Introduction to Philosophy
Syllabus
Mr. Thi Lam, J.D., M.A., B.A.
Spring Semester 2011
thi.lam@hccs.edu
PHIL 1301/CRN 68714
Mondays, 6 – 9 PM
1.
Purpose: This course is a theoretically diverse introduction to the study of ideas, including arguments and investigations
about abstract and real phenomena, particularly in the areas of knowledge, ethics and religion.
Among its goals, this course stresses the core competencies of written and spoken discourse, critical thinking, and computer
literacy. Specifically, students will:
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Participate in a dialectic analysis of philosophy, its historic origins, and its various perspectives and impact on
learning, including areas and topics of inquiry and their relation to human understanding.
Develop critical and reflective habits of thought.
Discover the relations between an open mind and sound judgment.
Master the basics of logic and concept formation in written and oral communication.
Develop an appreciation of philosophy’s relation to community well-being.
Cultivate imagination and creativity in learning.
Grasp the idea of inter-dependence in a multi-cultural global environment.
2.
Required Texts: Five Dialogues (Plato), An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (David Hume), Democracy and
Education (John Dewey), Vindication of the Rights of Women (Wollstonecraft)
3.
Office Hours: I do not hold formal office hours, but please feel free to contact me after class, by email, or by phone should
you have any questions or comments about anything we've covered in class. I prefer emails because they give me the time to
respond thoughtfully to your questions. Please identify yourself (first and last name) at the end of your email. Write
"Stafford Philosophy" on the subject line so that I do not mistake your email for spam. I can make appointments for
individual students.
4.
Attendance: It is my experience that students with regular attendance do best in class. You are responsible for whatever is
presented in class, and may encounter test questions based upon class lectures. Missing more than six hours of classroom
instruction may result in the student being dropped from the course. If you miss a class, you are responsible for any materials
and announcements for that day. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class period. If you forget to sign the
attendance, I cannot allow you to sign it afterwards. At the beginning of class, I will sometimes display sample test questions
that you may write down. These questions will not be posted on the Learning Web. I will add one percentage point to your
final grade for perfect attendance (defined as missing no more than two class periods).
5.
Academic Honesty: All written materials must be the original work of the author, unless properly credited. Cheating,
plagiarism, and collusion constitutes academic dishonesty and can result in "a grade of '0' or 'F' on the particular assignment,
failure in the course, and/or recommendation for probation or dismissal from the College System." For more information,
please consult the Student Handbook.
6.
American Disability Act (ADA): Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the respective
college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the
Disability Support Services Office.
For questions, please contact Donna Price at 713.718.5165 or the Disability Counselor at your college. To visit the ADA
Web site, please visit www.hccs.edu then click Future students, scroll down the page and click on the words Disability
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Information.
District ADA Coordinator –
Central ADA Counselors –
Northeast ADA CounselorNorthwest ADA Counselor –
Southeast ADA Counselor –
Southwest ADA Counselor –
Coleman ADA Counselor –
Donna Price – 713.718.5165
Jaime Torres - 713.718.6164 and Martha Scribner – 713.718.6164
Kim Ingram – 713.718.8420
Mahnaz Kolaini – 713.718.5422
Jette Lott - 713.718.7218
Dr. Becky Hauri – 713.718.7910
Dr. Raj Gupta – 713.718.7631
7.
Prerequisite: Must be placed into college-level reading (or take GUST 0342) as a co-requisite) and be placed into collegelevel writing (or take ENGL 0310/0349 as a co-requisite).
8.
Freedom of Speech: Due to the controversial nature of ethics, I do not expect you to agree with every statement that I, these
philosophers, or your classmates might say. I strongly support a student's freedom of speech to express his or her
interpretation of a passage. I will not stifle individual expression just because someone deems it to be offensive,
unintelligent, or plain wrong. Having said this, however, I do expect everyone to be respectful in their disagreement. Please
refrain from vulgar or obnoxious language.
9.
Cell Phones: As a courtesy to your fellow students and to me, please disable these devices during class. This also includes
text messaging. Please don’t do it.
10. Repeating Courses
Students who repeat a course three or more times may soon face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas
public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor/ counselor about opportunities for tutoring/other assistance prior
to considering course withdrawal, or if you are not receiving passing grades.
11. Exams: I will administer four in-class, non-cumulative, closed-book exams. They will consist of multiple choice and shortessay questions. You will need to bring an essay scantron on exam day. All make-up tests will be administered on the same
day as the final exam. Make-up exams will not be eligible for any bonus points that I might give during the regular semester.
12. Critical Analysis Paper: At the end of the semester, students are expected to submit a four-to-six page, double-spaced
Critical Analysis Paper (CAP) on an approved topic. I will talk about the CAP later on in the course. The absolute deadline
for the CAP is the day of your final exam. Caveat: If you do not submit the CAP, then I will need four exam scores from
you.
13. Philosophy Roundtable: Students will be given the opportunity to attend the Fall 2010 Philosophy Roundtable towards the
end of the semester. In order to get proper credit for your attendance, you must submit a three-to-four page, double-spaced
Critical Reflection Paper addressing the following four questions below. The paper will be due on the day of your final
exam. The paper will fulfill the CAP assignment and will also earn Borderline Insurance credit (which consists of one
percentage point tacked on to your final class grade). If you do not attend the Roundtable, you may still earn the Borderline
Insurance credit by submitting an extra CAP (according to the same requirements).
a.
b.
c.
d.
Restate and critique an argument of one of the panelists with which you disagreed. Make sure you substantiate your
own views.
Which speaker did the best job of supporting his or her position and why? Do not choose a panelist just because you
happen to agree with his/her viewpoint beforehand.
If you asked a question during the event, what were the panelists’ responses? What is your assessment of their
response?
What is your overall impression of the event? Any suggestions for improvement?
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14. Your grade in this course will be a function of the following computation:
Exam #1
25%
A
100-90%
Exam #2
25%
B
89-80%
Exam #3
25%
C
79-70%
Exam #4
25%
D
69-60%
F
59-0%
--------------------------------Total
100%
Scores on the border will be rounded
up, if the student has borderline extra
credit.
READING SCHEDULE
Any changes to the syllabus will be announced in class.
Exam #1
“Nature of Philosophy” Power Point
Fallacies
“Trial of Socrates” Handout
Five Dialogues (Plato)
Exam #2
Epistemology Power Point
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (David Hume)
Exam #3
Democracy and Education (John Dewey)
Exam #4
Feminist Philosophy Power Point
Women Philosophers of the Early Modern Period (Margaret Atherton)