PHIL 201 Introduction
to Philosophy
Summer 10
Dr. Carla Fehr
cfehr@iastate.edu
www.public.iastate.edu/~cfehr
Meeting Times: MWTHF
9:50-11:50 Office
hours: by appointment
What is the point?
The man
who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the
prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or
his nation, and from convictions, which have grown up in his mind without the
co-operation or consent of his deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends
to become definite, finite, obvious; common objects arouse no questions, and
unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected. As soon as we begin to
philosophize, on the contrary, we find, ... that even
the most everyday things lead to problems to which only incomplete answers can
be given. Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts that it raises, is
able to suggest many possibilities, which enlarge our thoughts and free them
from the tyranny of custom. Thus, while diminishing our feeling of certainty as
to what things are, it greatly increases our knowledge as to what they may be;
it removes the somewhat arrogant dogmatism of those who have never traveled
into the region of liberating doubt, and it keeps alive our sense of wonder by
showing familiar things in an unfamiliar aspect.
Bertrand Russell, "The Value of Philosophy" in Perry and Bratman
The
previous statement also applies to women.
Carla Fehr
Course Objectives
This course this course considers different ways that
we create and recognize different sorts of knowledge about the world, about
other people and about ourselves. Our tools are analytic arguments that
we employ while reading, writing, and talking. Developing these tools is as
much a part of this course as employing them in our philosophy discussions.
Grade distribution and due dates
You have the dates of the exams and
the papers on the first day of class. Please plan your workload
accordingly.
|
Date |
Activity |
Percent of final grade |
|
May 27 |
Test 1 |
15 |
|
June 3 |
Test 2 |
20 |
|
June 4 |
Paper working day |
|
|
June 7 |
Paper due |
20 |
|
June 11 |
Test 3 |
25 |
|
Every day |
Class participation |
20 |
Contacting the Professor
Contact me by EMAIL at cfehr@iastate.edu.
The subject line of your message
must be exactly “Phil201”. If the subject line does not contain the
phrase in the quotation marks in the previous sentence, I will NOT read your
message. I will answer your message within one business day.
Philosophy readings:
The
readings will be available online or as handouts.
Exams
There will be three cumulative multiple choice exams.
Paper
You will
write a five page paper. In the first
week of class I will give you several topics from which to choose among.
Class participation
·
Attend
class.
·
Be prepared
to talk about the readings.
·
Be
willing to guess about what the readings might mean.
·
Be
polite.
·
Sexist, racist
or heterosexist comments will not be tolerated.
·
Pay
attention and respond to your classmates
·
Don’t
dominate conversation.
Students with disabilities
Please address any special needs or special
accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester. Those seeking
accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic
Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources (DR) office
(515-294-6624). DR is located on the main floor of the Student Services
Building, Room 1076.
Academic honesty
Plagiarism is theft. If I catch you plagiarizing even one sentence or one idea
in your papers, I will forward the case to the dean of students and recommend
the harshest possible penalty. If you are found guilty you will fail the
class.
Don’t cheat on tests. Cheating
includes, but is not limited to, procuring copies of old exams, taking copies
of the exam booklet out of the classroom, looking at other students’ bubble
sheets. If I catch you cheating on a test I will forward the case to the
dean of students and recommend the harshest possible penalty. If you are
found guilty you will fail the class.
If you have any questions about what
constitutes academic dishonesty, please consult the Academic Regulations
section of the Iowa State University Catalogue found here: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~catalog/2007-2009/geninfo/dishonesty.html, or consult the professor.
The following is an excerpt from the
Academic Regulations section of the Iowa State University Catalogue found here:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~catalog/2007-2009/geninfo/dishonesty.html
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty occurs when a
student uses or attempts to use unauthorized information in the taking of an
exam; or submits as his or her own work themes, reports, drawings, laboratory
notes, or other products prepared by another person; or knowingly assists
another student in such acts or plagiarism. Such behavior is abhorrent to the
university, and students found responsible for academic dishonesty face
expulsion, suspension, conduct probation, or reprimand. Instances of academic
dishonesty ultimately affect all students and the entire university community
by degrading the value of diplomas when some are obtained dishonestly, and by
lowering the grades of students working honestly.
Examples of specific acts of
academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:
1. Obtaining unauthorized
information. Information is obtained
dishonestly, for example, by copying graded homework assignments from another
student, by working with another student on a take-home test or homework when
not specifically permitted to do so by the instructor, or by looking at your
notes or other written work during an examination when not specifically
permitted to do so.
2. Tendering of information. Students may not give or sell their work to another person
who plans to submit it as his or her own. This includes giving their work to
another student to be copied, giving someone answers to exam questions during
the exam, taking an exam and discussing its contents with students who will be
taking the same exam, or giving or selling a term paper to another student.
3. Misrepresentation. Students misrepresent their work by handing in the work of
someone else. The following are examples: purchasing a paper from a term paper
service; reproducing another person’s paper (even with modifications) and
submitting it as their own; having another student do their computer program or
having someone else take their exam.
4. Bribery. Offering money or any item or service to a faculty member
or any other person to gain academic advantage for yourself or another is
dishonest.
5. Plagiarism. Unacknowledged use of the information, ideas, or phrasing of
other writers is an offense comparable with theft and fraud, and it is so
recognized by the copyright and patent laws. Literary offenses of this kind are
known as plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when they do not credit the sources from
which they borrow ideas, whether these ideas are reproduced exactly or
summarized. The method of documentation will differ depending on whether the
sources are written, oral, or visual. Ethically, communicators are responsible
for providing accurate, detailed information about their sources. Practically,
audiences need this information to comprehend and evaluate a message’s content.
The Student Guide: English 150 and 250, available for purchase at the
University Book Store, describes the process of documenting source materials as
do many other reference guides.
Academic dishonesty is considered to
be a violation of the behavior expected of a student in an academic setting as
well as a student conduct violation. A student found responsible for academic
dishonesty or academic misconduct is therefore subject to appropriate academic
penalty; to be determined by the instructor of the course, as well as sanctions
under the university Student Disciplinary Regulations.If
an instructor believes that a student has behaved dishonestly in a course, the
following steps are to be followed:
Because academic dishonesty is also
a student conduct violation under Section 4.2.1 of the Student Disciplinary
Regulations, the instructor must report the incident in writing to the Dean of
Students. After investigating the incident and discussing it with the
instructor, the Dean of Students, or his/her designee, will meet with the
student and depending on the severity of the offense as well as on the
student’s past conduct record, may handle the matter through an administrative
hearing or schedule a hearing before the All University Judiciary (AUJ).