PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy
Baruch College, Fall 2014
Monday & Wednesday 11:10am-12:25pm
section: CMWA, credits: 3.0
room: VC 8-135
course website: bit.ly/phi1500
instructor: Lauren R. Alpert
email: LAlpert@baruch.cuny.edu
office: Philosophy Dept. office, VC 5-295
office hours: by appointment
(email me to schedule)
This course will introduce you to some of the major questions, themes, and works of
(Western) philosophy. While getting acquainted with the ideas and perspectives of
authors spanning nearly three millennia, you’ll learn how to critically evaluate
philosophical claims and arguments, as well as how to make sound and persuasive
claims and arguments of your own.
PHI 1500 satisfies the Flexible Core Individual and Society requirement (not to mention
your thirst for knowledge).
requirements & grading
To complete this course, you will:
− read the work(s) assigned for each session
− all readings are accessible as PDFs on the course website
− please bring the text to class (printed, or on a laptop/tablet screen) to
refer to during discussion
− write 2 essays (each 2-3 pages) <- REVISED 10/30/14
− topics will be distributed ~two weeks before the due date
− essays must be typed & double-spaced in 12 pt. font
− please submit essays by email before midnight on the due date
− take 2 quizzes and 2 exams (midterm and final)
− topics covered will be announced two weeks in advance
− we will have in-class review sessions prior to each exam
− quizzes/exams will be a mixture of multiple choice and short-answer
− email me ~once a week, with at least 5 sentences of comments and/or
questions about the reading assigned for the upcoming class session
− exam days are not included
− students with last names starting with A-L will email by midnight
Sunday before Monday classes; M-Z last names will email on by
midnight Tuesday before Wednesday classes
− You must send 10 total emails. That means Sunday emailers can skip 3
sessions, and Tuesday emailers can skip 2 (because we have one more
Monday class than Wednesday)
− Up to 2 emails beyond the 10 required will count towards extra credit
Grades are calculated as follows (according to Baruch’s letter grade/point scale:
see https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/advisement/grades-and-gpa.html)
− Quizzes: 10% each = 20%
− Essays: First 10%, Second 15% = 25%
− Exams: Midterm 20%, Final 20% = 40%
− Participation: Emails & In-class contribution = 15%
course schedule (calendar view is on p. 6)
What is philosophy? (course overview)
1. September 3rd
−
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Introduction to the course/each other
Introduction to “Glossary of Philosophical Jargon” for Quiz #1
−
−
Bertrand Russell, “The Value of Philosophy”
Watch “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” video
2. September 8th
How does one do philosophy? (methodology)
3. September 10th
−
Jim Pryor, “Guidelines on Reading Philosophy”, “What is An
Argument?” & “Vocabulary Describing Arguments”
4. September 15th
−
−
Peter Horban, “Writing a Philosophy Paper”
Jim Pryor, “Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper”
What can we know? (epistemology)
5. September 17th
−
−
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QUIZ #1: Philosophy Jargon
Bertrand Russell, “Appearance & Reality”
René Descartes, Meditation I & II from Meditations on First Philosophy
−
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David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (excerpt)
Essay #1 Topics distributed
−
−
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A.J. Ayer, “What is Knowledge?” (excerpt)
Edmund L. Gettier, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” (excerpt)
Robert Nozick, “Conditions for Knowledge” (excerpt)
6. September 22nd
**no class September 24th**
7. September 29th
What is human nature? (social/political philosophy)
8. October 1st
−
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (excerpt)
−
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ESSAY #1 DUE
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (excerpt)
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Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existentialism is a Humanism”
9. October 6th
10. October 8th
** no class October 13th**
What governs our behavior? (metaphysics)
11. October 15th
−
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Thomas Nagel, “Free Will” (excerpt)
W.T. Stace, “Free Will and Determinism” (excerpt)
o OPTIONAL: Henry Frankfurt, “Alternative Possibilities and
Moral Responsibility”
12. October 20th
−
Adina Roskies & Shaun Nichols, “Bringing Moral Responsibility Down to
Earth”
13. October 22nd
−
Stanley Milgram, Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View (excerpt)
PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy
14. October 27th
−
In-class review for midterm
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MIDTERM EXAM
15. October 29th
How does the mind work? (philosophy of mind)
16. November 3rd
−
René Descartes, Meditation VI from Meditations on First Philosophy
o OPTIONAL: Barbara Montero, On the Philosophy of Mind (excerpt 1)
17. November 5th
−
Gilbert Ryle, “Descartes’ Myth” from The Concept of Mind
−
Frank Jackson, “Epiphenomenal Qualia” and “What Mary Didn’t Know”
(excerpts)
o Barbara Montero, On the Philosophy of Mind (excerpt 2)
18. November 10th
19. November 12th
−
Patricia Churchland, “A Neurophilosophical Slant to Consciousness
Research”
How should we treat each other? (ethics)
20. November 17th
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−
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QUIZ #2: Philosophy of Mind
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (excerpt)
Essay #2 topics distributed
−
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (excerpt)
−
Onora O’Neill, “A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics”
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Judith Jarvis Thomson, “Killing, Letting Die, and the Trolley Problem”
21. November 19th
22. November 24th
** no class November 26th** Happy Thanksgiving!
23. December 1st
How should we respond to injustice? (social/political philosophy)
24. December 3rd
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ESSAY #2 DUE
Simone de Beauvoir, excerpts from The Second Sex
−
Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
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Albert Camus, excerpts from The Rebel
−
In-class review for final
25. December 8th
26. December 10th
27. December 15th
Monday, December 22nd, 10:30am-12:30pm
FINAL EXAM
PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy
policies
− Check the course website and your email regularly for updates. I may also
post additional resources that may be helpful to you. I will also email the
class in the event of any changes to the course schedule.
− Feel free to email me if you have questions or concerns about the course. I
will try to make expectations for essays, quizzes, and exams abundantly clear,
so please read assignments thoroughly before emailing. Please include “PHI
1500” in the subject line and sign emails with your full name. I will do my
best to respond promptly to emails.
classroom
− Please arrive on time and ready to take notes. If you arrive late, please do so
quietly to avoid distracting your fellow students.
− Eating and drinking are permitted in class if done quietly and courteously.
− Laptops and tablets are permitted for note-taking, unless it is distracting to
you, me, or anyone around you.
− If you print the readings or Powerpoint slides for your personal use, please
print double-sided and/or multiple pages/slides per sheet to save paper.
− Please silence cell phones during class.
attendance
− You are allowed one unexcused absence for the semester.
− Please notify me by email if you know in advance that you will have to miss
a quiz or exam, so that we can schedule an alternative time for you to take it.
− You are responsible for all course material, including that covered in
lectures you miss. Refer to the Powerpoint slides and consult your classmates
about material covered in any lectures you do not attend. I recommend that
you identify at least one classmate who you trust to take good notes and
exchange contact information with them. If you ask a fellow student for help
catching up, you should be willing to return the favor for that student on
another occasion.
.
essays
− Please format essays and citations in the MLA style. Consult the following
guides by Purdue University & Hunter College for guidance:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
http://library.hunter.cuny.edu/tutorials/mla/mla_tutorial.html
− You will be penalized for submitting essays after the deadline: I will deduct
5 points per day that you submit a paper after the due date.
− You must contact me before the due date to be considered for an extension
on one of the two essays. To receive an extension, you must email me with
your essay outline or draft in progress as an attachment, and explain the
circumstances of your need for extra time (up to three calendar days). Since I
give you ample time to complete your essays, I grant extensions very
sparingly, if at all. Exceptions may be made in the case of emergencies.
PHI 1500: Major Issues in Philosophy
accessibility
− The format of this course is designed to accommodate learners of all varieties
of strengths and weaknesses (e.g., those who are better test-takers than essaywriters, and vice-versa; those who learn by talking through problems aloud,
and those who prefer to contemplate those problems quietly). Please contact
me if you are having trouble, and I will do what I can to help.
− If you require additional assistance beyond what I can provide during office
hours and over email, you are encouraged to visit the Office of Services for
Students with Disabilities (OSSD: Room 2-271, Vertical Campus) for extra
support. For information on the OSSD, see
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/studentaffairs/ossd/disabilityServices.htm.
conduct
− You must respect the views of your classmates during full-class and smallgroup discussions, no matter how drastically they may differ from your own.
Disrespectful, disparaging, or hateful speech will not be tolerated. As we will
discuss in this class, language can have a very powerful effect on others.
Please take care to ensure that your language conveys appreciation and
support for your fellow students’ efforts.
− There is zero tolerance for cheating and/or plagiarism in my course and at
Baruch College. On the first day of class, you will each sign an agreement
stating that you have read and will abide by Baruch College’s policies on
academic honesty. Confirmed instances of cheating/plagiarism will result in
a zero for the assignment/exam in question – and possibly for the entire
course. Suspected instances will result in a hold on your grade for the course
until the issue is resolved with the Dean’s Office.