Introduction to Philosophy: PHIL 101; Fall 2007

Instructor: Jonathan D. Trigg Ph.D.

Office: HLG 561

Office Phone Number: (337) 482 1060

Office hours: Mon. Wed. 1:30 pm. – 3.00 pm. // Tue. Th. 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. // Fri. 11:00 am. – 12.00 am.

E-mail: jon.trigg@louisiana.edu

Class Time:  Sec. 001 9:00 – 9:50 am. Sec. 002 10:00 – 10:50 am. 

Class Place: HLG 504

Assessment: Your final grade will be made up of the following components:

                                    Mid-Term Examination      33.33%

                                    Term Paper                        33.33%

                                    Final Examination              33.33%

                                   

In the mid-term examination you will answer 4-6 short-answer questions in 50 minutes, and in the final examination you will answer ten short answer questions in 2 hours – bring blue books. The term paper will be between 4 and 5 pages long (12 point, double spaced). I will provide you with a list of titles for this paper, and plenty of advice on how to complete it. There will be no opportunities to re-write the term paper or re-take either of the examinations.

 

Grading System

  • Remember that you are being graded for achievement not effort.
  • Grades range from A to F. A: 90-100; B: 80-89; C: 70-79; D: 60-69; F: 59 and below
  • An A is assigned to excellent work, B to better than average, C to average and D to below average; F grades fail.
  • No ‘extra credit’ will be given.

 

Attendance and Class Policies

Attendance will be recorded and may be taken into account in assigning final grades to borderline cases. Good reasons for absence from class include illness (requiring medical attention) and involvement in significant university activities. I will deduct 2.5 points (a quarter letter grade) a day from unexcused late assignments. If you have a disability and require assistance with fulfilling class assignments, don't hesitate to notify me and the Office for Services to Students with Disabilities at 482-5252. Finally, be sure you are familiar with all university policies described in the UL Lafayette Undergraduate Bulletin.

Anybody caught plagiarizing will fail the course, and may be reported to the University. It is incredibly easy to identify plagiarised passages in your written work. You must include full citations of any sources that you use – including page numbers of books and URL’s for websites.

If you miss class, for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to get class notes from another student. Missed exams or other assignments can be made up only if an appropriate excuse, e.g., illness requiring medical attention, participation in certain official university events, etc., is provided. If you miss an assignment due date, you must notify me within one week of the due date in order to make up the assignment.

 

 

 

Emergency Evacuation Procedures

A map of this floor is posted near the elevator marking the evacuation route and the Designated Rescue Area. This is an area where emergency service personnel will go first to look for individuals who need assistance in exiting the building. Students who may need assistance should identify themselves to the teaching faculty.

Main Texts

  • James Rachels The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 4th ed.
  • Thomas Nagel What Does It All Mean?
  • Additional material made available through the copy shop on St. Mary next door to P.J’s coffee house.

 

Internet Resources

Some advice about doing philosophy:

http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/emason/Doingphilosophy.html

And see our own Dr. Keith Korcz’s fabulous web page at:

http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kak7409/

Some advice on essay writing – examples of good and bad philosophy essays:

http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/rholton/write/writehome.html

 

 

 

 

A good general resource for topics rather than particular technical terms can be found at:

http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/

Course Structure and Reading

Detailed instructions about what to read will be given in class as we go along. The following is only a rough guide.

 

EMP = James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy

WDIAM = Thomas Nagel, What Does It All Mean?

Moral Philosophy

Week 1: General Introduction – Morality and moral philosophy. (Ch. 1 EMP)

Week 2: Cultural Relativism  (Ch. 2 EMP)

Week 3: Divine Command Theory (Ch.4 EMP)

Week 4: Psychological Egoism (Ch.5 EMP)

Week 5: Ethical Egoism (Ch. 6 EMP)

Week 6: Subjectivism (Ch.3 EMP)

 

Mid-Term Exam

           

Week 7&8: What can we know for certain? (Ch. 2 WDIAM)

Week 9&10: Are we really free? (Ch. 6 WDIAM)

Week 11&12: What is the mind? (Ch. 4 WDIAM)

Week 13: The Meaning of Words (Ch. 5 WDIAM)

Week 14 & 15: The Self – Life, Death and Personal Identity (Ch. 9 & 10)

Review

Exam Schedule HLG 504 NOTE TIME CHANGE !!!

Sec. 001 Mon Dec. 3rd 8:30 – 11.00 AM   

Sec. 002 Thu Dec. 6th  1:30 – 4:00