Instructor: Hoover (Spring 2009)

Plato, Five Dialogues
Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy
Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Marx, Selected Writings 
Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions

[+ on-line materials from the course website (on-campus access only)]

This course will introduce students to some of the “classics” of western philosophy. We will read a variety of texts written by some of the more influential thinkers in the history of western philosophy. The readings will span more than two thousand years of western thought and, since we will read them pretty much in chronological order, it is hoped that students will also gain a sense of how important philosophical ideas have changed over time. 

The readings for this course have been selected because of their importance within the development of western thought and because they are still quite accessible to modern readers. While a variety of philosophical issues will be raised in these texts, we will focus primarily on a few topics central to the western philosophical tradition, namely--the existence of a God or some transcendent reality; the nature and limits of knowledge; whether there are absolute moral truths and if there are, whether we could know with certainty what they are. 

Perhaps the most important thing to be gained from this class is not an acquaintance with various facts and theories from the history of philosophy, but the development of reasoning skills.  The study of philosophy develops one's ability to think carefully and critically. The objective of this course is to enable students to be reflective about the beliefs that they or their society have developed. The ability to think reflectively does not develop independently from the ability to read critically and perceptively or the ability to express ourselves.  Accordingly, in this course we will seek to advance our reading comprehension as well as our communication skills, both oral and written.

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All students will be expected to attend each class and to have prepared the reading for each class. If there is a legitimate reason that you will not be able to attend a class, please notify the instructor beforehand. Without such notice, absences count against the class participation grade. There will be an opportun¬ity for students to participate in class discussions and there will be in-class writing exercises that pertain to the readings and to other class content. Performance in class and on these writing assignments will be part of each student’s class participation grade. This class also includes a web-based discussion room (see course website), where students can pose and respond to questions related to course materials. On occasion the instructor may require students to post a question or a response to the electronic discussion group. Class participation will be graded on the basis of student performance in three areas: attendance; prep¬aration; the quality of in-class participation (including in-class writing exercises). The class participation grade will be equal to one exam grade (one-sixth of course grade).

This class is designated as writing emphasis and will stress accordingly the development of writing skills. Two papers of 4-5 pages in length will be assigned. These papers will be due at assigned times during the course of the semester and the topic area will be given out by the instructor at least one week prior to their due date. Both papers may be rewritten and resub¬mitted for a grade change, however, only significantly revised papers will be considered. Re-write submissions must include the previously submitted version with instructor’s comments, along with the new version. There is no maximum number of times a student may submit a rewritten paper, There will be no specific due dates for voluntary rewrites (although none will be accepted after the last class day). The grade for rewritten papers will replace the previous grade if it is higher. The two paper grades will be weighted equally (each counts one-sixth of the course grade).

Each student will also be required to complete three examinations over the course of the semester. These exams will all include a significant essay component. Each exam will be weighted equally (one-sixth of course grade). 
   
The final course grade is broken down as follows: 1/6th = class participation grade; 3/6ths = three exam grades; 2/6ths = two paper grades.  

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s words or ideas without acknowledgement and, when intentional, is a form of academic dishonesty. The unacknowledged use of words or ideas from any published or unpublished sources, including Internet resources or other student papers, constitutes plagiarism.  Any ideas or information the student adopts from a source, whether or not directly quoted, must be acknowledged by specific reference in notes or the text. Any words or phrases that are taken from a source must be quoted and cited. Any paraphrase—the restatement of an idea in your own words—must be cited. Students who commit plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will be disciplined according to procedures outlined in the Coe Catalog.

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