OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
GENERIC COURSE SYLLABUS
I.
II.
Course
Prefix
Course
Number
Course
Name
HUM
127
Introduction to Philosophy
Credit
3
Lecture
Lab
3
0
Prerequisites
None
III.
Course (Catalog) Description
Course focuses on the most fundamental questions that human beings have always
asked. Topics include a critical examination of theories about reality and truth, moral
values and social justice, personal identity and free will, aesthetic values, and systems
of religious beliefs. IAI H4 900
IV.
Learning Objectives
After completing this class, students will be able to do the following:
A.
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F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
Identify philosophical problems and concepts.
Outline at least four selected philosophical approaches to these problems.
Analyze philosophical texts.
Apply the methods of critical analysis used by philosophers to a variety of
topics.
Evaluate criticisms from a variety of perspectives of the philosophical arguments
and positions they study, both orally and in writing.
Develop and debate alternative arguments and approaches both orally and in
writing.
Integrate the philosophical approaches to thinking about their own lives.
Derive ethical implications from the philosophical theories covered and apply
them at the personal, national, and global levels.
Demonstrate an awareness of the rich diversity of global philosophical traditions.
Exhibit values related to teamwork and collaboration, fostered by the pedagogy
of shared-inquiry and critical dialogue appropriate to the humanities and
philosophy.
Generic Course Syllabus
HUM 127
V.
Page 2
Academic Integrity
Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate
academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code
prohibits:
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cheating,
plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
helping others to cheat,
unauthorized changes on official documents,
pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
any other behavior that violates academic integrity.
There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s
policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against
you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the
assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office
of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.
Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.
VI.
Outline of Topics
(Instructors may choose to take a historical, topical, or “great books” approach. Two
sample outlines of topics are provided here. In your outline of topics, please specify
the dates on which you will cover specific topics as well as other important dates, such
as exams and paper deadlines.)
Option I: Historical Approach
What is philosophy? (different cultural approaches to philosophy)
Ancient philosophy (e.g. Greek, Indian, Chinese, Roman)
Medieval Philosophy (Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu)
Early Modern and 19th Century Philosophy
20th Century philosophy (analytic, continental, feminism, radical challenges,
postmodernism)
Option II: Topical Approach
Metaphysics:
Body and mind relation (e.g. Spinoza, Merleau-Ponty, and the Feminist challenges of
Caroline Whitbeck, Lorraine Code, and so on)
Free will and determinism (e.g. Sartre, theory of Karma, Stoicism, Spinoza,
Mesoamerican cosmologies)
Generic Course Syllabus
HUM 127
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Epistemology:
Skepticism (e.g. Sextus, Dharmakirti, Hume, Postmodernism)
Questions about scientific method (Gandhi, Kuhn, Foucault…)
Ethics:
What version of morality should we adopt? (Kant, Utilitarianism, Ethics of Care)
What is justice or a just state? (Rawls, Marx, Feminism, Cornell West, Charles Mills,
Franz Fanon, Gandhi, Simone de Beauvoir, Susan Moller Okin …)
Why does community matter? (Rousseau, MacIntyre, Charles Taylor…)
What is aesthetic value? (John Dewey, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Emily Hicks…)
VII.
Methods of Instruction
Course may be taught as a face-to-face, media-based, hybrid, or online course.
Small group activities
Web-based learning
Class presentations
Lecture and seminar-style discussion
Field trips
Films
VIII. Course Practices Required
(Please include information here about all expectations you have for your students
regarding behavior, work, etc. The following are sample topics you may wish to cover.
Please be aware that you must require students in this course to produce at least 15
pages of critical written assignments over the course of the semester. These may be
assigned in a variety of ways including long or short research papers, journals, response
papers, field trip projects, etc.)
Attendance
Standards for written work
Quizzes/Exams
Participation
Essays
Final Project
Special policies about make-up exams, late papers, or other matters of concern
IX.
Instructional Materials
Note: Current textbook information for each course and section is available on
Oakton’s Schedule of Classes.
Generic Course Syllabus
HUM 127
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Instructors may choose to use several short works in their entirety such as Plato’s
Apology, Descartes’ Meditations, Hume’s Three Dialogues on Natural Religion, Mill’s
On Liberty, Sartre’s Existentialism and Human Emotion, and West’s Race Matters.
Another possibility is using a fairly comprehensive anthology of primary sources such
as Pojman’s Classics of Philosophy.
Instructors may also choose to use an introductory text that emphasizes a multi-cultural
approach such as Traversing Philosophical Boundaries edited by Hallman.
X.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
(In this section, please present the percentages or point breakdown of their final grade. The
writing assignments should count for at least 40% of the final grade. An example follows.)
A. Quizzes/Exams……40 points
A. Essays……40 points
B. Final project with oral presentation……10 points
C. Attendance and participation………10 points
D. Grading scale: 90-100, A…….80-89, B………70-79, C……….60-69……..D
XI.
Other Course Information
A. Disabilities
If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may
be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request
accommodations or services contact the Access and Disability Resource Center at
the Des Plaines or Skokie campus. All students are expected to fulfill essential
course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement
of a course or degree program.
B. Discrimination
The Oakton Community College Catalog states:
Oakton Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital status in
admission to and participation in its educational programs, activities and services,
or employment practices. The College does not tolerate sexual harassment or
sexual assault by or of its students or employees.
In keeping with this policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, in this class all of
us (myself included) should strive to listen and give careful consideration to all
ideas expressed in class, especially those that are different from our own, without
attacking or demeaning the people who have those views. We should also strive to
Generic Course Syllabus
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Page 5
avoid using insulting terms or telling offensive jokes when talking to or about
individuals or groups.
C. Instructor information
Office number and office hours:
Phone number:
Email and website:
Approval Dates:
(Faculty: Do not include the following information on your individual syllabi created for class
distribution.)
Effective beginning term:
Fall 2013
Ending term:
Syllabus prepared by: Hollace Graff
Date: March 2006
Revised by:
Date: June 2010
Carlos Briones
Reviewed by Chair:
Hollace Graff
Date: July 2010
Approval by Dean:
Linda Korbel
Date
June 2013