PHIL 301 - Introduction to Philosophy
Three Quarter Hours

I. PREREQUISITES
None. This course is intended as an introductory course for junior and senior-level students; it is not open to students who have credit for PHIL 101.

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to philosophy. In this course, you will study the following sections of the textbook: What is Philosophy? (Part 1), Metaphysics (Part 3), Epistemology (Part 4), Ethics (Part 5), and Social and Political Philosophy (Part 8).

III. TEXTBOOK AND SUPPLIES
ISBN 0131930028  Stewart, J. David and H. Gene Blocker, Fundamentals of Philosophy, 6th ed., New York: Prentice-Hall, 2005

...available from EdMap's distance-learning online bookstore.

IV. READING ASSIGNMENT
Parts 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8 of the text. We will skip Part 2 on Logic, Part 6 on Philosophy of Religion, Part 7 on Esthetics, and Part 9 on Eastern Thought.

V. NATURE OF THE EXAMINATION
The examination has 8 parts:

Part 1 (10%): The first part of the test is worth 10% of your grade and is a vocabulary matching test: you will be given a list of 18 terms and a list of 10 definitions—you will have to write the term defined in the space left for that purpose. For example, you would write “empiricism” in the space below:

1. __________ : The view that all human knowledge is derived from the senses.

Part 2 (30%): The second part of the test is worth 30% of your grade and will consist of 15 multiple-choice questions. For example, the correct answer to the following question is (b):

Part 3 (10%): The third part of the test is worth 10% of your grade and will consist of 10 true-false questions. For example, the answer to the following question is true:

 1.  Any area of human concern can become the subject of philosophy.

Parts 4-8 (10% each): The other parts of the test consist of essay questions. Each essay you answer is worth 10% of your grade; since there are five essay questions, the essays are worth 50% of your grade. In each part you will have to answer one of two questions. For example:

Write an essay on only one of the following two choices:

Each set of two questions will be about one section of the textbook. There will be a set of two questions from Part 1, a set of two questions from Part 3, etc., for each part of the textbook your will read.

To sum up, you will have 10 definitions to match with their terms, 15 multiple-choice questions, 10 true-false questions, and 5 essays to write. The definitions will come from the glossary (with slight modifications).

VI. PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATION
To prepare for the definitions part of the test, you should make up a set of flashcards. On one side write the definition straight out of the glossary from your textbook; on the other side write the term being defined. As you read each chapter, make up a list of philosophical terms important in understanding that chapter, then look up each term’s definition in the glossary. Be aware that the definitions section of the test should be the easiest section; however, it’s important to know the terminology of philosophy.

Preparing for the multiple choice, true-false, and essay questions is more difficult. You must know the material in the chapters. I recommend keeping a reading journal as you read the textbook. In the reading journal, sum up each chapter, tell what each philosopher believes, why he or she believes that (that is, his or her reasons, arguments for that belief), and relate the philosopher’s beliefs to your own beliefs. Do you agree or not? Why or why not? Also try to answer the “Questions for Discussion” at the end of each chapter.

Be aware that when taking the test you should write an essay for each of the essay questions. Don’t expect to get a passing grade if you answer them as if they are short answer questions. You will have plenty of time to develop your essays in detail. Be sure your answer addresses the question asked, and not some other question.

When you are graded, unimportant mistakes in spelling or grammar won’t harm your grade. What will count off is misusing (that is, not knowing) the philosophical terms you use in trying to answer a question, writing short answers instead of essays, and not answering the questions.

VII. GRADING SCALE

VIII. BEST WISHES TO YOU
Study hard, and I wish you the best when you take the examination.