INSTRUCTOR PHIL 11: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY University of California, Santa Cruz Philosophy Department Winter 2016 LECTURE Dr. Lucas Fain TuTh 2:00 3:45PM lfain@ucsc.edu Thimann Lecture Hall 003 OFFICE HOURS Cowell Faculty Annex 107 Friday 2:00 3:00PM & by Appointment TEACHING ASSISTANTS Brett Dinovo (bdinovo@ucsc.edu), Steven Haug (shaug@ucsc.edu), Abraham Joyal (ajoyal@ucsc.edu), Amanda Reyes (amrreyes@ucsc.edu) DISCUSSION SECTIONS Cowell Academic Building 216 Section Days & Times TA A M 11:00 12:10PM Steven Haug B M 5:00 6:10PM Steven Haug C M 6:30 7:40PM Steven Haug D Tu 8:30 9:40AM Amanda Reyes E Tu 10:00 11:10AM Amanda Reyes F Tu 12:00 1:10PM Amanda Reyes G W 8:00 9:10AM Abraham Joyal H W 9:30 10:40AM Abraham Joyal I W 11:00 12:10PM Abraham Joyal J Th 8:30 9:40AM Brett Dinovo K Th 10:00 11:10AM Brett Dinovo L Th 12:00 1:10PM Brett Dinovo Overview: Philosophy is one of the very oldest arenas of inquiry. It is prompted by the inescapable need to confront the basic questions that shape our lives: what we can know, what we believe, and what we value. As an introduction to philosophy, this course will acquaint you with the work of several major figures in the Western philosophical tradition. Topics of investigation will include ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology along with abiding concern for the most fundamental question: What is philosophy? To that end, this course is organized historically, with the basic aim of conveying a sense of how the history of philosophy has unfolded from the ancient Greeks to the twentieth century. By entering into this history, you will be entering a centuries-old conversation which has shaped in very fundamental ways the world we live in today. By studying the texts and topics of this course, you will therefore gain access to this history. In doing so, you will also acquire the skills needed to apprehend and critique the arguments of others, along with the ability to develop your own arguments on topics related to this course, especially as they may appear in your life outside the classroom.
Readings: The texts are the foundation of the course. If you like to read and discuss challenging theoretical works, you are likely to succeed in this class. That said, the material is dense, difficult, and highly idiomatic. It therefore requires you to practice slow reading, which takes time, concentration, patience, and reflection. You will get more out of the lectures and discussion sections if your reading is completed before coming to class. Please come to class equipped with the texts assigned for that day. Texts: All readings are either available for purchase at the Bay Tree Bookstore or uploaded to ecommons. (Focus, trans. Sachs) René Descartes, Discourse on Method (Hackett, trans. Kress) Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (Hackett, trans. Ellington) Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science (Vintage, trans. Kaufmann) Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Basic Political Writings, 2 nd ed. (Hackett, trans. Cress) Plato, Charmides (Hackett, trans. West) *Shorter writings will be made available online. Course Requirements: Attendance is mandatory. Please arrive on time and prepared to discuss the readings assigned for that day. Students are required to complete all assignments. In addition to regular attendance there will be two quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam. Quizzes: 30% (15% each) Midterm Exam: 30% Final Exam: 40% Participation: Participation is evaluated on the basis of evidence of your preparedness in the course. A lack of in-class participation will neither hurt nor help your final grade. Poor preparedness, coming late to class, leaving early, fidgeting with electronic devices for reasons other than taking notes or reading course documents, conspicuous eating, sleeping, or detracting from the overall learning environment will negatively affect your final grade. Consistently excellent participation, preparedness, and collegiality may be recognized in your final grade. Regular and meaningful participation in discussion sections may serve as grounds for raising a final grade, especially if it is on a borderline. Note on Attendance: Attendance is required in both lecture and section meetings. Starting in the second week, you will be required to sign a role sheet indicating your attendance in lecture. TAs will also keep attendance records in section meetings. Students are eligible to receive a grade of A- or higher in this course only if they are absent from no more than 4 lectures or discussion sections. Students are eligible to receive a grade of B- or higher only if they are absent from no more than 8 lectures or discussion sections. Students are eligible to receive a grade of C or higher only if they are absent from no more than 12 lectures or discussion sections. Note on Electronic Devices: While the use of laptops for the purpose of taking notes or reading course documents is not forbidden in this course, it is strongly recommended that you do not use electronic devices in this class. This will help you to not only avoid distractions, it will also allow you to easily flip back and forth between pages and annotate your texts. There are several PDFs assigned in this class. It is recommended that you print, read, and annotate hardcopies of these texts. Fain: PHIL 11 (Winter 2016) 2
Examination Policy: Quiz and exam dates are fixed. No alternative dates will be allowed, unless in the case of a medical emergency, family situation, officially recognized day of religious observance, etc. Permission to take an exam at any time other than the scheduled exam date requires corroboration from your academic advisor or another qualified university official (department chair, college provost, etc.). Missing a quiz or exam indicates that you did not complete all course assignments, meaning that you will automatically fail the course. Note on Preparing for Exams and Quizzes: Exams and quizzes will be based on both assigned texts and class discussions. For exams (midterm and final), a series of questions will be distributed, usually a week in advance of the examination date. The exam will then consist of a selection from these questions to be answered in a blue book. You will prepare yourself best for such examinations by writing essays at home in response to each of the questions. There will be no advance questions for quizzes, so it is in your interest to read attentively and take notes in lecture and section. Evaluation Policy: If, for some reason, you have a question about the grade that you receive on a quiz or an exam, please discuss the matter with your TA first. Most likely, this will be the best way to find a resolution. If you are still unsatisfied with the response that you receive from your TA, you are welcome to request a reevaluation of the entire exam by the instructor. In this case, your grade could go up, down, or remain the same. The grade you receive from the instructor is final. Evaluation: Assessment in this course will take the form of an A-NP letter grade. The following standards serve as guidelines to written work in this course. A: Excellent work, with clear, challenging, original ideas supported by sufficient, appropriate, logically interpreted evidence. A-level work should engage the reader in the inquiry, convincingly answer opposing views, be well organized, and free of significant flaws. A-level work should be not just good but outstanding in ideas and presentation. B: Good to very good work, with clear arguments supported by sufficient, appropriate evidence, organized and interpreted logically. B-level work may have some outstanding qualities, but is marked by significant flaws which keep it from being an A; or it may be all-around good work, free of major problems but lacking the deeper insight necessary for excellence. C: Satisfactory work, but not yet good. C-level work meets basic requirements, but needs work in thinking and/or presentation. There may be a lack of clarity, the evidence may not always be sufficient and appropriate, or the interpretation may have logical flaws. C-level work may be good in some respects but poor in others, or it may simply be adequate but not noteworthy overall. D: Barely passing work that shows effort but is so marred by serious problems that it cannot be considered satisfactory. No Pass: Failing work for example, hasty, sloppy responses that show little or no thought, effort, or familiarity with course texts. Academic Resources: Learning Support Services: Fain: PHIL 11 (Winter 2016) 3
Learning Support Services helps students find the resources they need to succeed academically. Services are free of charge. For more information, please see: http://www2.ucsc.edu/lss/ Accessibility and Disabilities: If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please get an Accommodation Authorization from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and submit it to me in person outside of class (e.g., office hours) during the first two weeks of the course. Contact the DRC at 459-2089 (voice), 459-4806 (TTY), or http://drc.ucsc.edu for more information on the requirements and/or process, or if you would like more information about the center. You are not obligated to use DRC services if you contact them, all information is confidential, and services are free of charge. Academic Integrity: Familiarize yourself with the University s principles, policies, and procedures regarding breaches of academic integrity. These can be found on the academic integrity website at: https://www.ue.ucsc.edu/academic_integrity If you are unsure about anything that you read on this website, or what is acceptable or not acceptable in completing assignments for this course, please come and see me. No offenses against standards of academic integrity will be tolerated. Typically, if a plagiarism case or another case violating academic integrity seems to me to be clear cut, it will be processed through the University s system and the academic penalty of failure in the class will be imposed. Questions: Please feel free to contact the instructor or your TA with questions of substance (questions about the meaning of the texts, philosophical issues, etc.). On administrative issues (course policies, grades, section times, etc.) please refer to the syllabus and try your TA first. Course Modification Statement: The instructor and University reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. Under exigent circumstances, the University may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication will be given with explanation. It is the responsibility of the student to regularly check UCSC email and course websites during the term in order to note any changes. Assignment Sequence: WEEK 1 TU January 5 Introduction: What is Philosophy? Jean-Léon Gérôme, Diogenes (Painting) Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 48 Recommended: Peter Sloterdijk, The Cabinet of Cynics (On Diogenes of Sinope). The Critique of Cynical Reason, pp. 155-169 TH January 7 Breaking Free: The Allegory of the Cave Plato, Republic, Book VII, 514a-525c Fain: PHIL 11 (Winter 2016) 4
WEEK 2 TU January 12 TH January 14 Turning Inward: Philosophy and Sound-Mindedness Plato, Charmides, 153a-167a Plato, Charmides, 167b-176d WEEK 3 TU January 19 QUIZ Philosophy and the Good Life (I): The Good, Virtue, the Mean Book I TH January 21 Books II, III.6-12 WEEK 4 TU January 26 TH January 28 Philosophy and the Good Life (II): Friendship and Happiness Books VIII.1-8, IX.4-9 Book X.6-9 WEEK 5 TU February 2 TH February 4 MIDTERM EXAM The Scientific Enlightenment René Descartes, Discourse on Method WEEK 6 TU February 9 TH February 11 Enlightenment as a Problem Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Arts and Sciences Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men WEEK 7 TU February 16 Defending the Enlightenment Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, pp. 1-62 (esp. pp. 1-17, 20-44) Fain: PHIL 11 (Winter 2016) 5
TH February 18 Immanuel Kant, An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment. Political Writings, pp. 54-60 WEEK 8 TU February 23 QUIZ Is Life a Sickness? Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science Preface for the Second Edition, Book 1 TH February 25 Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science Books 2-3 WEEK 9 TU March 1 TH March 3 Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science Books 4-5 The Ethos of Constant Critique Jamin Raskin, A Last Interview with French Philosopher Michel Foucault Michel Foucault, What is Enlightenment? The Foucault Reader, pp. 32-50 WEEK 10 TU March 8 Women, Race, and the Question: What is Philosophy? Mary Midgley, Philosophical Plumbing. The Essential Mary Midgley, pp. 146-152 Mary Midgley, The Remarkable Masculine Birth of Time. The Essential Mary Midgley, pp. 290-310 Lucius T. Outlaw, Jr., Africana Philosophy: Origins and Prospects. A Companion to African Philosophy, pp. 90-98 Recommended: Jonathan Wolff, How Can We End the Male Domination of Philosophy? < http://gu.com/p/3ktzc/sbl> Mary Midgley, The Golden Age of Female Philosophy < http://gu.com/p/3knt7/sbl> TH March 10 Concluding Discussion FINAL EXAM Tuesday, March 15 7:30 10:30PM Fain: PHIL 11 (Winter 2016) 6