This class fulfills a writing intensive (WI) requirement, a Humanities Diversification requirement, and articulates with UH Manoa’s Philosophy 213 course.

• 1 hour in class = 2 hours outside class

• Since this course meets the guidelines of a writing-intensive (WI) course, English 100 is a prerequisite.  Students transferring into the UH system need to have taken a standard English Composition course.
  
  
• Word processing skills are essential.  Internet skills are highly recommended.

• Philosophical Classics: Vol III, Modern Philosophy, Forrest E. Baird (ISBN: 9780132060585)
• Lecture and Text Supplements

• History of Western Philosophy III: An introduction to the history of Western philosophy from the 16th Century to the present, based on translations of original texts.
  

• This is the second section of a year long seminar on the history of Western philosophy that began with Philosophy 211.  However, both courses are designed so that they may be taken separately.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Identify and articulate the ideas and reasoning of some of the major figures in the Western philosophical tradition;
  
  
• Identify and articulate the historical context in which these ideas were developed and accepted, as well as some criticisms of these ideas and the reasoning for them;
  
  
• Employ the methods of philosophical inquiry: Critical Thinking, Critical Reading, Critical Writing and various knowledge criteria to test beliefs;
  
  
• Utilize the above methods to evaluate philosophical arguments and to examine personal beliefs by developing and articulating personal arguments;
  
  
• Demonstrate the ability to write clear, well-organized, well-reasoned, communicative philosophical arguments and analyses.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Reading Assignments
  
  
• 10 one-page essays -- 20 points each
  
  
• 1 five-page capstone paper (Draft and Revision)
  
  
• Class participation via written Bulletin Board comments and questions – 5 points each

Major Paper and Short essays

In the major paper you will answer philosophical questions employing both the reasoning of specific philosophers that we have covered and your own reasoned ideas that you have developed throughout the course and in the one page essays. You will present these ideas as a philosophical argument for your point of view.  The one-page essays will be designed to understand the philosophers and concepts in steps so that students can do a better job on the major paper.  Each one-page essay will receive extensive feedback on concepts and writing from the instructor.  The major paper will also be submitted as a draft for extensive comment on concepts, organization, and writing from the instructor.

Bulletin Board Participation

A course of this nature is best run as a college seminar.  Hence, it is imperative that each student participate in providing summaries of his or her understanding of the reading material, provide honest and specific admissions of lack of understanding when needed, and (hopefully) provide his or her insights on major philosophical issues.

The period of intellectual history that we will be covering was a difficult time of change for the people of Western Europe.  Scientific breakthroughs in understanding on where the Earth was in the universe and changes in economic organization were causing people to have different views on God and religion, human nature, and political organization.  Some famous philosophers openly stated that God was a myth.  Catholics and Protestants fought each other in terrible wars.  The Catholic Church was losing much of its influence and power and over the Kings and Queens of Europe.  Ideas on democratic government were being formulated.  Ancient Greek ideas on democracy, science, and philosophy were being rediscovered and praised as long lost wisdom.  In the words of the 18th century philosopher-physicist Immanuel Kant:

What can I know?
What should I do?
For what may I hope?
What does it mean to be human?

From our perspective, the questions are the same and the diversity of opinion that began to flourish should be exciting and help us think about the source of our modern beliefs.

Thus, in a seminar an instructor acts less like a master teacher dispensing information and more like a guide.  Hopefully the instructor will lecture less and act more like an equal participant in discussion.  I will provide background information when needed and answer questions to the best of my knowledge, but students will need to be proactive in providing points of view for discussion and in asking questions.

In studying a particular part of intellectual history it is best to read original philosophical texts.  Doing so makes the reading difficult since the language will be of another time and place, in addition to being about abstract philosophical concepts.  But studying another time is essentially studying another culture and learning about another culture takes time and patience.  It is best to let that culture speak to us directly and we attempt to figure out as a team what the philosophers are saying about life.

Thus, as preparation for class discussion for each week, each student will be required to post a one paragraph summary of his or her understanding or specific lack understanding of the reading material and also ask at least one question.  WI standards also apply to these short one-paragraph posts.

On WI

The essay and WI-method of evaluation used in this course is based on the assumption that clear, well-organized writing is a way of acquiring, analyzing, and communicating knowledge, and that the act of writing does not merely record thought or even simply reformulate it -- it generates thought. In other words, in many disciplines you don't really know what you know until you write about it.  Students must demonstrate a writing ability at the English 100+ level for a C grade or higher.  In accordance with WI guidelines you cannot pass this class with a C grade or higher unless you have handed in a minimum of 16 typewritten pages (excluding drafts) regardless of the grade received on those papers.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is when you take the writing from another source and present it as your words or your analysis. This is cheating.  If you plagiarize your written work from the readings, from another source (eg. Internet), or another student, you will get an automatic zero (0) for that assignment, and face the possibility of failing the course, depending on the severity of the cheating. All written work that you do must be your work, expressed in your words - reflecting your thinking, your interpretation and understanding of course concepts.

In our times it is very common for students to merely cut and paste from the Internet sources.  Some students will even try to submit papers purchased over the Internet at such sites as OnlineEssays.com or FreeOnlineRearchPapers.com (the latter is not really free; you have to pay to be a “member”!)  In our class we will encourage the use of the many online sources of discussion on the philosophers we will be discussing to help you with background information.  But you should not copy this information and pretend that it is your own work.

This is plagiarism and is NOT ETHICAL BEHAVIOR.  Also keep in mind how easy it is for me to catch students who plagiarize. I have access not only to google.com, which already allows teachers to simply type in phrases from student papers and often find the exact source of the plagiarism, but instructors also have access to turnitin.com that keeps a data base of thousands of student papers and has additional search techniques to identify copying. Regrettably, at least once a year a student will receive an F in one of my courses due to blatant plagiarism.

As a WI course you must demonstrate that you can put your understanding of course concepts into your words - otherwise it is plagiarism, and you will not receive points for an assignment. The important points are, in addition to being a type of stealing, you don't learn anything and you certainly don't exercise your brain or your communication skills by cutting and pasting other people's work. Improving communication skills is why you are taking this class.

Sometimes even “good” students (ones who do the reading and are really trying to do well in the course) plagiarize because they have a hard time putting their thoughts into their own words.  Don’t plagiarize.  I WILL HELP YOU.  We will have lots of time for help outside of class in my office, e-mail, or even the bulletin board.  Usually a simple e-mail or bulletin board post can provide the necessary interaction activity to produce a writing breakthrough, such as -- “I am having a hard time explaining Descartes’ conception of God.  Here is what I have so far.  Can you give me some suggestions?”  In many ways a WI class should be a collaborative experience between student and teacher.

GRADING

• 10 Short Essays, 20 points each, 200 points = 53%
• Major Paper, 100 points = 27%
• Participation, 5 points each, 75 points, 20%
  
  
• Total Points = 375

90-100%----A
80-89%------B
66-79%------C
55-69%------D
-54%---------F, N or Incomplete.  The N and Incomplete grades are only given in special circumstances and only after a conference with the instructor.

Special Note: Students with disabilities may obtain information on available services online at http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/disability. Specific inquires may be made by contacting Student ACCESS at (808) 844-2392 voice/text, by e-mail at access@hcc.hawaii.edu, or simply stopping by Student ACCESS located in Bldg. 7, Rm. 319.