RELP
2050 SPRING 2006
Dr. Seth Holtzman
office: 308
Administration Bldg,
hours: MW
3-5; Th 10-11 (if no meeting); TTh 2-3, & by
appointment
phones: 637-4229 office; 636-9666 home; 637-4428 secretary
email: sholtzma@catawba.edu
Course
summary:
This course is an advanced
introduction to philosophy and is required for RELP majors and minors. This course meets the Humanities general
education requirement, but one may not count both this course and RELP 1050 for
general education credit. Through the
study of the history of philosophy, we will explore the fundamental principles
that shape philosophy--particularly metaphysical, epistemological, and
methodological principles.
Unlike any other discipline,
fundamental principles that constitute or are the focus of philosophy are
themselves in need of philosophical clarification, explanation and
justification. For this reason and others,
there is no framework-neutral set of agreed-on methodological or substantive
principles in philosophy. (Note how
different that is from science.) That
fact helps make philosophy both a very difficult and a rather queer
discipline. There is, however, a broad
tradition in philosophy, lasting 2500 years to the present, in which there is
some rough agreement about philosophy and a record of answers and progress. We will attend mostly to figures and ideas in
this tradition. Lastly, we will consider
the sea-change in our modern Western civilization that has led many
contemporary philosophers to reject or question that tradition. Class format will be lecture and some
discussion.
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Expected learning outcome A successful student should be able to: |
Means of Assessment |
|
Demonstrate an understanding of what the discipline of philosophy is |
Short writing assignments, midterm, final exam, and short analytical
paper |
|
Demonstrate an awareness that the culture contains philosophical
assumptions and beliefs that we internalize |
Short writing assignments, midterm and final exam |
|
Demonstrate an understanding that philosophical issues and problems
arise from our ordinary beliefs and are therefore unavoidable |
Short writing assignments, midterm and final exam |
|
Demonstrate an understanding that disciplined philosophical thought is
essential to cultural health and that everyone needs to know how to think
philosophically |
Short writing assignments, midterm and final exam |
|
Demonstrate an understanding of philosophical history and of the
relevance of that history to our own civilization |
Short writing assignments, midterm, final exam, and short analytical
paper |
Requirements and grading:
1) Attendance is required. During a lecture, I may elicit some material
from you. So you must keep up with the
readings, that day's class, and the ongoing course. You should be mentally active and prepared.
Class participation can raise your final grade by up to 1/3 of a grade.
2)
Occasional writing assignments on the readings, usually one
page. These essays help you wrestle with
the readings, typically before we cover them, and help me gauge your understanding. You may work on readings with classmates; but
for essays, separate and reach your own thoughts before writing. I will drop your lowest essay grade. Late writing assignments are not accepted; a
missed one counts as "F".
Together, they count 15% of your
grade.
3) A cumulative midterm exam,
tentatively on March 2nd, testing your understanding of the
readings, issues and problems from the course.
Blue book required; write with a pen. If you miss the exam, you must contact me
immediately. If you know you’ll miss it,
contact me beforehand ASAP. I do not
guarantee you a make-up exam. 25% of your grade.
4)
An 5-7 page analytical paper, on or related to a philosophical
issue that we covered and that interests you.
Clear the topic with me in advance.
Due Thursday, April 20. Late papers have their grades lowered. 25% of your grade.
5) A final exam testing your overall grasp of the course, not
your memory of specific facts. I might
pass out a list of study questions one or two weeks in advance. Blue book required; write in pen. Date: Monday,
May 8th at 3:00pm.
35% of your grade.
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Requirements for written work:
Responsiveness to the Assignment
Writing should fulfill the purpose of the assignment directly and
completely.
Content
Writing should reflect an understanding of the
subject. Your writing should make good
use of the relevant concepts, distinctions, positions, and reasons included in
course readings or brought out in lecture or in discussion. Writing should be organized so ideas are arranged
logically and clearly. Main points
should be supported by substantial and relevant details. Your work should be backed by
good reasons. Your claims and reasons
should be consistent with each other.
You should anticipate and respond to any reasonable objections.
Execution
Use precise words and well-constructed sentences that
clearly present your reasoning. Adhere
to conventions of grammar, capitalization, spelling, and usage. Use a writing style appropriate to the
academy. Your
work should be clearly written, its claims precise, its structure clear, with
an explicit overall direction, and intelligible to an interested student.
Citations and
Documentation
You must clearly distinguish your own ideas
from source material. When using source material
that is not common knowledge, you must document the source using a standardized
(i.e., MLA or APA) method or abbreviated method allowed by their instructor.
Other requirements: in time, typed, paginated, tidy (stapled
or bound), standard margins and fonts, and dark print. Failure to meet these requirements will hurt
your assignment grades. Any papers
should have a cover page with your name, course name and number, date, my name,
and a title.
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Grading: "A"
"B" Good
mastery
“C” Satisfactory
achievement
“D” Less
than satisfactory achievement
“F” Unsatisfactory achievement; Failure to
achieve minimum competency
I use +/- grades, though A+ is not a possible final course grade.
A+ 97-100 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69
A 93-96 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62
Grades can and should measure achievement only.
Text:
1) The
Voyage of Discovery, 2nd edition, by William Lawhead
2)
handouts
Reading and taking notes:
Read
assigned passages carefully. Some material is easy and accessible on your first
try. Other assignments are quite taxing
and may well require multiple readings.
I suggest the following strategy for a difficult reading: quickly read it once simply to get the gist;
then read it carefully for details, ignoring the overall picture; then read it
normally, fitting the details into the overall picture.
I
advise you to take at least some notes on what you read, since I will lecture
on only those parts that I consider essential for us to cover in class. You will be responsible for everything in the
assigned readings, whether or not it is discussed in class. Lectures can cover material not in the
readings; this is another reason to attend.
Most
students take sketchy notes. Maybe they
think they cannot both take notes and listen; maybe they do not grasp the value
of taking notes. Learn to write as you
listen; it can be done, and it usually enhances your grasp of what is
said. Take as many notes as you can,
without losing too much of what is said.
Your notes are invaluable for understanding the course and for the final
exam.
Absences and violations:
To take
attendance--and to learn names--I will institute a seating chart in a few
days. Pick your permanent seat; notify
me to change it. I will check attendance
from the chart at the start of class. If late, you might be counted absent;
if late enough, you do count as
absent. Avoid tardiness; if often late
(without good reason), you will be counted absent. Sleeping
and other forms of mental disconnect count as an absence. When absent, you are responsible for missed
assignments and classroom material. Get
notes from a classmate. If you still
have questions,
contact me.
No absences
are excused. After 2 penalty-free absences,
which you needn’t explain to me, further ones lower your final grade: minus 1/3 grade for 3 total absences, 2/3 for
4, minus 1 grade for 5-6. Missing the class immediately before or after a vacation counts
double. Over 7 absences for other
than an emergency is automatic grounds for an "F" (or an "I),
regardless of your grades.
Respect the people and ideas in our
class. I don't care if you bring a drink
or sport a hat or wear rags. I care that
you pay attention to me and to others (so, no cell phones or activated
pagers/beepers/watches), that you are on time and ready to work, that you bring
a positive attitude to class even if you are struggling, and that you contribute
positively to class.
Cheating, working
with someone to complete individual assignments (unless specifically allowed), as
well as falsifying an emergency to skip class or an assignment, all violate the
Honor Code. So does plagiarism,
employing a writer's ideas (and even words) without giving the writer due
credit. See me for help about borrowing
someone's ideas or words for your use.