PHIL 160 Syllabus
Winter 2011
Instructor: W. Russ Payne
E-mail: wpayne@bellevuecollege.edu
Phone: (425) 564-2079
Office location: B100E
Course location: L219
Course time: 10:30 – 11:20 daily
Item no: 1640
Office Hours: 9:30 – 10:20 Monday – Thursday
Website: http://facweb.bcc.ctc.edu/wpayne/
Philosophy department’s web site: http://bellevuecollege.edu/philosophy/
Course
Information
Philosophy of science examines the nature of science, its
methods and how we should understand its results. Here is a sampling of the
sorts of issues we will investigate in this course:
What is science?
Are the sciences unified in some way?
What is a scientific explanation?
What is a scientific theory?
Are theories true?
What is a law of nature?
What is causation?
Along the way we will also get informally acquainted some of
the history of science.
In case you are considering majoring in philosophy, you
should be prepared to answer you parents and friends when they ask what you
plan to do with a philosophy degree. Tell them you plan to live well and make a
good living. Tell them that philosophy majors earn more than any other arts and
humanities major and more than most social science majors (the exceptions being
the dark arts of economics and political science.)
http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp
Of course, you might find philosophy enjoyable even if you
are already anxious to devote your life to Management Information Systems or
Aerospace Engineering.
Course Outcomes
The official outcomes for this course are as follows:
1. demonstrate knowledge of key terms and concepts by using
them accurately in tests and assigned papers.
2. demonstrates comprehension knowledge of various views on the nature of
science as argued by the relevant philosophers in tests and assigned papers.
3. demonstrate comprehension of the nature and function of philosophy of
science in essay tests.
4. demonstrate knowledge of philosophical problems in the various sciences in
essay tests.
5. demonstrate ability to argue successfully against various pseudo –
scientific “explanations” and theories through writing papers, and essay tests.
How Outcomes will be met
A good deal of reading, some writing and lots of
conversation
Grading
Your grade in this course will be determined by your
performance a few essay tests plus a few short at home writing assignments, and
participation in class. The tests will typically consist of written answers of
four or five questions. Each answer will be graded on a 10 point scale with 9
or 10 point scores representing the A to A- range, 8 point scores representing
B work, 7 point scores representing C work and so forth. Take home writing
assignments will be similarly scored. So at any point in the course, you should
be able to roughly figure your grade based on written work. In class participation
will include frequent in class five-minute written answers to comprehension
question on the assigned reading. These will be worth up to 3 points each. In
addition to taking part in class discussions, your grade can be helped by
e-mail dialogues and office hours conversations that provide me with further
evidence of philosophical scholarship.
Attendance: The single most important thing you can do to insure
your success in this course is to be attend every day. This is the case whether
or not I enforce an attendance policy. But past experience has convinced me
that poor attendance is less likely to undermine a student’s education if I do
enforce and attendance policy. So, attendance will be taken regularly. Absences
in excess of 10 will automatically lower your grade in the course by 1/3 of a
grade point (for instance, from a B to a B- for the 11th absence,
from a B- to a C+ for the 12th and so forth). Exceptions for
extended hospital stays or planned school activities will be considered at my
discretion, but in these cases, it is imperative that you make a plan for your
absence with me at the earliest possible date.
Well-intentioned contributions in class can help you
significantly. Inappropriate or disrespectful behavior may adversely
affect your grade in the course. You should consult the BC course catalog
for information on grading standards at this institution. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/publications/catalog/
Books and Materials Required
Theory and Reality, An Introduction to the Philosophy of
ScienceI, Peter Godfrey-Smith
Additional materials will be posted on my website:
http://facweb.bcc.ctc.edu/wpayne/
Classroom
Learning Atmosphere
Instructor’s Expectation
Maintaining a good learning environment will be your
responsibility as well as mine. Philosophy is best learned through
actively engaging in discussion of the issues. You may have strong
feelings about some of the issues we will discuss. This is fine and it
will present no problem so long as we all make respect for each other a guiding
principle of our inquiry. While the experience will be new to many of
you, talking about the existence of God or the nature of morality with people
that disagree with you can actually be fun. Keep in mind that what matters most
in philosophy is that we do a good job at evaluating the reasons for and
against the views we consider. And we can do a good job at this quite independent
of our feelings about those views. That we all end up agreeing is not
essential to a fruitful philosophical dialogue. That we are amicable and
gracious towards one another is.
I take a dim view of cheating and plagiarism. Write your own
stuff. I have a duty to report cheating, plagiarism and other conduct
that is destructive to the course to administration and student services.
I would appreciate not having to act on that duty.
Affirmation of Inclusion
Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment
in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in
the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.
We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and
students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another
with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp
Division Statements
You should also the Arts and
Humanities Expectations posted here: http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/policy.html
Information about Bellevue Colleges copyright guidelines can
be found at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/lmc/links/copyright.html
A good resource for Plagiarism is the
Writing Lab: http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html
Student Code
“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or
words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and
inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code
of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior
include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving
early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and
inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The
instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice
President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from
Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal
procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office
of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy
2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp
Important Links
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learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student
labs by visiting the Computing
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. Please visit our website for application information into our program
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Final Exam Schedule
Check here:
http://bellevuecollege.edu/classes/exams
Academic Calendar
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enrollment dates such as the finals schedule.
·
Enrollment Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/deadlines/.
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College Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/holidays/0910.asp.
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