Socrates

I. Prerequisites: none.

II. Course Description: A study of the basic issues in philosophical thought.

III. Rationale: The Mission Statement of Mississippi College indicates a central place for critical thinking and the personal examination of ethical resources in the kind of education the college seeks to provide when it says, AThe mission of the College is to provide an opportunity for its students to realize personal values, achieve social competence, and prepare for a life of useful service.@ This theme finds further expression in the General Education Requirements of the College. The General Education Program is divided into three learning areas and each area is characterized by an educational goal and several outcome objectives. One of the three learning areas has been given the title, APersonal Values and Attitudes.@ The educational goal of this area is AAn understanding of Christian ethics, personal wellness, and interpersonal relationships in society.@ The first outcome objective associated with this goal is the empowerment of students to Adevelop skills for making responsible moral choices based upon an understanding of biblical principles.@ Philosophy 207: Introduction to Philosophy addresses the personal values components of the Mission Statement and the General Education Requirements in an obvious and direct manner. Philosophy 207 presents students with the rich intellectual and ethical resources of the western philosophical tradition and requires that students engage the intellectual problems of the contemporary world in view of these conceptual resources.

IV. Learning Objectives: Completion of the requirements for PHI 207 should enable students

A. To develop the ability to think and read critically.

B. To develop the ability to dialogue constructively about complex issues in philosophy.

C. To make progress in the ability to write clear and concise analyses of primary source materials in the field of philosophy.

D. To understand some of the basic issues in the history of philosophy within their context.

E. To formulate personal responses to the major issues encountered in our study.

V. Academic Integrity: AMississippi College students are expected to be scrupulously honest. Dishonesty, such as cheating or plagiarism . . ., or furnishing false information, including forgery, alteration or misuse of College documents, records, or identification, will be regarded as a serious offense subject to severe penalty, including, but not limited to, loss of credit and possible dismissal. See the 2000-2001 Mississippi College Tomahawk or University Policy 2.19 for specific information regarding penalties associated with dishonest behavior at Mississippi College@ (Mississippi College General Catalog, 2002-2003, p. 53).

VI. Outline of Topics to be Covered in PHI 207:

A. General introduction to philosophy and relevant terminology

B. The example of the Pre-Socratics

C. Plato and Socrates

D. Aristotle and the study of logic

E. Common Logical Fallacies

F. Metaphysics

G. Epistemology

H. Ethics

I. Modern Philosophy

VII. Methods of instruction. Primary methods of instruction utilized in this course include interactive lecture, class discussion, group work, use of audio-visual materials, and the interpretation of specific essays. Students may also be responsible for presenting textbook materials to the class.

VIII. Course Requirements:

A. Attendance: Part of the value of the course lies in the discussion that takes place in the classroom. For this reason, class attendance is a must. Excessive absences will negatively affect one=s grade at the rate of one point off the student=s final average for every absence subsequent to absence number three. Students who participate in classroom discussion frequently will be given extra credit when final grades are tabulated. Please be advised that an accumulation of 6 or more absences in this class will result in an automatic grade of F for the course, regardless of the nature of the absences. A full description of the class attendance policies at Mississippi College can be found in the 2002-2003 Mississippi College Undergraduate Catalog, pp. 50-51. Students are expected to be at class on time. Students who arrive after role has been taken are considered tardy. Tardy students must inform the instructor of their late arrival at the conclusion of that day=s class to receive credit for attendance. Credit for tardy attendance cannot be given subsequent to the day on which the student was tardy. Three tardy days are counted as one absence when final grades and class attendance records are tabulated.

B. Wakefulness and Basic Courtesy. Students who put their heads on their desk to go to sleep will be awakened, dismissed from class, and marked absent. The passing of notes in class is strongly discouraged. Students are also required to turn their cell phones off before they enter the class. Private conversations during class are also grounds for dismissal from class.

C. Weekly Essays: Students will submit brief essays (3-5 pages) each week that address questions pertaining to that week’s readings and film. The professor will provide the questions to the class each Monday. Essays are due in class on the following Friday. The films we will view and the due dates for the essays that address them are listed below. Please let the professor know in advance if you will be unable to submit your essay on time. The schedule is as follows:

June 6 Essay on The Remains of the Day and general questions relating to the nature and value of philosophy. Questions to guide you in the construction of this essay will be distributed in class on May 30. This film will be viewed in class on May 29 and 30.

June 13 Essay on The Dead Poet’s Society and general questions relating to the Pre-Socratic philosophers and Socrates. Questions to guide you in the construction of this essay will be distributed in class on June 6. This film will be viewed in class on June 5 and 6.

June 20 Essay on Babette’s Feast and general questions relating to philosophical method, epistemology, and metaphysics. Questions to guide you in the construction of this essay will be distributed in class on June 13. This film will be viewed in class on June 12 and 13.

June 27 Essay on Wise Blood and general questions relating to ethics and issues in modern and contemporary philosophy. Questions to guide you in the construction of this essay will be distributed in class on June 20. This film will be viewed in class on June 19 and 20. Submission of this essay constitutes the final exam.

D. Reading: Students are responsible for all reading assignments made in class and are requested to bring questions and comments to class based on their reading. In the event that the professor perceives that students are not doing their reading, pop quizzes will be administered. Poor performance on any pop quizzes will count against students when final grades are tabulated. The required texts for this course are Einstein=s Dreams by Alan Lightman, and The Study of Philosophy, 5^th ed. by S. Morris Engel.

E. Book Report: Each student is required to submit one book report on the Lightman text. The book reports should be 4-6 pages in length and must be typed (double-spaced). Further instructions for the book reports will be provided in class. The reports are due at the beginning of class on Friday, June 6.

IX. Grading: Final grades will be tabulated on the basis of:

One book report = 20 %

Four essays = 80 %

Participation/Quizzes +/- points

___________________________________________

Average of these grades = 100 %

Grading Scale

12 - 10 = A Engaged, determined, work is polished and thoughtful.

9 - 7 = B Participating, wrestling with ideas, work is clean and promising.

6 - 4 = C In the game, struggling with ideas, work is average.

3 - 1 = D Effort is lacking, student remains in a fog, work is shoddy.

0 = F No effort, excessive absences, work is deficient.

XI. Schedule of Reading Assignments

Week One (June 2-6)

Einsteins Dreams

Engel, chapters 1-2

Week Two (June 9-13)

Engel, chapters 3-5

Week Three (June 16-20)

Engel, chapters 6-7

Week Four (June 22-27)

Engel, chapters 8-9