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So why a blog? Well, why is anything anything?

The blog is an experiment. Hopefully it can benefit the course in some way. I’ll be posting course updates, discussion topics, and other stuff here throughout the semester. Go ahead and subscribe to the rss feed if you know what that means.

Otherwise, get an email subscription, so any new blog post gets emailed to you. To get an email subscription:

1. Enter your email address at the top of the right column and click "Subscribe me!"
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Course Details

Introduction to Philosophy
Burlington County College, Spring 2007
Philosophy 101
Section 33: Tuesday/Thursday, 6:30–7:50 a.m.
Room 310, Mt. Laurel Campus
Section 35: Tuesday/Thursday, 3:30-4:50 p.m.
Room 132, Mt. Laurel Campus
Section 75: Tuesday/Thursday, 9:30-10:50 a.m.
Room 115, Mt. Holly Center
Section 81: Monday Evenings, 6:30-9:45 p.m.
Room HC, Holy Cross High School

Instructor: Sean Landis
Email: seanlandis@aol.com
Phone: 609-980-8367
Course Website: http://landisintro.blogspot.com

Required Text
The Philosophical Journey, 3^rd Edition, William F. Lawhead

About the Course
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy. Throughout the semester, we are going to explore a handful of classic philosophical questions: What is knowledge? Can we prove God’s existence? Do humans have free will?

In examining these issues, it is my hope that we can also develop the skills of doing philosophy—understanding philosophical arguments, evaluating the quality of such arguments, and developing good arguments of our own on philosophical topics.

Grades
90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C;
60-69% = D; below 60% = F.

Midterm: 25%
Final: 35%
Quizz: 15%
4 Reading Responses: 5 % each (20% total)
Attendance: 5%

Exams
The midterm tests everything covered during the first half of the course, and will last 80 minutes on the scheduled day. The final exam is cumulative—that is, it tests everything covered throughout the whole course, not just the second half. The final will last 80 minutes, and will take place on the last day of class.

Quiz
There will be a quiz on the first sections on logic and epistemology. The quiz will last 20 minutes.

Reading Responses
There will be four reading responses, which are to be handed in at the beginning of class the day they are due—and only then. I will not accept homework at any other time, unless you cannot make class due to sudden illness/injury (again, with a doctor’s note), religious observance, or official university business.

Reading responses will consist of an approximately one- to two-paged (typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, normal margins) response to a specific question about one or more of the week’s readings. The responses are a chance to do philosophy. To this effect, the focus of the responses will be on paraphrasing (demonstrating that you understand the argument by putting it in your own words) and evaluating (presenting objections to the argument or responding to such objections) the philosophical arguments being presented in the readings.

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and Plagiarism will not be tolerated in the class. Students found guilty of either will definitely fail the exam or assignment—and possibly the entire class. (Come to me if you are unsure what constitutes cheating or plagiarism.)

Excused Absenses: Make-up exams, quizzes, in-class projects, and oral reports will only be rescheduled for any excused absences (excused absences include religious observance, official college business, and illness or injury – with a doctor’s note). An unexcused absence on the day of any assignment or test will result in a zero on that assignment or test.

Important Dates
January 18: Last day to withdraw & receive a 100% refund.
January 19—25: Late Registration and Add Period (with $35.00 service fee)
January 19—February 1: Drop Period with name removed from roster and 50% refund
February 2—March 30: Withdrawal Period (no refund/W grade)
February 9: Last day to request an audit

Course Schedule

January 21—27: Intro to Class
-Check. Check One. Sibilance (no reading)
-Doing Philosophy (no reading)

January 28—February 3: Some Logic
-Deductive Arguments (pages 37—45)
-Inductive & Abductive Arguments (pages 4—11)

February 4—10: Epistemology
-Descartes vs. Skepticism (pages 50-53; 58-71)
-Descartes vs. Skepticism (pages 50-53; 58-71)
(Reading Response #1 due)

February 11—17: Epistemology
-Hume & Induction (pages 104—113)
-QUIZ; Hume & Induction (pages 104—113)

February 18—24: Does God Exist?
-Aquinas & The Cosmological Argument (pages 306—316)
-Taylor & The Cosmological Argument (pages 317—322)

February 25—March 3: Does God Exist?
-Ontological Argument (pages 337—342)
-Ontological Argument (pages 337—342)
(Reading Response #2 due)

March 4—10
SPRING BREAK! (woo?)


March 11—17: Does God Exist?
-Paley & The Design Argument (pages 322—325)
-Review for Midterm

March 18—March 24: Does God Exist?
-MIDTERM
-Hume & The Design Argument (pages 326—337)

March 25—March 31: Does God Exist?
-Design Argument wrap-up (no new reading)
-Camus & The Problem of Evil (pages 356—360)
(Reading Response #3 due)

April 1—7: Does God Exist?
-Hick & The Problem of Evil (pages 360—372)
-Problem of Evil wrap-up (no new reading)

April 8—14: Faith & Reason & Free Will
-Pascal (pages 342—347)
-Free Will Overview (pages 250—261)

April 15—21: Free Will
-Determinism (pages 261—275)
-Libertarianism (pages 276—283; 288—290)
(Reading Response #4 due)

April 22—28: Free Will
-Compatibilism (pages 290—299)
-Free Will wrap-up (no new reading)

April 29—May 5: Final Exam
-Review for Final Exam
-(FINAL EXAM)*

May 6—11: Final Exam
-(FINAL EXAM)**

*Sections 33, 35, & 75 will take the final on Thursday, May 3
**Section 81 will take the final on Monday, May 7