What Philosophy Is
80-100
Summer Session I - 2009
Instructor: Karin Howe
Carnegie Mellon University
Contact Information
• Email: karinh@andrew.cmu.edu
• Phone: 315-450-4306
• Office Hours: by appointment
– Office: BH 143
• Mailbox: BH 135
• Blackboard
Course Content
•
•
•
•
•
•
Part 1: Introduction to the Course
Part 2: Ancient Philosophy
Part 3: Epistemology
Part 4: Metaphysics
Part 5: Ethics
Part 6: Political Philosophy
Textbook
• There is no textbook for this class
• Instead, readings will be available on Blackboard
• Also available on Blackboard
–
–
–
–
Homework Assignments and Solutions
Reading Assignments
Paper Topics
Other Good Stuff
• Guided tour of Blackboard
Coursework
• Participation: 10%
• Homework: 10%
• Reading assignments:
15%
• Attendance: none
•
•
•
•
Paper 1: 15%
Paper 2: 20%
Paper 3: 20%
Peer Review: 10%
Participation
I want you to talk in class
and
I DON'T want you to talk in class
Mapping Homework
• Mapping tutorial (OLI)
• iLogos software
• Grading policy: 10 pts each
Reading Assignments
• Essential that you do the course readings
before we discuss them in class
• To that end, there will be a short reading
assignment for each reading
• Grading policy: Binary: √ or not
Attendance Policy
• None
• However, I will be taking attendance
everyday
• May be used to decide borderline cases
Papers
• Paper 1: Present an author's argument
• Paper 2: Present, and critique an author's
argument
• Paper 3: Present your own argument for a
thesis
• Grading policy: A-F, with +/-
A word about plagiarism…
DON'T
Peer Review
• The best way to improve your writing is to
get feedback on your work.
• Through the peer review process, you will
be giving and receiving feedback to/from
one of your peers.
Course Schedule
Week 1
• May 18: none (topic: Introduction to
course)
• May 19: Mapping tutorial (Harrell)
• May 20: The Value of Philosophy (Russell) HW 1 due
• May 21: Towards a Logic of ResolutionOriented Dialogue (Norman)
• May 22: The Apology (Plato) – HW 2 due
Week 2
•
•
•
•
•
May 25: Crito (Plato) – HW 3 due
May 26: TBA
May 27: Meno (Plato) – HW 4 due
May 28: The Ethics of Belief (Clifford)
May 29: TBA – Paper 1 first draft due
Week 3
• June 1: The Will to Believe (James) – Paper
1 peer review comments due
• June 2: A Feminist Epistemology (Code)
• June 3: Meditations on First Philosophy
(Descartes) – HW 5 due
• June 4: TBA
• June 5: Minds, Brains, and Programs
(Searle) – Paper 1 final draft due
Week 4
• June 8: The Know-It-All Machine (Thompson) –
HW 6 due
• June 9: TBA
• June 10: Nicomachean Ethics (Aristotle) – HW 7
due
• June 11: The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn
(Bennett)
• June 12: Gender and Moral Development
(Gilligan) – Paper 2 first draft due
Week 5
• June 15: Fundamental Principles of the
Metaphysics of Morals (Kant) – Paper 2
peer review comments due
• June 16 The Principle of Utility (Bentham)
• June 17 Two Concepts of Rules (Rawls) –
HW 8 due
• June 18 Justice as Fairness (Rawls)
• June 19 TBA – Paper 2 final draft due
Week 6
• June 22: Natural Law (Aquinas) – HW 9 due
• June 23: Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)
• June 24: Letter from Birmingham Jail (King) –
HW 10 due
• June 25: Excerpts from the Apology and Crito
(Plato)
• June 26: none – closing remarks – Paper 3 final
draft due