Introduction to Philosophy

Course code: PHI 125 / 2

Term and year: Spring 2024

Day and time: Thursday 8:15-11:00

Instructor: Jakub Jirsa

Instructor contact: jakub.jirsa@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Thursday 11:00-12:00 in the Faculty Lounge (or other times by email appointment)

 

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	Introductory
Length	15 weeks	Pre-requisite	TOEFL iBT 71
Contact hours	42 hours	Course type	Bachelor Required/Elective

1.    Course Description

In this course students will be introduced to the key philosophical debates and to the thought of the greatest minds within the Western philosophical tradition. The students will have an opportunity at once to (a) explore the most fundamental philosophical questions (concerning the nature of reality, the limits of human knowledge, the basis of morality, etc.), (b) to acquaint themselves with the ideas of history’s greatest philosophers, and (c) to read and analyze some of the most famous philosophical works.

2.    Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

●        Comprehend and have a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and of the main positions taken in the central philosophical debates

●        Outline and analyze the most important ideas of history’s greatest philosophers

●        compare and contrast the ways in which various philosophers justify their claims and defend their philosophical positions

 

3.    Reading Material

Required Materials

·         Plato, Phaedo

·         Descartes, Meditations On First Philosophy

·         Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

Recommended Materials

●        Grube, G. M. A. Plato’s Thought. (any edition)

●        Williams, Bernard. Descartes : the Project of Pure Enquiry. (any edition)

●        Timmermann, Jens. Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals : a Commentary. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

4.    Teaching methodology

The seminar will start with introduction, which will place the material and problems under discussion into context. Next, there will be a short presentation of the materials for a given meeting (focused on problems and questions, not exactly summarizing the entire text) followed by an exposition to answer these problems. We will proceed with discussion of the materials and their implications for current ethically loaded problems. In relevant classes students will receive the feedback on their assignments as well.

 

5.    Course Schedule

Date	Class Agenda
Session 1 8.2.	Topic: Introduction to philosophy and Plato – the case of Socrates Description: Explanation of the course structure and its aims. Introduction to the topic. What is philosophy? What shall we read and why? How to read a philosophical text. Why Plato writes? Why Plato writes dialogues? Reading: no reading assigned Assignments / deadlines:
Session 2 15.2.	Topic: Death, dying and philosophy Description: According to Plato philosophy is a preparation for death. What does he mean? What is the relation between the soul and the body (with references to different contemporary theories and problems). Reading: Plato, Phaedo 57a-69e Assignments / deadlines:
Session 3 22.2.	Topic: Immortality of soul and ontology Description: Plato presents three arguments for immortality of the soul which are closely related to his ontology (a study of being, reality, what is). Again, with references to different views of reality we will discuss and critically examine these arguments. Reading:  Plato, Phaedo 69e-84b Assignments / deadlines: paper instructions
Session 4 7.3.	Topic: The nature of philosophical discussion Description: Plato presents counterarguments to Socrates’ views. How does a philosophical discussion work? What arguments can be used and how? Who is successful Socrates or his critics? The text of the Phaedo will be used for investigation of logic behind different philosophical arguments and their usage. First part of the class will be a short written assignment in class. Reading: Plato, Phaedo 84c-99d Assignments / deadlines: 1st short paper (written in class)
Session 5 8.3. FRIDAY Make-up session	Topic: Teleology and further development of Plato’s philosophy Description: Why is Plato important for history of philosophy? Plato’s final discussion of teleology (the idea that any process is directed by its settled end) will be used to explain the importance of Plato’s philosophy for further development of the discipline. Reading: Plato, Phaedo 99d-118e Assignments / deadlines: 1st short paper feedback and evaluation
Session 6 14.3.	Topic: Knowledge and skepticism Description: What is knowledge? How do we get any knowledge and is the role of skepticism? Based on Descartes’ we will discuss different approaches to skepticism and possibilities to overcome skeptical position. Reading: Descartes, Meditation 1 Assignments / deadlines:
Session 7 21.3.	Topic: Certainty and the self Description: In the second Meditation Descartes arrives at a possibly certain point, ground from which he might be able to find a way out of skeptical position. We will examine his solution and we will use his text for introduction of different conceptions of self in philosophy. Reading: Descartes, Meditation 2 Assignments / deadlines: paper instructions
MID-TERM BREAK 28.3.
Session 8 4.4.	Topic: Philosophy and God Description: What is the relation between critical philosophy and the divine? Descartes argues that since he has a clear and distinct idea of God as a perfect and infinite being, and he himself is imperfect and finite, the idea of God must have originated from a source that is perfect and infinite. Does his argument work? Reading: Descartes, Meditation 3 Assignments / deadlines: 2nd short paper (written in class)
Session 9 11.4.	Topic: Mind and body Description: Descartes argues that the mind and the body are distinct substances with different natures: the mind is a thinking, non-extended substance, and the body is an extended, non-thinking substance. However, is this an accurate description of mind-body relation? We will examine several possible alternative views on the mind-body relation. Reading: Descartes, Meditation 6 Assignments / deadlines: 2nd short paper feedback and evaluation
Session 10 18.4.	Topic: What is ethics about? Description: Immanuel Kant presents perhaps the most influential view on what is morality about. First, we will consider not Kantian morality itself, but his view on “range” or scope of morality. Is Kant right? What other approaches to morality we know? Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 1 Assignments / deadlines:
Session 11 25.4.	Topic: Different families of normative ethical theories Description: We will use Kantian critique of virtues (and empirical approaches to ethics) in order to introduce and critically discuss three families of normative ethical theories: virtue ethics, deontology and consequentialism. Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 2 Assignments / deadlines:
Session 12 2.5.	Topic: Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Description: We will discuss the categorical imperative, its application and possible problems. What is “moral” about categorical imperative? We will discuss the problem of universalization. Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 3 Assignments / deadlines: final paper introduction
Session 13 9.5.	Topic: Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Description: The closing discussion of Immanuel Kant will be devoted to respect and dignity of human beings. We will discuss how this respect and dignity changed in 20th Century. Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 4 Assignments / deadlines: final paper (written in class)
Session 14 16.5.	Topic: The End of Philosophy Description: The closing meeting will be devoted to (a) feedback and evaluation of the final papers, and (b) discussion of the conflict between different styles of philosophy we read. We will discuss the notion of moral luck. Reading: no assigned reading Assignments / deadlines: final paper feedback and evaluation

6.    Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

Assignment	Workload (hours)	Weight in Final Grade	Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes	Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*
Class Participation	42	10%	Active, critical and well-argued (thoughtful) participation in class. This will show comprehension and understanding of the main philosophical questions and of the main positions taken in the central philosophical debates.	1, 2, 3
Presentation	10	10%	Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers. Comparison and contrast of the ways in which various philosophers justify their claims and defend their philosophical positions. Ability to identify the main argument, critical evaluation.	1, 2, 3
1st short paper	25	20%	Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers.	1, 2
2nd short paper	25	20%	Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers.	1, 2
Final paper	48	40%	Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers. Comparison and contrast of the ways in which various philosophers justify their claims and defend their philosophical positions.	1, 2
TOTAL	150	100%

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

7.    Detailed description of the assignments

Assignment 1: Class participation

Students will participate in discussion during the seminar. The discussion presupposes familiarity with the relevant text. It is welcomed (but not necessary) to search for other relevant material on the subject and use it in the discussion.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content (do your points relate to the matter in discussion, do they move the discussion forward)	35%
Form of argumentation (is your point supported by valid argumentation and reasons which you are able to explain)	35%
Reaction to questions (if asked by a lecturer or student, are you capable of (i) providing a reply based on the material read and (ii) explain your position in detailed to your colleagues)	30%

Assignment 2: Presentation

Each student will do two short presentations (max. 10 minutes) about the main argument of the text and (more importantly) relevant questions and problems related to the text. The first presentation will be before the midterm break, the second one after the midterm break. For the presentation please prepare slides which will (a) identify the main theses of the discussed text; (b) highlight ideas of particular interest (and explain why you think these ideas are important) and (c) provide questions for the subsequent discussion. These question might be of two sorts – question of understanding (what do you think should be explained in detail, what was hard to follow) and critical questions (on the points which you believe were weak or wrong, please explain reasons for your evaluation).

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content – getting the main argument right; identifying some important topics; formulating questions for the subsequent discussion	40%
Presentation – clarity, structure and convincing argumentation	40%
Reaction to questions – can you help your colleagues with their questions? Based on the text under discussion, can you react to the questions by the lecturer?	20%

 

Assignment 3: 1^st short paper

At the beginning of the class students will be presented with three topics; each student will choose one topic and write a short reflection/essay. The text should be around one page long, structured and all the claims should be supported by valid argumentation based on the knowledge of the texts discussed so far. The texts must handed in 60 minutes after the start of the paper.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content (does the text answer the question and/or explain the topic; does it use the texts discussed so far)	35%
Structure (clarity of the text, leading the reader towards the conclusion)	30%
Argumentation (are the arguments valid? Consideration of counter-arguments and reply to them)	35%

 

Assignment 4: 2^nd short paper

At the beginning of the class students will be presented with three topics; each student will choose one topic and write a short reflection/essay. The text should be around one page long, structured and all the claims should be supported by valid argumentation based on the knowledge of the texts discussed so far. The texts must handed in 60 minutes after the start of the paper.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content (does the text answer the question and/or explain the topic; does it use the texts discussed so far)	35%
Structure (clarity of the text, leading the reader towards the conclusion)	30%
Argumentation (are the arguments valid? Consideration of counter-arguments and reply to them)	35%

 

 

Assignment 5: final paper

At the beginning of the class students will be presented with three topics; each student will choose one topic and write a short reflection/essay. The text should be at least two pages long, structured and all the claims should be supported by valid argumentation based on the knowledge of the texts discussed so far. The texts must handed in 120 minutes after the start of the paper.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Content (does the text answer the question and/or explain the topic; does it use the texts discussed so far)	35%
Structure (clarity of the text, leading the reader towards the conclusion)	30%
Argumentation (are the arguments valid? Consideration of counter-arguments and reply to them)	35%

 

8.    General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication, with additional communication via NEO LMS or Microsoft Teams.

Students sending e-mail to an instructor shall clearly state the course code and the topic in the subject heading, for example, “COM101-1 Mid-term Exam. Question”.

All electronic submissions are through NEO LMS. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of NEO LMS.

Attendance

Attendance, i.e., presence in class in real-time, at AAU courses is default mandatory; however, it is not graded as such. (Grades may be impacted by missed assignments or lack of participation.) Still, students must attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are excused, they will be administratively withdrawn from the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are not excused, they will receive a grade of “FW” (Failure to Withdraw). Students may also be marked absent if they miss a significant part of a class (for example by arriving late or leaving early).

Absence excuse and make-up options

Should a student be absent from classes for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), and the student wishes to request that the absence be excused, the student should submit an Absence Excuse Request Form supplemented with documents providing reasons for the absence to the Dean of Students within one week of the absence. Each student may excuse up to two sick days per term without any supporting documentation; however, an Absence Excuse Request Form must still be submitted for these instances. If possible, it is recommended the instructor be informed of the absence in advance. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if s/he submits an Absence Excuse Request Form along with the finalized add/drop form.

 

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean of Students are entitled to make up assignments and exams provided their nature allows. Assignments missed due to unexcused absences which cannot be made up, may result in a decreased or failing grade as specified in the syllabus.

 

Students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week of the date the absence was excused to arrange for make-up options.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information, etc.). Any other use will result in the student being marked absent and/or being expelled from the class. No electronic devices may be used during tests or exams unless required by the exam format and the instructor.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the class and shall report the behavior to the student’s Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misconduct, the student will fail the exam or assignment and be expelled from the exam or class.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism obscures the authorship of a work or the degree of its originality. Students are expected to create and submit works of which they are the author. Plagiarism can apply to all works of authorship – verbal, audiovisual, visual, computer programs, etc. Examples are:

●                    Verbatim plagiarism: verbatim use of another’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source and designation as a verbatim quotation,

●                    Paraphrasing plagiarism: paraphrasing someone else’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source,

●                    Data plagiarism: use of other people’s data without proper acknowledgement of the source,

●                    False quotation: publishing a text that is not a verbatim quotation as a verbatim quotation,

●                    Fictious citation: quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to an incorrect or a non-existent work,

●                    Inaccurate citation: citing sources in such a way that they cannot be found and verified,

●                    Ghostwriting: commissioning work from others and passing it off as one’s own,

●                    Patchwriting: using someone else’s work or works (albeit with proper acknowledgement of sources and proper attribution) to such an extent that the output contains almost no original contribution,

●                    Self-plagiarism: unacknowledged reuse of one’s own work (or part of it) that has been produced or submitted as part of another course of study or that has been published in the past,

●                    Collaborative plagiarism: delivering the result of collective collaboration as one’s own individual output.

At minimum, plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and shall be reported to the student’s Dean. A mitigating circumstance may be the case of novice students, and the benefit of the doubt may be given if it is reasonable to assume that the small-scale plagiarism was the result of ignorance rather than intent. An aggravating circumstance in plagiarism is an act intended to make the plagiarism more difficult to detect. Such conduct includes, for example, the additional modification of individual words or phrases, the creation of typos, the use of machine translation tools or the creation of synonymous text, etc. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Intentional or repeated plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Tutoring Center

The use of artificial intelligence tools to search sources, to process, analyze and summarize data, and to provide suggestions or feedback in order to improve content, structure, or style, defined here as AI-assisted writing, is not in itself plagiarism. However, it is plagiarism if, as a result, it obscures the authorship of the work produced or the degree of its originality (see the examples above). AAU acknowledges prudent and honest use of AI-assisted writing, that is, the use of AI for orientation, consultation, and practice is allowed. For some courses and assignments, however, the use of AI is counterproductive to learning outcomes; therefore, the course syllabus may prohibit AI assistance. A work (text, image, video, sound, code, etc.) generated by artificial intelligence based on a mass of existing data, defined here as AI-generated work, is not considered a work of authorship. Therefore, if an AI-generated work (e.g. text) is part of the author’s work, it must be marked as AI-generated. Otherwise, it obscures the authorship and/or the degree of originality, and thus constitutes plagiarism. Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, submission of AI-generated work is prohibited. If unsure about technical aspects of writing, and to improve their academic writing, students are encouraged to consult with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Course accessibility and inclusion

Students with disabilities should contact the Dean of Students to discuss reasonable accommodations. Academic accommodations are not retroactive.

Students who will be absent from course activities due to religious holidays may seek reasonable accommodations by contacting the Dean of Students in writing within the first two weeks of the term. All requests must include specific dates for which the student requests accommodations.

9.    Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Percentage*	Description
A	95–100	Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.
A–	90–94
B+	87–89	Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.
B	83–86
B–	80–82
C+	77–79	Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course, but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.
C	73–76
C–	70–72
D+	65–69	Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.
D	60–64
F	0–59	Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

 

Prepared by: Jakub Jirsa

Date: 17.10.2023

 

Approved by: Gerald Power, Chair of History and Philosophy     

Date: 10 November 2023