PHILOS

Syllabus 
 Philosophy 01 Knowledge and Reality, Sections 1569, 1571 Summer 2019 (online)

Sage Bennet, Ph.D. (Please correspond with instructor a via email through Inbox feature on Canvas. Use the Inbox rather than [email protected]) Office hours by appointment.

Required Reading

Moore, Brooke Noel, and Kenneth Bruder, PHILOSOPHY: The Power of Ideas. 10th Ed., McGraw Hill, 2019. ISBN-10: 1259320529; ISBN-13: 978-1259320529; Ebook purchase and rental at Amazon and VitalSource.com.

Suggested Reading 
 Blackburn, Simon: The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, 2nd Ed., Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-861014-9.

Course Description

Welcome to the adventure of studying philosophy, the love of wisdom. This course is designed to introduce you to some of the major figures and philosophical issues in the history of philosophy.

This course also introduces students to the analysis of various metaphysical and epistemological questions and

problems in philosophy, typically including, the nature and limits of knowledge, the existence of God, and Mind-Body Problem, the Freedom vs.Determination debate, and the Absolutism vs.Relativism debate. Related topics may also be included.

Course Objectives

1. Identify and explain various metaphysical and epistemological questions, problems, and arguments.

2. Discuss, critically evaluate and debate the merits of various philosophical positions.

3. Define philosophical vocabulary, including “perception,” “belief,” “Knowledge,” etc.

4. Compare and contrast philosophical positions based on the distinction between reality and appearance.

5. Analyze philosophical problems from various methodological standpoints.

6. Construct and critique a philosophical argument.


 Student Learning Outcomes

• Exhibit strong academic behaviors including regular attendance, timeliness, participation in class activities, and adherence to the College Honor Code. 


• Demonstrate through written work knowledge of the course content: -various metaphysical and epistemological questions and problems in philosophy including the nature and limits of knowledge, the existence of God, the Mind-Body Problem, the Freedom vs. Determinism and the Absolutism vs. Relativism debates, and related topics in ethics. 


• Be proficient in the research, analytical, and communication skills necessary to present in writing, compelling and original arguments that critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of positions/ theories relative to a specific problem/issue in metaphysics or epistemology (and/or ethics) with particular attention to the underlying philosophical assumptions contained therein. 


• Academic Honesty 
 All students are expected to do their own work and, when collaborating with others, to contribute to the final product. All forms of cheating and plagiarism are absolutely forbidden and can result in a failing grade for that particular assignment or test, and/or for the course. The following are all violations of academic honesty:


 -Copying answers from another student


 -Turning in assignments which are not the student’s own work 
 
 -Using words or even ideas which are not the student’s own without properly acknowledging the source (this is plagiarism)

-Using tools or assistance without prior permission from the instructor while taking exams.

Schedule

Required reading assignments are in bold type; TESTS AND ASSIGNMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. Reading assignments are due in the weeks they are listed. You will be informed of changes that may occur during the semester.

This schedule is your guide to assignments that are due during the weeks they appear. You are responsible to complete discussions, tests, and assignments by Sunday night at 11:59 pm. If you miss the deadline you will not get credit for the assignment, Post early. Late work is not accepted. Each week you will have discussion questions based on the required reading. You will have choices to answer questions in Group A and Group B. You must answer questions in both Groups A and B. (The only exception is Week 1 where you will have an extra question entitled “Saying Hi.”) You also need to respond to a classmate from Discussion Groups A and B for full credit.

WEEK ONE: June 17-June 23, 2019

Branches of Philosophy; Fallacies 
 Metaphysics and Epistemology, and their relationship to other areas of philosophy Basic Arguments of Philosophy; Chapter 1 (1-14) (Moore)

Socrates 
 Chapter 3 (29-32) (Apology, 41-43) (Moore)

_________________________________________________ WEEK TWO: June 24-June 30, 2019

Plato 
 Chapter 3 (32-41) (Moore) 
 Chapter 10 (212-217) (Moore)

Aristotle 
 Chapter 4 (55-63) (Moore); 
 Chapter 10 (217-219) (Moore)

_________________________________________________ WEEK THREE: July 1-July 7, 2019

Philosophers of Hellenism 
 Epicurus 
 Chapter 10 (219-220) (Epicurus to Menoceus-Module) 
 
 Epictetus (and the Stoics) 
 Chapter 10 (220-223) (Moore) (Encheiridion-Module) 
 


Plotinus; Hypatia; The Skeptics 
 Chapter 5 (65-88) (Moore) 


ASSIGNMENT 1: PHILOSOPHY AND THE ARTS DUE BY SUNDAY MIDTERM

_________________________________________________

WEEK FOUR: July 8-July 14, 2019

The Continental Rationalists; The British Empiricists Chapter 6 (89-112) (Moore); Chapter 7 (120-126) 
 
 Immanuel Kant 
 Chapter 7 (126-129) (Moore) Chapter 10 (234-236) (Moore)

ASSIGNMENT 2: FIELD TRIP DUE BY SUNDAY

_________________________________________________

WEEK 5: July 15-July 21, 2019

Forerunners of Existentialism: Kierkegaard, Kafka, Nietzsche 
 Chapter 8 (139-148) (Moore); Chapter 10 (240-241)
 Article on Nietzsche-Nietzsche’s New World Conception- Module (Bennet) 
 
 


Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir 
 Chapter 8 (148-158) (Moore) 
 
 Husserl; Heidegger (and the age that followed) 
 Chapter 8 (156-162) (Moore)

ASSIGNMENT 3: CURRENT EVENTS AND RUMMIE DUE BY SUNDAY

_________________________________________________ WEEK SIX: July 22-July 26, 2019 
 Course ends, and all assignments and test are due, on FRIDAY, not Sunday.

Feminist Philosophy 
 Chapter 14 (362-407) (Moore)

Postcolonial Thinkers 
 Chapter 16 (456-475) (Moore) 
 
 FINAL EXAM _________________________________________________________________________


Summary of Assignments 
 Saying Hi in Week 1 (5 points) 
 Discussion A and Discussion B Weeks 1-6 (20 points x 6 = 120 points) 
 Assignment 1: Philosophy and the Arts (25 points) 
 Assignment 2: Field Trip (25 points) 
 Assignment 3: Current Events Cafe and Rummie (25 points) 
 Midterm (100 points) 


Final Exam (100 points) 
 TOTAL POINTS: 500

Grading Policy 
 Grade Categories in Points: A’s from 450-500, B’s from 400-449, C’s from 350-399, D’s from 300-349, F under 300

Grade Categories in Percentage 
 A= 90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; F=below 60 A1:

DESCRIPTIONS OF ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment 1: Philosophy and the Arts

Many philosophers have chosen to express philosophy in the form of dialogues, plays, novel, and other literary forms. Film makers have often chosen philosophical themes as the focus of their messages on film. This section of the course allows us to see the relationship between philosophy and the arts.

Here are some steps to guide you:

1. Choose a film, dialogue, play, or novel and write a short paper (500-750 words) about your experiences. Watch or read a piece of literature during this semester, which you have not seen or read before. Summarize the main points of this experience.

2. Think of the film or literature to a branch of philosophy (e.g., ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, logic, social and political philosophy) or the ideas of a philosopher (in the western or eastern tradition including the feminist philosophers and the postcolonial thinkers covered in this course). You may draw from your knowledge of the philosophy from this course or other online or other research.

3. Draw some conclusions about the philosophical material you've experienced by showing how this may have contributed to your own development or understanding of a philosophical theme, debated issue (e.g., determinism vs. free will), or social/political contemporary issue. (Refer to Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the required text for more information on philosophical themes)

In sum: your final post (the Philosophy and the Arts discussion thread under Week 3) should have these three points covered and marked clearly.

Part 1: Summary of experience (Name the film, novel, etc. and describe the main points in one developed paragraph)

Part 2: Relation to philosophical theme or issue

Part 3: Conclusion about personal development and/or philosophical issue

Remember, your posts on these assignments enrich our course. We all learn from your explorations. Thank you in advance!

I have added links below for you to view film lists, literary works, or exhibits to consider. You may also include a film or literary expression. that is not on the list.

Philosophy and Film List

Philosophy and Religion in Film

Best Philosophical Literature List

Assignment 2: Field Trip

A field trip is made by students to study something at first hand. For this class you may choose:

• your own field trip to explore a service in a particular tradition other that your own; 


• museum exhibit that reflects art or a global citizenship perspective; 


• an experience of one of the traditions, e.g., yoga, nature journey, chanting, meditation, Shabbat service, Catholic Mass, which is outside your regular experience;

• 
 join with others in the class (or others in your life) to experience something together;

• an experience related to sustainability, such as cleaning a beach. 


Some possibilities in the L.A. area below. You can choose a field trip that is not on the list. If you are not in L.A. area you may choose a field trip in the city or country you are currently in. All field trips need to be completed during the semester you are taking this course. You do not need my permission to complete a field trip that is not on this list.

• The Bhagavad Gita Museum (Hinduism)

• The Museum of Tolerance (Judaism)

• Norton Simon Museum (they often have Buddhist and Hindu art exhibits)

• Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple, Hacienda Heights Link to Temple

• Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine (Hinduism)

• Agape International Spiritual Center (New Thought)

• Quaker Meeting House

• Annenberg Photography Museum

• Siddha Yoga Meditation Center (Santa Monica)

• Goddess Temple of Orange County

• St. Sophia Cathedral (Greek Orthodox)

In sum: your final post (the Field Trip discussion thread under Week 4) should have these three points covered and marked clearly.

After your visit, go to the discussion thread and post 500-750 words about your experience of your field trip including the following:

• Part 1: Description of your field trip visit and why you choose it

• Part 2: How the field trip related to the content of philosophy of religion 


• Part 3: The impact of your visit on you personally or how it relates to a contemporary issue 


Assignment 3: Current Events Cafe and Rummie

Being aware of the current events around the world and thinking critically about them is one of the responsibilities of being a global citizen. “To be a global citizen, one is knowledgeable of peoples, customs and cultures in regions of the world beyond one's own; understands the interdependence that holds both promise and peril for the future of the global community; and is committed to combining one’s learning with a dedication to foster a livable, sustainable world.”Global Citizenship as defined by the Global Council, April 2018.

For this assignment you are to review the current events in the world today and link them to what we are studying in this class. You can review current events in news sources such as CNN, The Los Angeles Times, BBC, or other reliable news sources. You are to relate the current event to our course, upload a link to the article or video you are writing about, and choose a “rummie”—a philosophical word that you then ruminate about.

In sum: your final post (in the Current Events and Rummie discussion thread under Week 5) should have these five points covered and marked clearly.

Use these guides to post your research and include these five points.

1. Summarize the main ideas of the current event. You can get current events from newsworthy internet sources such as CNN, Los Angeles Times or other sources 
 you deem reliable sources of news. 


2. Relate the summary of the current event to our philosophy course. 


3. Upload a link to the article or video of your current event. 


4. Choose a “rummie” —a philosophical word related to the current event. 


5. Delve into it, ruminate, relate it to contemporary themes or your own life - or contemporary issues. 


Example:

1. Christians CounteringAnti-Muslim Rhetoric.This is a news item about an evangelical Christian pastor, Rev. Josh Graves, in Memphis, TN who believes it is part of his religious beliefs to counter anti-Muslim sentiments by creating a sense of community with local Muslims who practice Islam. He partnered with other Christians

to create dinners where Christians and Muslims would gather around dinner tables and get to know each other, Building relationships became a strategy to combat prejudice, and it worked. 


2. This article and video from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly are related to our class because it shows the value of interfaith dialogue and exploration of multiple views about religion to create a better world. Many of the philosophers we study in this class offer an emphasis on ethics. Socrates inspired people through his actions to examine their lives and be true to themselves just as the Christians in the article found a way to heal anti-Muslim sentiments. Kant’s ethical stance of using a categorical imperative to guide ethical action can also be seen in the article. We can easily see that treating people in a community with compassion and respect would be a good ethical action that should be applied universally. 


3. ChristiansCounterAnti-MuslimRhetorichttps:// www.pbs.org/wnet/ religionandethics/2016/08/26/ christians-countering-anti-muslim-rhetoric/30127/ 


4. The Rummie I choose is Commitment. 


5. Commitment can be defined as "a promise to be loyal to someone or something." In this case I was impressed Rev. Josh Graves' commitment to the teachings of Jesus and Christianity, which inspired him to practice his beliefs and create peace in his community by bringing Christians and Muslims together. The rummie "Commitment" inspires me to explore the areas in which I choose to commit myself such as women’s rights and compassion toward immigrants. This rumination also makes me think about ways in which I demonstrate my commitment toward these issues. If my commitment is not followed by actions can I really say I have a commitment to these issues? 


Times When the System is Down

The system sometimes has scheduled down times. Keep alert for postings on these times.

Important Dates

Summer Semester Starts Monday, June 16, 2019 
 Class Census Day: Jun 24, 2019 
 Class 60% Day: July 11, 2019 
 Last Day to Withdraw to Receive a Refund: June 21, 2019 Last Day to Withdraw to Avoid a "W": June 23, 2019 
 Last Day to Withdraw to Guarantee a "W": July 19, 2019 
 Last Day to Request for Pass/No Pass Grade: June 29, 2019 Summer 2019 Semester Ends - Friday, July 26, 2019