OFFICE HOURS: Th 3-5pm
and by appointment in Center
410J
Final Exam Week Office Hours
(Week 8): W 3-5
IMPORTANT: There is a quiz on the syllabus due by Thursday
4pm.
If you don't take the Syllabus Quiz by the
deadline, you may be dropped from the course under
the college's
No
Show Drop policy. If you decide this class is not for you,
please drop right away on
MyLane,
as there is no
guarantee you will be dropped and there are
other students waiting to get in.
If you don't drop by Sunday,
June 30, 11:59pm, you will be charged for the
class.
The absolute last day to drop or change
your grading option to pass/no pass is
Friday,
July 26, 11:59pm.
CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: Please
use Moodle
messages to contact me. I will do my best
to reply within 24 hours, excluding Saturdays and holidays. You
may receive a notification and copy of Moodle messages in your
email. Please don't reply to those directly; log
into Moodle and reply there. Using
Moodle messages consistently also allows us to track any
ongoing issues by scrolling up in the message history. Replying
to email notifications or using email to contact me
will result in a delayed response and the
24 hour rule will not apply. My students come first;
using Moodle for communication will ensure your message
gets the priority treatment it deserves. Before contacting
me, please review this syllabus to see if your question is
already answered here.
THIS IS AN ADULT LEARNING
SPACE: Expect to come into contact with ideas with which you
disagree and to have your beliefs challenged. Students will be
treated as mature, responsible adults, capable of engaging in
adult conversations which may touch on topics such as race, sex,
gender, sexual orientation, sexual relations, cultural
differences, morality, politics and religion.
It is a
prerequisite of this course that you possess, or be willing to
develop, the ability to discuss controversial issues in a calm,
rational and respectful manner.
If you have difficulty handling such material, you may want to
consider taking another course. For help with post-traumatic
stress or emotional fragility, please visit the Counseling
& Career Center. If you would like to
improve your tolerance for subject matter and ideas you may
currently find distressing or offensive, I encourage you to remain
in the class but with the understanding that
thinking about,
discussing and critically evaluating this material in a mature
and responsible manner is a course requirement.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF THE INSTRUCTOR: "The professional
freedom of faculty includes
the right to explore and discuss
controversial issues and divergent points of view, including
evaluating, criticizing, and advocating their point of view
concerning the policies and programs of the college..."--
Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Lane Community College
Educational Association and Board of Education, Section 15.3.
According to this section of the faculty contract, the instructor
is free not only to discuss contentious, hot-button issues which
have the potential to offend you, but to approach them from
viewpoints which diverge from the mainstream and deviate from what
you might consider acceptable opinion.
Faculty have wide discretion in how they treat academic subjects
in the classroom. Although this class will explore a diversity of
opinions, some ideas will be emphasized over others. Beliefs which
enjoy institutional support from the college may be singled out
for scrutiny, as explicitly allowed in Section 15.3 above. Ideas
which predominate in academic culture and the social sciences or
among college students may face special criticism, while minority
or neglected viewpoints may be given special consideration. This
is because
critical thinking is most important when it comes
to beliefs you currently accept, not those you already
reject.
Considerations of "balance" in this course are
approached from the institutional level. So, for example, if
the college as an institution and the majority of courses favor
one view on a controversial issue, this class may balance that out
by emphasizing an opposing view.
If you disagree with or take offense at any of the views expressed
in this class by the instructor or in course materials, may I
suggest: (1) try to keep an open mind (2) reflect on
why
you find certain beliefs or opinions vexing or upsetting and use
this as an opportunity to practice self-management skills and to
develop your capacity for tolerance of ideas which differ from
your own (3) remind yourself that exploring or understanding an
idea isn't the same as approving of or accepting it and (4) engage
the instructor in civil discussion or debate in class sessions,
online forums or office hours.
Another relevant section of the faculty contract is Section 16.3,
Civic Life, which states, "
Each faculty member is also a
citizen of his or her nation, state and community; and when he
or she speaks, writes or acts as such shall be free from
institutional censorship." This means that
faculty have
an absolute right
to express themselves outside the classroom
without fear of retribution from the Administration.
Therefore, if you encounter the instructor outside the classroom,
acting in his capacity as a private citizen, you should recognize
that
his views do not necessarily represent those of the
college and that
the college recognizes his right
to speak, write and act according to the truth as he sees it and
the dictates of his own conscience.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF STUDENTS: "Each faculty member is
entitled to and responsible for protecting freedom in the
classroom in discussion and presentation of subject matter." --
Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Lane Community College
Educational Association and Board of Education, Section 15.2.
Voicing an opinion that differs from that expressed by the
instructor will never be penalized, though there may be occasions
when debate must be curtailed in the interest of adequately
covering course material.
The instructor encourages the
voicing of dissenting opinions, especially on controversial
issues and when backed by convincing reasons and supporting
evidence. This enlivens class, provides an alternative
viewpoint, fosters critical thinking and may end up enlightening
the instructor, who occasionally realizes he has been wrong.
Please couch dissenting opinions in a constructive and respectful
manner in order to keep the exchange of ideas civil.
USE OF HUMOR: The instructor frequently employs humor to
lighten the mood as well as to illustrate points, add color and
make learning fun. This should in no way be interpreted as
disparaging any individual or group. Students will always be
treated with the utmost respect and will never be mocked or
ridiculed.
CONCERNS: I want this class to be a positive learning
experience for you. If, at any time, you have a concern,
grievance or complaint about the course,
please speak with me
about it directly in office hours or via Moodle message. You
have my personal guarantee that I will hear you out, reflect
carefully on what you have to say and that it will have no bearing
on your grade. Because the class uses objective testing in
Instructional Testing Services
(with a record of scores on the server), you have additional
protection. My only request is that, if I have some feedback for
you, you consider it in the same spirit. I'd rather correct any
problems than have you be disgruntled for the rest of the term
(which is likely to negatively affect your performance in the
class) only to complain about it in student evaluations. Why not
alert me to a problem when I can actually do something about it?
In the unlikely event that you remain dissatisfied, you can still
take your concerns to the Dean of the
Social Science
Division. I am a reasonable, fair and kind human being and
care about my students, so I'm sure we will be able to work
something out. Addressing any concerns early, honestly and
directly will result in a better outcome for both of us.
WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS: Philosophy is an
attempt to come to a systematic understanding of the objective
world through the use of reason. The philosophical approach
assumes a commitment to follow the truth wherever it leads,
however uncomfortable it may make us and in spite of what we may
wish to be true. It strives for logical consistency and agreement
with the empirical evidence. Philosophy is about asking questions,
especially questions no one else wants to ask. Philosophy even
questions the unquestionable, including things considered to be
"common sense," such as the existence of an external world of
matter, free will, God, the soul, an afterlife, or, in the case of
this class, the existence of universal, objective moral values (or
perhaps the unquestionable certainty of our age is the dogma that
morality is culturally relative or completely subjective).
Philosophy uses conceptual analysis as its primary tool. Properly
analyzing concepts requires the rigorous definition of terms, so
the precise use of language is very important to philosophers, or
at least to the good ones. This goes all the way back to Socrates.
Fuzzy language evinces fuzzy thinking.
WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS NOT: Philosophy is not about
exploring your "personal beliefs." Nor is it about your feelings
(please avoid the phrase "I feel" when expressing your point of
view in class or online forums, as hopefully what you have to say
is based on more than your subjective emotional state). Philosophy
is not about your identity, your sex, your gender, your sexual
orientation, your culture or your "
race."
It's not about your faith or "how you were raised." Please avoid
referring to these things in class unless they have some direct
bearing on the issue at hand. Although there is an historical
tradition associated with philosophy, it is not primarily about
history, and even though understanding their historical or
cultural context may help us understand the ideas of particular
philosophers, it is
the ideas themselves with which
philosophy is concerned.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN AND NON-WESTERN CULTURES:
There were few women philosophers until the beginning of the
feminist movement in the 19th century. This was true of most other
academic fields due to the institutionalization of pre-modern
gender roles. Because this is a survey class concerned with major
historical figures and basic concepts in ethics, we won't be
reading many women philosophers. This should in no way be seen as
casting aspersions on women as a class of people.
Along those same lines, for various complex historical and
cultural reasons, philosophy emerged and flourished in the West
and is the heritage of Western Civilization. It uniquely sowed the
seeds for the scientific and industrial revolutions in Western
Europe, leading to our modern technological world, as well as
providing the social and political concepts on which the United
States was founded. Like the scientific method and industrial
production techniques, Western concepts such as individual rights,
separation of Church and State, democratic self-government,
meritocracy and free market capitalism have been adopted by many
non-Western societies and diffused throughout the world. This is
yet another reason to focus on theories of knowledge that arose
from and influenced the development of the Western World and,
consequently, the rest of human civilization.
Finally, it is important to understand that "Western" is just a
conventional term for ideas which first emerged in Western Europe.
An idea's place of origin or the particulars of the person who
first developed or expounded it has nothing whatever to do with
its truth value or importance in increasing human understanding.
Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus around the same time and
each accused the other of stealing his discovery. Yet calculus is
neither essentially a British idea nor a German idea, nor is it a
European or "white male" idea. Who was first to discover it, where
he lived and the details of his ancestry and nationality are
irrelevant to the validity and usefulness of calculus. So it is
with all intellectual discoveries and theoretical innovations,
including those concerning knowledge itself.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Theories of knowledge (epistemology)
address issues such as the nature of truth and rational
justification, whether knowledge comes primarily through reason or
the senses and how our common sense beliefs about the world might
be proven. Additional topics may include how much control we have
over our beliefs, whether duties or rights apply to beliefs and
the relationship between faith and reason.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives are this course
are for students to (1) come to a clearer understanding of
epistemological issues through the study of classical and
contemporary theories (2) acquire some factual knowledge about the
history of philosophy and important philosophical thinkers (3)
come to their own conclusions about which theories are best or
most likely to be true, even if those conclusions are of a
tentative nature (4) acquire critical and analytical reasoning
skills along the way (5) apply conclusions about the nature of
knowledge to their present way of assessing evidence and
worldviews.
REQUIREMENTS
FORUM POSTS
|
Due before Sunday
11:55pm Weeks 1-7. Week 8
posts are due Thursday 11:55pm |
10% of grade
|
| FIRST
MIDTERM EXAM |
Opens: Monday, July 8 at
9am
Closes: Wednesday, July 17 at
5pm |
30% of
grade |
SECOND MIDTERM
EXAM
|
Opens: Wednesday,
July 24 at 9am
Closes: Monday, August 5 at
5pm |
30% of grade
|
EXTRA CREDIT
EXAM (OPTIONAL)
|
Opens: Wednesday,
July 24 at 9am
Closes: Thursday, August 8 at
5pm |
Replaces First or
Second Midterm,
whichever is lower, otherwise
no effect.
|
| FINAL
EXAM |
Opens: Monday,
August 12 at 9am
Closes: Thursday, August 15 at
5pm
|
30% of
grade |
READING: It is important to
read the material in order to participate intelligently
in online forums and perform well on exams.
AUDIO PODCASTS: In addition to the text, this
class uses audio podcasts from the Spring 2019 hybrid
class. Make sure to listen to these each week, as they
will explain the readings, whiteboard notes and
Powerpoint slides in Moodle. There may be material on
the exams which is contained in these recordings but not
explicitly stated in the text. Feel free to skip over
any announcements at the beginning of the recordings.
Any current announcements will be posted to the
Announcement Forum or Social Forum.
FORUM POSTS: The purpose of the forum assignment
is to allow you the opportunity to interpret, evaluate
and apply what you have learned, and to discuss the
merits and implications of class concepts and theories
with your classmates. Every Monday a new forum prompt
will be posted. To receive credit, you must make one
reply of 100 to 300 words that substantially and
directly addresses the prompt and displays a familiarity
with the reading, i.e.
your post must be
distinguishable from someone who hasn't done any of
the reading, looks at the prompt and "gives their
opinion."
Avoid all titles, headers and
signatures. Moodle displays your name, the date,
the topic and the forum week; duplicating this
information clutters up the forum. Write in
block
format with no indenting, spacing between
paragraphs, and
use the standard font. If you're
pasting from Google docs, Microsoft Word or similar
programs, save as plain text first. After you've posted,
make sure that your post's formatting looks OK,
that the font matches everyone else's and that there are
no extra spaces above or below the text (a common
problem with copying and pasting). You will have 30
minutes to edit your post. See the
Student
Help Desk for help using Moodle forums.
Read the prompt carefully before answering. Make
sure you are actually answering the question since
off-topic posts will not receive credit.
Support
your answer with examples that demonstrate your
understanding of the concepts being discussed, and
present arguments to support your claims.
Carefully
revise and proofread your post for
typos, awkward language, conceptual vagueness and
inconsistency.
Posts making unsupported or
contradictory claims will not receive credit. Your
post should not read like a
stream of consciousness of you trying to figure things
out "on the fly." It should
not be a
series of disjointed observations. If it helps you to
write something like that first, go ahead, but then
revise it into something clear, methodical and coherent.
Avoid meaningless, introductory throw-away comments or
restating the question; get straight to the point. If
you pad your post with meaningless fluff at the
beginning, you may lose credit for insufficient word
count. Be concise. If you have trouble coming up with
100 words, you probably need to include an examples to
clarify your claim or an arguments in support of it.
Plagiarism, which includes but is not limited to
copying and pasting from websites, will result in a
penalty of one letter grade on the first offense (the
equivalent of a zero on all forum posts)
and an F in
the class on the second offense. If you do the
readings, you should have no trouble responding to the
prompt in a way that is sufficient for credit without
looking at any other sources. Postings will be graded on
a credit/no-credit basis and are due
before Sunday 11:55pm
at the end of each week.
Late posts will not
receive credit. Set a weekly reminder in your
phone or online calendar so you don't forget to post
(while you’re at it, you might want to put in the exam
dates and grade option/drop deadline, too).
Posts of
fewer than 100 words will not receive credit.
Use the word count feature in your word processor or
online if you are in doubt. Moodle will also show the
word count after you have made your post. If your post
is over 300 words, edit it down. An extra credit forum
will be available in Week Seven to make up for one
missed post. Students are also expected to read every
post and pay special attention to posts made by the
instructor.
EXAMS: You will
have a window of several days during which you must take
each exam, including the final, in
Instructional
Testing Services, (located in CEN 311 on the Main
Campus), or at the
Cottage
Grove Center, the
Florence Center,
or with an approved proctor (see section below). Exams
are taken via Moodle but with a test setting which
restricts access to LCC testing centers (or approved
proctors).
Exams cannot be taken at home. Opening
and closing times of exams are listed in the table above
and may also be seen by clicking on the exam name in the
main course view. Hours for
Instructional
Testing Services may be found at
https://www.lanecc.edu/its/hours.
Hours for
Cottage
Grove Center and
Florence Center
are
different and may be found at
https://www.lanecc.edu/cottagegrove/hours
and
https://www.lanecc.edu/florence/florence-hours
(Florence asks that you call to check availability - see
the link for details).
You must arrive one
hour before closing. You will need an official
photo I.D., such as a state-issued driver's
license, state-issued I.D. card, student I.D. card,
passport or "green card." Unfortunately,
LCC bus
passes no longer qualify as valid photo I.D. You
will need to know your
L Number and MyLane PIN
to log into Moodle. If there is more than one exam open
or you've been granted an extension to take an exam
late, make sure to tell the testing personnel which exam
you would like to take so they don't give you the wrong
one by mistake. If English is your second language,
dictionaries will be on hand for you to use. If your
native language isn't a common one, please contact
Instructional
Testing Services ahead of time to make sure they
have your language. Unfortunately, you are not allowed
to use your own paper or electronic dictionary.
The exam format will be multiple choice and true/false
questions. During the exam you may use a 3 x 5 note card
(both sides) or a piece of paper measured with a ruler
and cut to the same size.
The final will not be
comprehensive.
Once you take your exam, you'll immediately receive your
score as well as be able to see the questions you missed
along with the correct answers. Please give yourself
time to review the exam right after you take it, as
you
will not be able to review your exam from home.
Reviewing your exam will be especially helpful to you if
you plan on taking the Extra Credit Exam, which will
cover the same material. If you wish to review your exam
at a later date, you will have to see me in office hours
or review it in the Social Science Resource Center with
a tutor (if available). A small curve be may included
which will add to your raw score. Your adjusted score
can be viewed by clicking on "Grades" on the side bar in
Moodle.
PROCTORED TESTING FOR REMOTE STUDENTS: See
http://www.lanecc.edu/laneonline/test-proctoring
for details on proctoring if you are taking the course
from out of the greater Eugene area. If you need help
locating a proctor, try Consortium of College
Testing Centers at
http://www.ncta-testing.org/cctc.
A per test fee is usually required; fees will vary by
institution.
EXAM DEADLINE POLICY:
Since you will have at least a week to take each exam,
you will be expected to meet the deadline, however, you
may contact the instructor via Moodle message (
not
email) to request an extension without penalty.
Please
include the date you would like the exam
extended to in your message. Since the Final Exam
closes on the last day of the term, extensions for it
are not possible. If you miss the final due to some
unforeseen circumstance or emergency situation, contact
me via Moodle message for options ASAP.
PENALTIES FOR CHEATING: Students caught cheating
will be given an
F in
the course.
EXTRA CREDIT EXAM: There is an optional Extra
Credit Exam, based on the material from the First and
Second Midterm Exams. It will replace the lowest of your
First or Second Midterm Exam scores. If it is lower than
either, it will have no effect. In order for it to
count, you have to take both midterms.
It is not a
substitute for taking either midterm or the final exam.
GRADING:
Exams may be curved upward, based on the distribution
of scores. This is done by adding a certain number of
points to every student score. At the end of the term,
the class will be graded on the following absolute
scale, with course totals rounded to the nearest whole
number:
| A+ 97% -100% |
A 93% - 96%
|
A- 90% - 92% |
| B+ 87% - 89% |
B 83% -
86% |
B- 80% - 82% |
| C+ 77% - 79% |
C 73% - 76% |
C- 70% - 72% |
| D+ 67% - 69% |
D 63% - 66% |
D- 60% - 62% |
| |
F 0% - 59% |
|
GETTING
HELP WITH THE CLASS: If you are having
difficulties with the class, please see me during
office hours as soon as possible.
I can help you understand class readings and podcasts,
prepare for upcoming exams and improve your grade in
the course. They may also be peer-to-peer tutoring
available in the Social Science Resource Center
(updates to follow).
EARLY OUTREACH AND REFERRAL (EOR) PROGRAM: At
Lane Community College, we want every student to be
successful. The Early
Outreach and Referral (EOR) Program is a
campus-wide effort to support students early in the
term when they first begin experiencing difficulty in
a class. If I feel you are having difficulty in this
class (ex. missing classes, missing assignments,
and/or receiving low test or assignment scores) I may
refer you to an Early Outreach Specialist. Once
referred, an Early Outreach Specialist will follow up
with you by phone or email to find out how to best
support you by connecting you with necessary resources
and helping you develop and implement a Success Plan,
which may include individual tutoring or other
additional services.
TECHNOLOGY USE
AND HELP: This is an online course. It
requires you to use (but not necessarily own)
a computer, tablet or smart phone. The
syllabus, schedule, announcements,
supplementary material and resources, practice
exam questions and grades are all distributed
via Moodle.
Campus labs are staffed with people who can
help you if you are new to computing devices
or have difficulty using them. Visit the Student
Help Desk (SHeD) website at https://www.lanecc.edu/learningcommons/student-help-desk,
call them at 463-3333 or visit them on the 2nd
floor of the Center Building, Learning
Commons, Library, Room 221B. A list of campus
computer labs and hours may be found at https://www.lanecc.edu/it/computerlabs
PHILOSOPHY TUTORING OPPORTUNITY: If you've had
previous philosophy classes and earned a grade of A or
A-, have done personal study in philosophy or are an
excellent student interested in philosophy, there is
an opportunity to earn 2 or 3 credits, paid for by the
college, tutoring your fellow students. You would be
spending about 9 or 13 hours per week, respectively,
tutoring students in philosophy in the Social Science
Resource Center, perhaps with some online tutoring as
well. Apart from some prep time and a few meetings
with me, when there are no students at the center, you
would be free to use the time to study. The credits
would show up on your transcript as Cooperative
Education: Service Learning - Students Helping
Students. If you have an interest in tutoring, please
send me a Moodle message ASAP.
THE PHILOSOPHY CLUB: The
Philosophy Club won't be meeting over the
summer, but you can join on Engage
to be updated on activities for Fall Term. If you'd
like to apply to be the club President, there is an
opportunity for free leadership training at the end of
summer. Send me a Moodle message if you're interested.
POLITICAL SCIENCE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY: I am
the faculty advisor for
Young
Americans for Liberty, a locally controlled,
independent student club dedicated to limited
government, individual rights, personal responsibility
and creating a free society guided by reason, tolerance
and compassion. If you're interested in earning 2 or 3
credits in Cooperative Education (Political Science)
helping out with the club or apply to be President next
year, send me a Moodle message. For more information on
the club, check out
YAL
at LCC on
Engage
and join to be updated on club activities.
WEEK 1: Truth, Justification, and Knowledge (Ch. 1), Rationalism
(Ch. 2)
Note: TWO forum posts are due this week; make sure to post at
least once to both Forum A and Forum B.
WEEK 2: Empiricism (Ch. 3): Introduction and Locke
Campus closed Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day (no office
hours; make an appointment or see me the following week)
WEEK 3: Empiricism (Ch. 3): Berkeley
First Midterm Exam opens Monday 9am
WEEK 4: Empiricism (Ch. 3): Hume
First Midterm Exam closes Wednesday 5pm
WEEK 5: The Kantian Synthesis (Ch. 4); Postmodernism
Second Midterm Exam opens Wednesday 9am
Extra Credit Exam opens Wednesday 9am
Grade
Option/Drop Deadline Friday 11:59pm (change at
http://mylane.lanecc.edu)
WEEK 6: Belief and Will (Ch. 5): Clifford, James, Kierkegaard
Note: TWO forum posts are due this week; make sure to post at
least once to both Forum A and Forum B.
WEEK 7: Religious Knowledge (Ch. 6)
Second Midterm closes Monday 5pm
Extra Credit Exam closes Thursday 5pm
WEEK 8: Moral and Political Knowledge (Ch. 7)
Final Exam opens Monday 9am
Final Exam closes Thursday 5pm
Please alert the instructor to any broken links, erroneous
dates, inconsistencies, typos or other mistakes via
Moodle message.