Course description & grading policy Topic.
This seminar will be organized around four of the central topics in Western philosophy: the relationship between human persons and their bodies; the existence of God; the possibility and scope of knowledge about the world; and ethical requirements and moral responsibility. In most cases, we'll be discussing in sequence a number of arguments for opposing views on these topics. Students will be asked to understand these arguments, and form and defend their own views about which among them are most successful. So the aim of the course will not just be to learn about philosophical thinking but to practice it, by developing informed views on the topics mentioned above. We will spend a bit of time at the beginning of the course, and occasionally throughout, discussing what good arguments are, and why they might be worth pursuing. Texts. Students are not required to purchase a textbook or coursepack. Both the required, and some optional, readings will be made available in PDF form via links from the course syllabus. If you are having trouble accessing the reading, some help is available here. Assignments. There will be three papers and two exams. The first paper will be a short, 1-2 page paper written in several drafts over the first few weeks of the course; this will be worth 5% of the grade. The other two papers will each be 5-7 pages in length, and each are worth 20% of the grade. Late papers will be penalized 3 points/day, including weekends. There will also be a midterm exam and a (non-cumulative) final exam, each of which will be worth 20% of your grade. The remaining 15% of the grade will be given on the basis of attendance and participation. Each assignment is required, in the sense that failure to complete one or more assignments is sufficient reason for failing the course.
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