PHILOSOPHY 109: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
FALL 2011
T/R - 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. N. Halsey 260

Professor: Dr. Robert Wagoner
Office: Clow Faculty 420    
E-Mail: wagonerr@uwosh.edu
Phone: 424-7311
Office hours:   Tuesday: 1:30-2:30, Wednesday: 12:00-2:00, or by appointment


COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:  This course will introduce students to basic problems in four areas of Philosophy.  We will be studying philosophical problems and debates surrounding, knowledge and skepticism, the nature of the mind, human freedom and determinism, and religious belief.  We will read a variety of important and influential philosophical texts, both classical and modern, whose authors argue for, develop, and defend distinctive answers to these  problems.  Students will also be introduced to basic philosophical methodology.  In addition to  a basic understanding of the philosophical debates covered in the course, students can expect to come away from the course with a general understanding of the kinds of questions philosophers are concerned about as well as a basic understanding of how philosophers set about to answer such questions and to evaluate their answers.


REQUIRED TEXT

Feinberg, J. & Shafer-Landau, R. eds. Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy. 14th Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning (2011). Note on the text:  You must use the 14th edition.  Some of the material we will be reading is new to this edition.

 
  

REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES

1. Reading: The schedule of assignments attached to the syllabus indicates the reading assignments for each week’s class.  The readings indicated for a particular day are to be done in advance of the class meeting. 
2. Exams:  There will be three in-class exams in this course (see schedule for dates).  The first exam will be worth 15% of the final grade.  The second and third exams are each worth 25%
   
3. D2L Quizzes:  There will be 6 short quizzes.  These are open book, open note, and will be taken through D2L outside of class.  The lowest score will be dropped.  Each quiz is worth a total of 5% of the final grade, for a total of 25%.
4. In Class Quizzes: There will be unannounced in class quizzes during the semester.  These will be worth a total of 10% of the final grade.
5. Optional Paper: Students who wish to do so may write a short (4-5) page paper instead of taking the final exam.  The paper will be due on the last day of class.  More information about this option will be available later in the semester.

Summary of Grade Distributions:

Exam 1	15%
Exam 2	25%
Exam 3	25%
D2L Quizzes	25%
In Class Quizzes	10%

GRADING:  Grades for the course will be determined according to the following arrangement:

A	94-100%
A-	90-93%
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	Below 60%

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  you are expected to attend all class meetings, and you must attend the first day of class—if you do not, you will be dropped from the class list.   I will honor holidays or special events observed by organized religions for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion, as well as absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee).  However, I will also require you to make up for any such absences.

MISSED EXAM AND PAPER POLICY: Any student who misses an exam or in-class quiz must provide a University approved excuse within one week of the missed work.  Make up exams will be essay exams.  If you know in advance that you will miss an exam, and you have a legitimate reason for missing, please let me know. 



EXPECTED CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR:  You are expected to come to class having done the reading for the day and ready to engage with lecture and discussion.  (So, for example, do September 13th’s reading in preparation for, and so before, the September 13th lecture.  If you haven’t done the reading, you will find lectures difficult to follow and quizzes impossible to do. You must bring your books to class:  I will refer in detail to the texts you have read, and you will need to be able to look them up in class.) 

You should turn off your cell phone or pager before class begins, and put away any newspapers or reading material not related to the class.  You should not talk when someone else, the instructor or a student, is addressing the class.  If you disagree with the instructor or another student, you are welcome to express your disagreement in a polite and concise manner.  Finally, you should get enough sleep before class so that you can be alert during class.  If you repeatedly violate these basic norms of courtesy, you will be asked to leave the classroom.  

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:  The written work you submit for this course must be your own:  you are to think through the issues and write up your ideas, on your own.  This does not mean that you cannot discuss your ideas with others, or that you cannot read outside material; it does mean that you must acknowledge all such discussions or outside reading in footnotes to the paper, and it does mean that if you use anyone else’s words, they must appear in quotation marks with an appropriate citation (listing author, work, edition and page numbers.)  If you fail to acknowledge the work of others you are drawing on, then you are pretending that the work is your own and are guilty of plagiarism.  Ensuring that you do not plagiarize is your responsibility.  There will be some ideas you will want to discuss that are common knowledge within the context of our class, because we have discussed them together.  These do not need to be acknowledged. 
Note that if you are found guilty of plagiarism, you will receive a failing grade in the course and may be expelled from the university.



SCHEDULE OF READINGS: The attached Schedule of Readings is subject to change depending on the pace of the course.  Readings may need to be moved, removed or added in order to accommodate delays, difficulties, etc.  Any changes will be announced both in class and on D2L. 

September 8	Introduction to the Course
September 13	The Nature and Value of Philosophy Readings:  Plato, Russell (1-14)
PART 1: REASON AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF
September 15	The Ontological Argument Readings: Anselm, Gaunilo, Rowe (20-34)
September 20	The Cosmological Argument Readings: Clarke, Rowe (36-46)
September 22	The Problem of Evil Readings: Mackie, Adams (92-105)
September 27	The Problem of Evil Readings: Swinburne (105-113)
September 29	Faith and Reason Readings: Clifford, James (117-130)
October 4	First Exam
PART 2: DETERMINISM, FREE WILL, AND RESPONSIBILITY
October 6	Introduction Readings: van Inwagen (421-430)
October 11	Libertarianism Readings: Chisholm (430-438); Begin Kane (438-450)
October 13	Libertarianism & Hard Determinism Readings: Kane (438-450); Holbach (451-456)
October 18	Hard Determinism Readings: Pereboom (456-470)
October 20	Compatibilism Readings: Hume, Ayer (470-480)
October 25	Freedom and Responsibility Readings: Frankfurt, Nagel (481-493)
October 27	Freedom and Responsibility Readings: Wolf (494-504) Review for Second Exam
November 1	Second Exam
PART 3: MIND AND PERSONAL IDENTITY
November 3	The Mind-Body Problem Readings: Gertler, Jackson (303-319)
November 8	The Mind-Body Problem Readings: Carruthers (319-327)
November 10	The Mind-Body Problem Readings: Churchland (327-335)
November 15	Personal Identity Readings: Locke, Reid (373-379)
November 17	Personal Identity Readings: Hume, Parfit (379-386)
November 22	Personal Identity Reading: Dennett (386-395)
November 24	No Class - Thanksgiving Recess
PART 4: KNOWLEDGE AND SKEPTICISM
November 29	Skepticism Readings: Pollock, Huemer, Chisholm (153-167)
December 1	Knowledge of the External World Readings: Russell (175-182); Descartes (182-191)
December 6	Knowledge of the External World Readings: Locke (215-223)
December 8	Knowledge of the External World Readings: Berkeley, Reid, Moore (223-237)
December 13	Review for Final Exam
December 15	Last Day of Class: Final Exam