Introduction to Philosophy: PHIL 151; Spring 2006

Instructor: Jonathan D. Trigg Ph.D.
Office: HLG 510
Office hours: MWF 10:00 – 12:00am; TR 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
E-mail: jon.trigg@louisiana.edu
Class Time:  MWF 9:00 – 9:50  
Class Place: HLG 501
Assessment: Your final grade will be made up of the following components:
            Mid-Term Examination      33.33%
            Final Paper               33.33%
            Final Examination           33.33%
            
In the mid-term examination you will answer ten short-answer questions in 1 hour, and in the final examination you will answer ten short answer questions in two hours. The term paper will be between 5 and 7 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.

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.
•    John Heil Philosophy of Mind, A Contemporary Introduction


A good general resource for topics rather than particular technical terms can be found at:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
And an excellent discussion of the difference between good and bad philoso phy papers, including a sample of each, can be found at:
http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/rholton/write/writehome.html

Course Structure and Reading
You need to read these pieces before the relevant class – I highly recommend that you look at them again after class. Philosophical writing is dense and demanding and you should not expect to understand it perfectly straight away..
•    Additional reading material will be made available through the reserve section in the University Library.
Detailed instructions about what to read will be given in class as we go along. The following is only a rough guide.

EMP = The Elements of Moral Philosophy
Moral Philosophy
Week 1: General Introduction – What is morality? Ch. 1 EMP
Week 2: Cultural Relativism – Ch. 2 EMP
Week 3: Divine Command Theory – Ch.4 EMP & Psychological Egoism Ch.5 EMP
Week 4: Ethical Egoism Ch. 6 EMP & Subjectivism Ch.3 EMP
Week 5: Utilitarianism Chs. 7 & 8 EMP
Week 6: Kantian Moral Philosophy – Chs. 9 & 10 EMP
Week 7: Aristotle’s Moral Philosophy – Ch. 13 EMP Review
Free Will
Week 8: Readings from Reserve Section in Library; Mid-Term Exam
Week 9:
Personal Identity
Week 10: Readings from Reserve Section in Library
Week 11:
 PM = The Philosophy of Mind, A Contemporary Introduction
The Mind
Week 11: Ch. 1 PM
Week 13: Ch. 2 PM
Week 14: Ch. 3 PM Term Paper Due
Week 15: Review

Final Examination: HLG 501
Tue May 09 07:30AM - 10:00AM