Syllabus Philosophy 101
Spring 2008
Dr. Stratton
Philosophy 101
Introduction to Philosophy
Spring 2008
Daily 9:30 – 10:20 AM, Room 108
Text: Movies and the Meaning of Life, ed. Blessing and Tudico
Instructor: Jon Stratton
SOME FILMS IN THIS CLASS ARE RATED R
WHAT THE CLASS IS ABOUT
Philosophy is a reasonable discussion about the meaning of life.
This course asks you to create a personal philosophy of life, a written description
what you think makes the most sense in regard to three important ideas: The Self, God,
and Moral Values. Your main task in the course will be to complete a final essay that
describes your philosophical approach to the way these three ideas relate to the meaning
of life. The class will spend the quarter working toward this main task.
Philosophy is a reasonable discussion about the meaning of life. In our course,
we break down the discussion into three topics. First, we ask about self (for example,
“what is a person?” and “what am I?”). Second, we ask about God (for example, “does a
higher power that personally cares for us exist?” and “is the existence of evil evidence
that God does not exist?”), and moral values (for example, “is right and wrong absolute
or relative?”, and “Does God care about human moral choices?”).
Philosophy requires not only that we express thoughts about the meaning of life,
but also that we give reasons in support of those thoughts.
Philosophical discussion often centers on ideas in books, but ideas are
communicated in music, painting, sculpture, theatre, television, and movies as well.
Today movies are often an important source of philosophical ideas. This doesn’t mean
that every movie (or book, or painting, or play) offers philosophical ideas! What makes
an idea relevant to a philosophical discussion is how relevant it is to the meaning of our
lives. Philosophy is a reasonable discussion about the meaning of life.
HOW THE CLASS WORKS
There are five components of the class; three are class activities (lecture, discussion, and
viewing) and two are assignments (textbook reading, philosophy of life papers).
Class Activities
 Lectures last the entire class period and take place an average of twice a week.
The lectures are descriptions of important ideas in the course that are not in the
textbook. You should take notes because you should use the lecture material in
your philosophy of life papers.
Syllabus Philosophy 101
Spring 2008
Dr. Stratton
 Discussions last the entire class period and take place an average of twice a week.
The discussions consist of small group and large group discussion of the lectures,
the movies, and especially of the textbook reading assignment study questions.
 Viewing usually takes three days at a time. We view five full length movies in
class. The movies are a primary source of ideas for this course.
Class Assignments
 Textbook Reading is assigned for each week of the course. Usually the
assignment is only fifteen to twenty pages in length. The assignment is always
related to the movie. You are required to bring your reading notes to class as
evidence that you have studied the reading. These notes must be turned in at the
beginning of class on the day assigned. No late reading notes will be accepted.
 Philosophy of Life papers are assigned four times during the quarter. You are to
write three three-page papers on your philosophical view of each idea (a paper on
the self, a paper on God, and a paper on moral values).
Grades
 Lecture notes 10% – you will be asked to turn in your lecture notes on a
random basis. Bring your lecture notes and textbook with you to every
class session, including viewing sessions. If you do not have your lecture
notes with you when the random check is taken, you won’t earn credit for
them. BRING YOUR LECTURE NOTES AND TEXTBOOK TO
EVERY CLASS SESSION!
 Why this is important: Taking notes during the lecture keeps you
alert and on task. When you sit passively in class you are not
focusing on the course. Philosophy is an activity. It is something
you do. When you sit in class passively you are watching others
do philosophy, if that. When you take notes and focus, you are
participating in the activity of philosophy. It’s a lot like the rest of
your life. You can watch it pass you by or you can get engaged in
it.
 Reading notes 20% – you will be asked to turn in your reading notes on
the assigned reading from the textbook on specific days. You earn an A
grade for the reading notes by having an important comment on each page
of the reading that demonstrates you have studied the reading, not simply
read it. Reading notes are turned in only at the beginning of the class
session they are due. They will be returned before the class discussions.
If you turn in the reading notes late, you can earn a grade of C only.
 Why this is important: The textbook you purchased is an
essential part of the course. The essays you are assigned in it are
thought-provoking explorations of some of the philosophical ideas
in the course. In order to learn about philosophy, you must not
only read the essays, you must study them. The best way to do that
is to take notes while you study. This means that you will need to
read parts of the essays several times. The reading material for the
Syllabus Philosophy 101
Spring 2008
Dr. Stratton
quarter is brief; only five essays of approximately fifteen pages
each. However, each essay is a challenging philosophical
investigation. You should address the challenge and work on the
reading. It is not easy. If philosophy was easy, it would be easy to
understand the meaning of life.
 Discussion and viewing movies 10% – you earn participation credit for
viewing the movies and for participation (not simply attendance) in
discussion.
 Why this is important: Viewing the movies as a class gives us a
sense of community. We share the experience together and when
we discuss the ideas we can all reference that shared experience.
This class is, above all else, a group of people centered on a
common task. We don’t view the movies in class for recreation;
we view them to experience the philosophical ideas they generate
in us as a group.
 Philosophy of Life papers 40% – your papers are graded on how well
you understand the lecture material, the reading assignments, and the
quality of your own thoughts. You earn an A grade by citing at least one
lecture, and one reading assignment, and by demonstrating that you
understand the material discussed in class. An A grade also requires that
come to a conclusion on the topic and that you support your position with
good reasons. If you turn in a philosophy of life paper late, it can earn a
grade of C only.
 Why this is important: You need to have a philosophy of life in
order to live fully. A philosophy of life consists of your thoughts
about what life means to you. A philosophy of life goes far
beyond the values that have been drilled into you by your cultural
background. You take responsibility for your philosophy of life
because you create it. Your cultural values are what others have
told you about. You can be a robot or you can be a human being.
Human beings explore the meaning of their worlds. Robots just go
along with the program.
 Final Examination 20% – your final examination consists of
objective questions on the philosophical terms we use in class and
several essay questions on your philosophy of life. The class will
review for the final exam.
Syllabus Philosophy 101
Spring 2008
Dr. Stratton
Important things for your success
 Attend every class session. Do not cut this class, ever. If you are planning on not
coming to class every day, you should drop early and get your money back from
the business office.
 Class sessions are work sessions. Arrive on time, be prepared, and participate.
You can socialize and have fun in a lot of places, but not in your philosophy class.
We are here to work on the meaning of life.
 Turn in your assigned work on time. Procrastination is saying no to the energy of
life.
 Turn off any electronic devices, including laptops and cells.
 Avoid distracting behavior (for example, leaving the room once class has started,
whispering, eating, or making rude comments). Keep in mind that this course is
important to everyone in it. Your fellow students have paid tuition (over $300) for
this course with the intention of learning about philosophy, earning Humanities
credit, and graduating from WWCC. The instructor may lower your grade
considerably for any distracting behavior on your part.
 Turning in any work that is not your own will result in either failing or dropping
the entire course. Cheating is an exhibition of weakness of soul. Avoid it.
THE FINAL EXAM PERIOD FOR THIS COURSE IS 9:30 – 11:30
THURSDAY, JUNE 12