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TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY

PHILOSOPHY 105A

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

COURSE SYLLABUS

SUMMER 2015

Prerequisites: None

PROFESSOR: DR. GRANT HAVERS

OFFICE HOURS: By appointment

CONTACT DATA: ext. 3222;

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to questions addressed by philosophers: the relation between perception and knowledge, the existence and nature of God, human freedom and determinism, the meaning of human life, the nature of moral judgments, gender issues, and whether humans are capable of selfless motivation.

Students are expected to contribute to class discussions regularly, and to demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate weekly readings.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1) to understand the relation between reason and revelation

2) to acquire knowledge of the history of Western philosophy

3) to comprehend the value of philosophical questioning

4) to understand the ancient-modern quarrel in philosophy

ASSIGNMENTS:

a) Two Take-Home Exams—Essay Format (60%)

b) In-Class Final Exam on May 15 (35%); the exam will be open book

c) Participation Mark (5%)

Note: the instructor will follow the grade scale as outlined in the most recent Academic Calendar.

COURSE TEXT:

Joel Feinberg and Russ Shafer-Landau. Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy. 14th edition. Wadsworth, 2011.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Since this course is based on discussion as well as lectures, attendance is mandatory. If students are absent for more than 2 classes without explanation throughout the semester, a grade deduction of 5% (of the course grade) per absence will be imposed. If a student has been absent without permission or legitimate cause for more than three classes, the instructor will bar the student from writing the final examination.

LATENESS POLICY:

Anyone who is chronically late to class (the 3 strike policy applies here) will be deducted 2 marks per absence. Anyone who misses an exam or deadline must provide verifiable medical documentation.

IN-CLASS TECHNOLOGY POLICY:

I strive to create an environment of mutual respect for all participants in the classroom so they can feel comfortable contributing to the class discussions and so on. The standard rules of courtesy apply here, but this is one I insist upon: all cell phones are shut off while in the classroom. No exceptions!

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND AVOIDING PLAGIARISM AT TWU:

As Christian scholars pursuing higher education, academic integrity is a core value of the entire TWU community. Students are invited into this scholarly culture and required to abide by the principles of sound academic scholarship at TWU. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding all forms of plagiarism and cheating in scholarly work. TWU has a strict policy on plagiarism (see academic calendar). Learning what constitutes plagiarism and avoiding it is the student's responsibility. An excellent resource describing plagiarism and how to avoid it has been prepared by TWU Librarian William Badke and is freely available for download (PPT file) or used as flash (self running) tutorials of varying lengths from:
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/plagiarism.ppt
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/Plagiarism.swf (14 minute flash tutorial)
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/Plagiarism_Short.swf (8 minute flash tutorial)

CAMPUS CLOSURE AND CLASS CANCELLATION POLICY:

In the event of deteriorating weather conditions or other emergency situations, every effort will be made to communicate information regarding the cancellation of classes to the following radio stations CKNW (980 AM), CKWX (1130 AM), STAR FM (107.1 FM), PRAISE (106.5 FM) and KARI (550 AM). As well, an announcement will be placed on the University’s campus closure notification message box (604.513.2147) and on the front page of the University’s website (http://www.twu.ca – also see http://www.twu.ca/conditions for more details).

An initial announcement regarding the status of the campus and cancellation of classes is made at 6:00 AM and covers all classes beginning before 1:00PM. A second announcement is made at 11:00AM that covers all classes which begin between 1:00PM and 5:00PM. A third announcement is made at 3:00PM and covers those classes which begin after 5:00PM.

WEEKLY OUTLINE:

All readings can be found in the course text. This outline may change with advance notice.

Dates Topics Readings from Text

April 27 Introduction to Philosophy:

Its Meaning And Purpose

April 28-May 1 Perception vs. Knowledge Plato, Russell

Proofs of God’s existence Anselm, Aquinas,

Paley, Swinburne,

Adams

May 4 1st Take-home exam due

May 4-8 Freedom & Determinism Ayer, Hume,

Chisholm,

Pereboom

May 11 2nd Take-home exam due

May 12-14 Morality and Self-Interest Plato, Aristotle,

Mill, Nietzsche

Philosophy, Gender, and Nature Lindemann

May 15 In-class Final Exam (Open Book)

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