Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2005)

Dr. Mecke Nagel, Philosophy, SUNY Cortland

class held in Van Heusen B 206; 3 credits

Office: 138 Old Main, Philosophy Dept.          

Hours: W 2:45-5:45pm and by appt.

Phone 607-753-2013 or email nagelm@cortland.edu

 

Course Description:

Introduction to subject matter and methods of philosophy. Readings include classical and contemporary writers on a range of philosophical topics including social and political philosophy, philosophy of religion, questions of metaphysics and epistemology, ethics and basic characteristics of rational inquiry.

 

Required text: Presbey, Struhl, Olsen, (eds.), The Philosophical Quest, 2nd edition. McGraw Hill Press.

 

Course Requirements:

1. Class participation is crucial to the success of this course. The topics we address in this course may touch our lives in powerful ways. There will be ample opportunity to talk about these issues in class. You are expected to have completed and to be prepared to discuss all of the assigned readings. Your personal experience is valued, and some of the reading assignments were chosen to help put those experiences into a social, political, economic and cultural context.

 

Bring your questions/comments to class, which will be collected occasionally. Prepare a question per reading/chapter and be ready to discuss the readings and your questions.

 

2. Two Social/Political Papers: On a regular basis faculty and class members will announce events happening on campus or in the community (speakers, workshops, rallies, etc.) which examine or attempt to address social/political issues.  You will attend and write a short paper on each event within one week after you attend the event. Papers should be 2-3 pages in length, typed and double spaced, in which you evaluate the event and your response to it.

 

3. Journals: This is reflective and critical writing on our assignments (2 pages, double spaced, per assignment). These are “Friday journals”, that is each Friday you will be prepared to read your journal. You will draw on questions at each end of the section and do a comparative analysis on readings of that week.  Your first journal is due Friday, Feb.4, which I will collect.

 

4. One research paper: Written assignment (5 typed pages) on one research topic. You will receive paper topics from the instructor.  You may use three academic sources (in addition to web sites) for your paper.   Papers must be typewritten and include a bibliography. 

 

5. Oral Group Presentation: You are required to work in a small group during the semester and give one class presentation. In this talk, you will facilitate discussion on the texts we are reading for that day and present the key philosophical arguments of the text to the class. Your individual contribution should be 7-10 minutes.

 

7. Course evaluation:

Your grade for the course will be computed as follows:

Class participation                               10 pts

2 Social/Political Papers                      10 pts

Journals                                                 30 pts

One research paper                              30 pts

Group Presentation                              20 pts    

 

Note: Late papers are penalized by loss of points (1 point deduction for each day late; penalties accrue beginning with class period in which the work is due). No incompletes will be given in this course.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and incidents of plagiarism will be treated in accordance with the policies of the University.  Note that all written requirements are individual efforts. Only the oral presentation will be evaluated on a collective/group basis.

 

Attendance Policy: For the success of this course, in particular for the planning of the activist project, it is important that you do not miss classes.  Please notify your group members, if you cannot come to class.  Excessive absence (more than 3 missed classes), will affect your grade.

 

SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the office of Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call 753-2066 for an appointment. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible. Any requests for accommodations will be reviewed in a timely manner to determine their appropriateness to this setting.

 

 

 

Syllabus:

1/19 Introduction to the course

 

1/21 Critical thinking discussion       -what is a philosophical argument

 

1/24 Critical thinking discussion – logical fallacies

 

1/26 Plato, The Symposium

 

1/28 Plato, The Symposium ctd

 

1/31 Plato, The Parable of the Cave

 

2/2 Black Elk, Crazy Horse Vision

 

2/4 Hannah Arendt, The Value of the Surface

 

2/7 The Upanishads

 

2/9 Sri Ramana Maharshi, Commentary of Upanishads

 

2/11 Wang Fu-Chih, Neo-Confucian Materialism

 

2/14 Peirce                            

 

2/16 Patricia Hill-Collins

 

2/18 Ayatollah Murtaza Mutahhari

 

2/21 Freud                            

 

2/23 Vine Deloria

 

2/25 Marx, Engels

 

2/28 Mencius

 

3/2 Hsun Tsu

 

3/4  Hobbes

(draft of research paper due; includes proper citation and bibliography)

 

Spring break 3/7-3-11

 

3/14 Fatima Mernissi

 

3/16 Elizabeth Spelman

 

3/18 Paula Gunn Allen

 

3/21 Descartes     

 

3/23 Hume

 

3/25 Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, King Milinda

 

3/28 Tibetan book of death               

 

3/30 Innocent Onyewuenyi

 

4/1 Plato, The Phaedo

 

4/4 Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan                            

 

4/6 Kwame Gyekye             

 

4/8 Sartre, Freedom and Action

 

4/11 Kant              

 

4/13 Scholar’s Day: Write a Social Events paper on one session.

 

4/15 Kant (ctd)  (no journal due)

Research paper due (hand in with DRAFT)

 

4/18 Mill

 

4/20 Mill ctd

 

4/22 Held

 

4/25 Marx/Engels

 

4/27 Ghandi

 

4/29 Dussel          

 

5/2 Wrap up