grade calculation in parentheses:
All the readings (or other preparatory assignments) listed below.
In-class participation (10%)
One Précis (5%)
Four papers (55% total)Paper 1 (600-800 words) due February 7 (10%)
Paper 2 (800-1000 words) due February 23 (10%)
Paper 3 (1250-2100 words)
due to peer reviewers March 29
due to me, with revisions, April 5 (20%)
Paper 4 (1000-1800 words) due May 3 (15%)Presentation (10%)
Final Exam (20%)The given weights are rough, and subject to adjustment.
Readings and Classes: Your preparation for class will ordinarily consist of either of two kinds of assignments: 1. Philosophical texts, or 2. Illustrative readings or movies. The nature of class discussion will vary depending on the assigned reading or movie. Some classes will be discussions. Some classes will be exegetical lectures. Some classes will have ad hoc group activities.
Our class is a cooperative endeavor, and I expect you to attend every class. There is no immediate penalty for missing class. But our class is small and any absence will be noted. You should discuss any missed classes with me, preferably in advance.
Précis: The précis is a short expository writing exercise on some small topic in one of our readings. You will receive either an A or an A- on the précis. In order to receive your grade, you must submit a worthy précis. Your first opportunity to submit a précis will be at the beginning of our third class, on January 24; everyone in class must submit a précis that day. If your précis is not worthy of an A or A-, you must submit a new précis at the beginning of each class until you have submitted an acceptable one. Précis are to be no more than 500 words.
Papers: All papers will engage one or more philosophical texts but may also invoke illustrative readings or movies. The first two papers will be short critical analyses of a philosophical text. The third and fourth papers will be standard, rhetorical essays, defending a thesis. The third paper will be distributed to peer reviewers who will comment on the essay. You will hand in your original essay, your peer comments, and a final, revised draft.
Standards for academic writing vary by discipline. Philosophical writing should be clear and focused and attentive to every detail. Do not be misled by the brevity of some of our assignments. Expect to revise your papers several times before submitting them.
Many Hamilton students take advantage of the excellent tutors at the writing center, located in KJ 152. I do not require that you use the writing center, but I may, early in the term, make a strong suggestion that you do so. You may approach them with early drafts of a paper, or even earlier in the writing process. You must make appointments, which you can do easily at their website.
You are always welcome to ask for my help on a paper, in advance of the due date. I do not have strict guidelines about how much time you must give me before the due date, but you must not expect me to provide comments in less than two full days.
Presentations: Your presentation will be an exegetical discussion of one of the philosophy readings. A more specific assignment will be distributed in class. We will sign up for presentations early in the term. The Oral Communication Center, in KJ 222, can help you prepare an effective presentation. If you wish, you can practice your presentation, and have it recorded and analyzed. If you wish to do use the OCC, you should make an appointment early. See their website.
Final Exam: For each assigned philosophical text, I will prepare reading guides, which are lists of questions corresponding to the reading. You can use the reading guides to help you determine your comprehension of the assignments. The final exam will be based directly on the reading guides. In addition to peer tutoring, both the Writing Center and the Oral Communications Center have an astoundingly wonderful set of resources to help you write and speak more effectively. Many of these resources are available on their respective websites.
The Hamilton College Honor Code will be strictly enforced
Office Hours
My office hours for the Spring 2012, term are 10:30am - noon daily. My office is upstairs in 202 College Hill Road, the Philosophy Building.
Schedule:
Note: The readings listed in each row are to be completed before class.
Class |
Date |
Topic |
Readings to do Before Class |
Presentation |
1 |
January 17 |
What is Philosophy? |
-- |
|
2 |
January 19 |
Reality |
||
3 |
January 24 |
Illusion |
Plato, from Republic |
|
| January 25 | Screening of Inception | SC G027 | ||
4 |
January 26 |
Sense Experience |
Watch Inception |
|
5 |
January 31 |
Idealism |
||
6 |
February 2 |
Commonsense Realism |
Moore, "Proof of an External World" |
Bobby |
7 |
February 7 |
Paradoxes of Motion |
||
8 |
February 9 |
Absolute and Relational Space |
||
9 |
February 14 |
The A-Theory |
Zimmerman, "The Privileged Present: Defending an "A-Theory" of Time" |
Emily |
| February 16 | No Class | |||
10 |
February 21 |
The B-Theory |
Matt H. | |
|
February 21 |
Screening of Eternal Sunshine |
KJ 125 |
|
| 11 | February 23 Paper 2 due |
Personal Identity | Watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | |
12 |
February 28 |
The Soul Theory of Identity |
Adrian | |
13 |
March 1 |
The Consciousness Theory of Identity |
Locke, "The Prince and the Cobbler" |
Cole Judson |
14 |
March 6 |
Irreducibility and Essentialism |
Andrew J. Adrianna |
|
15 |
March 8 |
The Bundle Theory |
Hume, "The Self" |
David Emma |
16 |
March 27 |
Personal Identity: A Case Study |
||
| March 27 | Screening of Blade Runner | KJ 125 | ||
17 |
March 29 |
The Mind |
||
18 |
April 3 |
Dualism |
Descartes, "On the Nature of Mind" |
Elizabeth |
19 |
April 5 |
Behaviorism |
Skinner, from Science and Human
Behavior |
Ben Andrew S. |
20 |
April 10 |
Materialism |
Neil | |
21 |
April 12 |
Functionalism |
Billy | |
22 |
April 17 |
Epiphenomenalism |
Leslie | |
23 |
April 19 |
Ethics and Meta-Ethics |
||
24 |
April 24 |
Morality and Self-Interest |
Logan | |
25 |
April 26 |
Consequentialism |
Matt M. | |
26 |
May 1 |
Kantian Deontology |
Mike | |
27 |
May 3 |
Abortion and Personhood |
Noonan, "Abortion is Morally Wrong" |
John |
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 9, 7pm - 10pm