Philosophy of Modern Society
4 Semester Hours
January 14—April 24, 2002
Course Description:
ˇ
To present philosophy as an “activity” that all humans
naturally engage in.
ˇ
To introduce the great philosophical thinkers of the ages and
what they had to say on such topics as art, ethics, science, knowledge, society,
and religion.
ˇ
To present their ideas in their proper historical context to try
to better understand why they said what they said and why they felt compelled to
speak about these issues.
Course
Objectives:
1.
To acquire a working knowledge of the major disciplines of philosophy; in
particular, ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.
2.
To analyze the lives and ideas of major Western philosophers; in
particular, Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Soren
Kierkegaard.
3.
To understand the major ethical theories of today and their implication
for modern medicine. We will pay
careful attention to the ethical ideas of Kant and Mill.
4.
To assist health-care professionals to understand health-related
philosophical ideas, such as the social dimension of modern medicine.
5.
To develop students’ written skills by writing one creative philosophy
paper.
Required textbook:
About Philosophy, 8/e, Robert Paul
Wolff, Prentice Hall, 2000. (In
addition to the text, use the following site that parallels the book: www.prenhall.com/wolff)
Other
Internet Resources:
ˇ
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
ˇ Philosophical Terms and Names: http://people.delphi.com/gkemerling/dy/index.htm
Course
Content:
January
14th.
Introductory paper written by you about the meaning of life.
January
21st
What is Philosophy?
Wolff, pages 1-40
January
28th
Theory of Knowledge
Wolff, pages 41-86
February
4th
Metaphysics and Philosophy Wolff,
pages 87-120
February
11th.
Philosophy of Science
Wolff, pages 121-156
February
18th Ethical Theory
Wolff, pages 157-242
February 25th
Midterm
Week
March
4th
Social and Political Philosophy
Wolff, pages 243-306
March
11th
Philosophy of Art
Wolff, pages 307-350
March
18th
Philosophy of Religion Wolff, pages 351-396
March
25th Feminist
Philosophy
April
1st
Easter
Break
April
8th
Philosophies of people of color
April
15th
ISC due by April 19th
April
22nd
Final Exam Week—due by April 22nd
Grading:
N.B.
This is critical. Your class
participation in class discussions is critical. You will be graded on both the amount of participation and
also the quality of it. I will
respond to all your comments to my discussion questions and will read all of you
responses to your classmates.
Guidelines
for the Independent Study Component:
The Independent Study Component will provide
25% of the overall course grade and will represent at least 16-hours of
additional work over and above the assignments required for this course.
Each student will write a 12-page research paper that will deal with an
aspect of philosophy in our modern society.
The topic will be approved before beginning the project.
Students are encouraged to pick a topic that either has applicability to
their professional work or personal life.
Expectations:
I look forward to this semester and expect
that you will do your part to make this a rewarding experience for you and the
rest of your class. Together, we
will have a fruitful journey to better understanding philosophy in our modern
society. As an online learner, you
will be expected, in addition to your reading assignments, to be in
class at least three hours per week. This
three-hour class time will be spent online with your other online learners or
completing the weekly assignments. Assignments
will be posted at the beginning of each week.
While you are alone in front of your computer, you are still a part of
your class. Class participation
online is even more important than in the traditional classroom.
Statement
of Academic Integrity:
Students in this course will be expected to comply with the USF guidelines regarding academic integrity that appear in the university catalog (2000-2002 catalog, p.62). Honesty in all academic work is expected of every student. This means giving one's own answers in all class work, quizzes, and examinations without help from any source not approved by the instructor. Written material is to be the student's original composition. Appropriate credit must be given for outside sources from which ideas, language, or quotations are derived. You are expected to do your own work in this course.
ADA
Statement:
All students with
disabilities who need accommodations should alert your instructor within the
first week of school and contact the Disabilities Coordinator, Dr. MeShelda
Jackson in the Office of Disability Services.
She can be reached by email (mjackson@stfrancis.edu)
or phone (815) 740-3461.
Accessibility:
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