Bellevue College

(Previously Bellevue Community College)

Syllabus

Phil&101: Introduction to Philosophy, Winter 2011

Room: L211

Class: Daily 12:30p to 1:20p

Office Hours: 11:30a to 12:20p Monday and by appointment in B200D

Instructor: David Long

Email: david.long@bellevuecollege.edu Phone: 425-564-4129

Requirements:

You will need to read all of the assigned material.

You will need to be prepared to discuss material.

50% of your grade will come from two relatively short papers.

30%.of your grade will come from one essay test (the final).

20% of your grade will come from class participation, class exercises and unannounced quizzes.

Goals:

The basic goal of this course will be to familiarize students with philosophical problems. These philosophical problems will touch on many things students already think they understand and believe. The hope is that this course will inspire students to think more deeply about the nature of existence. We will carefully examine Plato’s Republic and Hume’s Enquiry. In addition, we will discuss various traditional philosophical problems. We will examine the problem of evil, questions concerning free will, arguments for the existence of God, questions about the fundamental nature of reality, and the limits of human knowledge. The final result is that this class will develop a basic philosophic acumen for students who apply themselves. Also, it will build stronger writing, thinking, and communication skills.

Books:

Plato. Republic. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. (Barnes and Noble Classics)

David Hume. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Edited by Eric Steinberg. (Hackett Pub. Co.)

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of DRC (Disability Resource Center)(room B132-G; 425-564-2498 or TTY 425-564-4110) to establish their eligibility for accommodation. The DRC office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require accommodation in class should review the DRC accommodation letter with the instructor during the first week of the quarter.

Grading Policy:

Make-up tests will only be given with a verified and legitimate excuse. Papers will receive a 0.5 GPA deduction for each day that they are late. Do not email me your paper. You must hand in a hard copy of your paper in class. Hardship Withdrawals and Incompletes are only given for appropriate reasons which do not include maintaining your GPA. Do not plagiarize!

Course Schedule:

Date	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Jan. 3rd to Jan. 7^th	Ideas & Thoughts	Relativism of the Truth	Moral Relativism	Moral Relativism	Moral Relativism
Jan. 10^th to Jan. 14^th	Moral Relativism	Plato	Plato	Plato	Plato
Jan. 17^th to Jan. 21^st	X	Plato	Plato	Plato	Plato
Jan. 24^th to Jan. 28^th	Plato	Plato	Plato	Plato	X
Jan 31^st to Feb. 4^th	Plato	Plato	Plato	Plato	Plato
Feb. 7^th to Feb. 11^th	(1^st Paper due)	Plato	Plato	Plato	Plato
Feb. 14^th to Feb. 18^th	History of Philosophy	History of Philosophy	Metaphysics and Epistemology	Metaphysics and Epistemology	Metaphysics and Epistemology
Feb. 21^st to Feb. 25^th	X	Hume	Hume	Hume	Hume
Feb. 28^th to March 4^th	Hume	Hume	Hume	Hume	Hume
March 7^th to March 11^th	Hume	X	Hume	Hume	Hume
March 14^th to March 18^th	(2^ndPaper due)	Hume	Hume	Hume	Hume
March 21^nd to March 23^rd	X	X	Final

This course schedule is meant to give you a rough idea of how the quarter will go. The dates may change depending on how much time is needed to properly cover material.

Final: Wednesday, 3/23, 11:30a -1:20p