COURSE DESCRIPTION

Office: Science-Faculty Building, Room 109 (hours to be announced)
Telephone: 685-4607 (direct line to my office)
E-mail, MC: franx@midland.edu
E-mail, Cox: franx@cox.net

Course Description

THE FOCUS OF THIS COURSE is on helping students prepare for a lifetime of learning and thinking in the realm of philosophical ideas. It samples the writings of thinkers who have challenged the human intellect over the past 2500 years with questions about the meaning of existence, the nature of reality, and the validity of knowledge. The course encourages students to reexamine their own beliefs and values. A haunting C&W ballad by Merle Haggard might very well serve as a theme for our course: "What Am I Going to Do With the Rest of My Life?" Our time in college serves us well if it opens our minds to projects that remain compelling throughout our lives in our thinking, reading, and conversation.

BOOKS STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO OBTAIN (Instead of a survey textbook, we will use primary readings from inexpensive paperbacks):

Plato, Dialogues of Plato (Washington Square Press edition)

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (Hackett) Aristotle, Poetics (Hackett)

Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (Hackett)

Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration (Hackett) Locke, Second Treatise of Government (Hackett)

Rousseau, The Social Contract (Hackett)

Albert Camus, The Plague (Modern Library edition)

I will provide detailed study guides for most of the readings for this course. Students should find them to be useful resources for making your way through some of the more difficult passages in the readings. There will also be handouts for additional short selections from St. Thomas Aquinas, William Paley, and Karl Marx, as time permits. This reading list is not as formidable as it looks. Most of the books are short, and we will use only selections from some.

Course Goals and Objectives

THE "GOALS" OF THIS COURSE ARE FOR EACH STUDENT: --To be able to recognize and appreciate such major philosophical concerns as human nature, ethics, social justice, aesthetics, metaphysics, epistemology, and scientific method. --To overcome any sense of intimidation that such topics might produce. The student who can readily pursue them will always have plenty to think and read about, with no excuse for boredom! --To cultivate a lifetime interest in the literature of philosophy, working from the assumption that no one can learn philosophy without plenty of reading and introspection.

MORE SPECIFICALLY, WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT TO ACCOMPLISH? THE "PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES" FOR THIS COURSE ARE FOR EACH STUDENT: --

To learn the names and significance of selected philosophers from our long Western tradition, as indicated on the reading list. (No slight to "multiculturalism" is intended: We will pay due respects to this contemporary movement via classroom discussions and outside assignments.) --To become conversant with the basic concepts and vocabulary of the field. There will be dozens of new words and names to ponder and to use. Students should keep careful lists of new terms as they arise. Questions about their meaning, whether in class or in conference, are always appropriate and welcome. --To practice the essentials of "critical thinking," through careful analysis of philosophical problems during classroom discussions and in written work. We will pay close attention to how each philosopher explains his or her conclusions. For our own part, we will practice giving reasons for all our claims and conclusions. --To demonstrate a capacity to pursue a philosophical interest outside the classroom. This will require library research for a term paper on a major philosophical figure not included on our reading list. You will have ample encouragement to use this an as opportunity to delve into nonwestern or "multicultural" philosophies, and to share your findings with your classmates.

If you miss a scheduled test, you will need to arrange a conference with me in my office to discuss the circumstances and to arrange a makeup. When you are preparing your term paper, internet citations will be acceptable ONLY when supported with sufficient information to demonstrate their authority. There is still no substitute for reading from published works in philosophy. PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU INTEND TO CLAIM STATUS UNDER THE FEDERAL DISABILITIES ACT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE.

You will have five grades, each equal in value:

1. A term paper

will be due two weeks before your scheduled final examination so that I may inform you of your grade before the completion of the course. This paper will require library research on a major philosophical figure not included on our reading list. [See note on Internet citations under "Policies," p. 2.] This project will also provide you an opportunity to explore the wider "multicultural" world of philosophy if you wish.

2. An earlier first draft of your term paper will be due at a time to be scheduled for each individual during the first few weeks of the course. You should schedule an early conference with me to discuss your choice of topic. This grade will derive from a classroom presentation in which you report to your classmates on your choice of topic and the resources you have found so far.

3. A major test ("mid-term") will be scheduled roughly halfway through the study material. This test will consist of four or five broad discussion questions, designed to provide students a chance to show what they learned so far, particularly about Plato and Aristotle.

4. A final examination will be scheduled according to the College timetable. Like the mid-term, it will consist of broad discussion questions, but these will concern only new material covered in the latter half of the course.

5. I will use my own judgment and records to assign a grade based on your participation and attendance. This is likely to be a very good grade for students who come to class regularly, avoid spotty attendance, and demonstrate an interest in what we’re doing.

Class Schedule Sequence of Readings and Assignments (flexible, to vary with level of interest):

By mid-term we will plan to cover: I. The Nature of Philosophy:

Plato’s Apology, Crito, Phaedo, and Symposium, as well as selections from The Republic. All are contained in your edition of Plato’s Dialogues. II. Ethics and Aesthetics: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Books VIII and IX), and Aristotle’s Poetics.

Between mid-term and finals, we will plan to cover:

III. Metaphysics and Epistemology: St. Thomas Aquinas, "The Five Ways," from Summa Theologica (handout); Descartes, Meditations; and William Paley, "Natural Theology" (handout).

IV. Political and Social Philosophy: Locke’s Letter Concerning Toleration and Second Treatise of Government; Rousseau’s Social Contract, and Marx’s Communist Manifesto (reserve or handout).

V. Existentialism: Albert Camus’ The Plague will serve as our single example from twentieth-century philosophy. It presents the author’s perspective in novelistic form.

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