This course will provide an introduction to the major philosophers and ideas which have shaped the western philosophical tradition.  Though there are many different ways to approach a course such as this, we will be taking a historical approach.  We will begin with the earliest philosophers in ancient Greece and continue up to our present era. We will also spend a brief interlude learning about an some influential eastern schools of philosophy, namely Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.  

      You can expect this to be a fairly challenging course. You will be required to do a great deal of reading.  And, on top of that, you will be doing assigned readings from the class library, participating in online discussions,  taking exams and quizzes. Nevertheless, I believe you will find the course quite interesting and well worth the effort.  

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        This course is designed to: 

• Expose you to some of the influential thinkers and ideas that have contributed to the world which we all presently inhabit.

• Provide you with an historical context and a vocabulary to enter into the extended "conversation of humankind" which philosophy consists of.

• Enable you to personally engage the perennial problems which have concerned philosophers throughout the ages.

• Sharpen your ability to read well, evaluate arguments and to think critically.

• Improve your communication skills.

• Give you an opportunity to develop research skills for academic writing.

Highly Recommended: 

 Sophie's World, Jostein Gaardner 
 

• To provide additional reading of the philosophers, you can go to the Class Library.

• Participation:  Philosophy, in particular, is a discipline which requires discussion, dialogue, and ocassionly debate. In other words, while requiring introspection and self-examination, philosophy is at heart a very social activity. For that reason your participation will improve you ability to think, to reason, to dialogue--it will also make the class more interesting for you and everyone else.  In designing activities for the course I take for granted that you have read, understood, and thought about the assigned reading. A good percentage of your grade will be for active participation.

• Reading Assignments:  Reading assignments are posted on the Schedule. Please note that you will be responsible for reading all of the assignments regardless of whether or not the material is covered in lecture or classroom discussion.  The quizzes and exams will assume that you have read all the assigned readings.

• Academic honesty and the highest standards of ethical behavior when preparing papers and taking exams is expected.  Plagarism, collusion in the writing of papers and exams, may result in your failure in the course and referral for disciplinary action.

• There will be two essay exams, each worth 100 points.
• There will be 10 weekly timed quizzes to test your reading comphrehension, each will be worth 20 points.
• Your participation in the class activities will be worth 20% of your grade. This participation will consist of  involvement in four online discussions.

About the Exams: The following provides detailed information about the exams and how they will be scored. Please read it carefully.

There will be two essay exams, each  worth 30% of your grade. The first will cover Greek and Roman Philosophy, the second will cover Modern Philosophy, and 19th and 20th century philosophy.  Look at the Schedule to see when the exams will be given.  I will not accept exams which 1) contain plagarism, 2) are turned in late (execpt for legitimate, documented emergencies).   

The exams will consist of a number of essay questions from which you must choose ten (you must choose one question from each of the chapters the exam covers but may choose whichever questions you want thereafter).  You will be required to write a thoughtful, detailed response to each (a minimum of two paragraphs for each question). Keep the following in mind as you answer the questions: 
 

a.  Answer the exam questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences as thoroughly and accurately as possible. 

b.  Answers that reflect a thoughtful reading of the texts will receive more credit that those that do not. 

c.  When quoting or paraphrasing your textbooks, give the abbreviated title (Arehetypes of Wisdom=AW, Sophie's World=SW) and the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence and if you are quoting, explain any quotes you use.  For example: 
 

Soccio writes in Archetypes of Wisdom that "Timeless questions must be asked and answered anew by each culture and by any person who awakens to what Plato and Aristotle called the philosophical wonder."  (AW, 7) What he means by this is that while the questions may be eternal, they will not have meaning for our culture or for us as individuals until we have struggled with the issues and truly puzzled about the world for ourselves . . . [Or somthing like that.] 
 
d.  Some of the essay questions will involve multiple questions, so make sure that you answer every part of the question asked. 

e.  Make sure to proofread your answers before turning in your exam.

I will grade each essay and assign a score ranging from 10 (the highest) to 0 (the lowest). If time permits, I will make comments on your exam, but in the event that there are no comments, here is what the scores mean: 
 

10: Your response was extremely well-written, exhibitng style and clarity. It was obvious that you understood the topic and you illustrated that you did by using examples and personal observations. You demonstrated that you were able to summarize material from the text or other sources in your own words. 

9:  Your response was well-written, however, you may have failed to answer one part of the question. You did provide examples but they were not as helpful as they could be. You demonstrated that you were able to summarize material from the text or other sources in your own words 

8:  Your response was good, though not as well-written as 9 or 10. You may have failed to answer one or more parts of the question.  You did not give any examples. You relied heavily on quoting the text and did not put things in your own words. 

7:  Your answer was just adequate to show that you had read the material, but it was neither clear nor well-written. You may have failed to answer one or more parts of the question. You did not give any examples.  You copied directly from the book or another source without using quotation marks or citing your source. 

6:  Your answer was not adequate. It is obvious that you have either not read or understood the material in question. You may have gotten one part of the question correct. Your answer is very incomplete. 

5:  Your answer is extremely poor and incomplete.  

4 and below:  You get the idea. 

0:  You did not do the question. 

About the Discussions: I have scheduled 4 formal discussions for this class. They will be conducted every two weeks or so and the topics may change from what has been posted in the schedule. Usually these will consist of posting a thoughtful response to a particular question, assigned reading, etc. by mid-week and then responding to each other's postings for the remainder of the week. Your score for each of these discussions is determined by the level of your participation as well as the quality of your postings. Since each discussion is worth 5% of your grade, I will score them as following:

4: Extremely high level of participation/quality
3: High level of participation/quality
2: Average level of participation/quality
1: Minimum level of participation/quality
0: Did not participate

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The grade distribution will be as follows: 
 
 

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Grade of A:

• Consistently superior scores on exams.
• Assignments completed in prescribed form, on time, with evidence of careful research on subject matter and planned presentation.
• Consistently shows independent thinking in terms of the subject matter of the course, either in written assignments and/or class discussion.
• Shows grasp of relationships among various parts of subject.
• Applies learning to new situations.
• Asks questions which are appropriate and stimulate relevant discussion.
• Participates actively as a leader in online discussions.

Grade of B:

• Consistently above average achievement on examinations.
• Assignments completed in prescribed form and on time; above average in quality.
• Demonstrates independent thinking in written assignments and/or class discussions.
• Shows grasp of general organization of subject matter by noting parallels in written assignments and discussions.
• Demonstrates that the reasons for learning subject matter are understood and some applications made.
• Asks questions which clarify presentation of the subject and demonstrate above average knowledge.
• Participates actively as a leader in online discussions.

Grade of C:

• Satisfactory scores on examinations.
• Assignments completed in correct form, on time, and of an acceptable quality.
• Presents evidence of satisfactory grasp of assigned subject matter, either written assignments and/or class discussions.
• Shows satisfactory grasp of organization of subject matter.
• Demonstrates some understanding of the relationship of the subject to academic, vocational, or social goals.
• Asks relevant questions.
• Participates actively in online discussions.

Grade of D:

• Below average examination scores but high enough to show better-than-chance responses.
• Assignments completed in imperfect form or not completed on time; quality of work is marginal.
• Shows grasp of individual units of subject matter but little evidence of inter-relationships.
• Shows some application of material, but with little insight.
• Is a passive listener rather than an active participant in class discussion.
• Participates in online discussions.

Grade of F:

• Unsatisfactory test scores.
• Assignments omitted, incomplete or unacceptable.
• Is inattentive in class.
• Demonstrates little or no interest in or comprehension of subject matter.
• Unsatisfactory progress toward achieving intended class goals.
• Does not participate in online discussions.

Here are a few recommendations for doing well in this class: 
 

• Make a commitment to yourself and your classmates to do well. Your positive attitude will be infectious and can transform the class.

• Form study groups with fellow students and work with them regularly.  You'll understand the materials better and perhaps you'll make some new friends

• Study at least two hours for every hour of the class. Use the time to highlight and mark your text, review class notes, and otherwise prepare for class.  Do not let yourself get behind in the readings.

• This is an online class and will require that you are a self-starter.  You will need to develop the discipline to keep up with the readings and assignments.

• If something is confusing you, formulate and submit questions to me in class or via the discussion list. I will post responses on the list so all may benefit from your question.

• Make the library an important place in your life. Learn to use its resources effectively.

• Explore the internet resources I have compiled for you in the Class Library. Use them to dig deeper into the topics we study and to find out more about the philosophers who interest you.