Please Print This Syllabus
Introduction to
Philosophy (
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Philip M. Fortier, M.A. (
Class
Time: Online
Office
Hours: By
Appointment Only (via Telephone Conference)
E-Mail
Addresses-
N.B.: Please do not carbon copy your
assignments to both addresses.
The second email should only
be used in the event that Yahoo or Blackboard has a problem.
Welcome to
Philosophy 2010 ONLINE! My name is Mr.
Philip Fortier. I will be your
facilitator/instructor for this course.
Below you
will find the information that you need to assist you in the successful
completion of this course. I want you to
know that I am here to assist you in doing your very best in the class. If you have questions at any time, about
anything related to either the format or subject matter, I will be more than
happy to help you in any way possible.
You may contact me privately via e-mail or arrange a telephone
conference.
Instructor
Location & Professional Responsibilities:
I live in
As you can
see on your Blackboard screen, there are NINE course content related areas (green buttons), starting from the top on the
left side of your screen. I will upload
the course content documents into these areas.
I have listed these areas below along with an indication of their
respective course functions:
1)
Announcements
– class reminders, important class wide notes
2)
Course
Information – course syllabus, assessment summary, online course pointers
3)
Staff
Information – instructor information, general contact information, online
program contacts
4)
Course
Documents – lectures, agendas, essay guidelines, topics, discussion questions,
etc.
5)
Assignments
– reading questions, worksheets, final essays questions
6)
Communication
– discussion board, email
7)
Websites
– primary references, secondary references, interesting material
8)
Tools
– student drop box, profile,
grade information, calendar, student manual
The specific
goals of each area are:
1) The Announcements area contains such
documents as pertaining to current class reminder or important class wide
notes, course schedule and exam scheduling information.
2) The Course
Information contains the COURSE SYLLABUS, catalog description, instructor
objective, syllabus, assessment summary and online course pointers.
3) The Staff
Information category provides information about my background, personal
contact information and college online program contact methods.
4) In the Course
Documents area, the following items will be unloaded:
- Weekly Lectures, Agendas,
Major Papers Information – including essay guidelines and topics
- More Information: Additional Announcements, Pre-Start
Information
- Glossaries: Important
Philosophy Vocabulary
5)
In the Assignments area, you will obtain the reading questions,
worksheets and second exam testing
questions. You will have reading questions either weekly
or bi-weekly, corresponding to the textbook
and/or supplemental readings.
6) The
essence of this course is Communication.
Besides the Student Drop Box and Email, I will utilize one other feature
of communication during this course:
Ø Discussion Board – here, you will respond to questions,
provide critiques, respond to other students and field your own questions to
the class. Discussion will be organized
according to particular forum topics for each week.
7) The Websites
area contains a list of helpful hyperlinks to assist you in writing your papers
and completing course requirements.
8)
Finally,
the Tools area will allow you to gain access to student point
evaluations and the academic calendar.
In the Tools area, you will also submit your reading assignments, class
papers and other notes to me. You may
also use the homepage editor to develop your homepage.
·
On
Student Homepage:
The student
homepage is optional. To set up your
homepage in Blackboard, go to the Tools button.
Click on "Edit Homepage."
You may add a picture in order to become better acquainted with your
classmates.
In order to
do well in this class, you will be required contribute on a frequent basis, in
written form, your comments to the Discussion Board (DB). That is, you will not only be REQUIRED to
READ and to WRITE but also to demonstrate your proficiency in the subject
matter of the course. As you read the
Lectures, you will notice a few Discussion Questions (DQs) embedded within each
Lecture or listed separately
on the weekly agendas. Each student will
be required to answer these DQs individually on one day and react to other students
input on other days in the form of critiques. You will post all these items to
the weekly DB.
Please send all student work files as
documents in Word or Rich Text Format (.rtf) only! All course assignments and papers should be
submitted via the Homework Folder (Student Drop Box) or posted to the
appropriate forum of the Discussion Board.
If you wish to communicate via email, use the Yahoo email or the FCC-J
email.
N.B.: All ON-
1)
Student Work
Submissions (Submit to the Homework Folder/Drop Box)
2)
Discussion Board postings
in the Weekly Discussion Forum (according to the number of each week)
3)
E-mail to my primary
or secondary address.
Course Objective:
This
course is an introductory survey of philosophy.
The course will in most cases follow the outline of the Velasquez
textbook. However, in some instances the
course will refer to supplemental material.
The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to a wide variety
of topics in philosophy, some of the traditional questions that philosophers
consider and ways of critically analyzing various responses to those vital
questions.
Course Catalog Description:
This course consists of an introduction to philosophical
issues organized for the most part on a historical basis. Students encounter some of the perennial
problems of philosophy and the types of answers that have been suggested by
studying the thought of selected philosophers.
This course includes reading and writing competencies (3 contact hrs).
Course Length: 
Contact Hours: 3 contact hours
A = Excellent
B = Good
C = Average
D = Poor
F = Failure
Detailed Grading Scale:
|
A = 92 - 100% = 4.0 A - = 90 - 91.9 % = 3.7 B + = 88 – 89.9 % = 3.3 B = 82 – 87.9 % = 3.0 B - = 80 - 81.9 % = 2.7 C+ = 78 - 79.9 % = 2.3 C = 72 - 77.9 % = 2.0 C - = 70 - 71.9 % = 1.7 D+ = 68 - 69.9 % = 1.3 D = 62 - 67.9 % = 1.0 D -
= 60 - 61.9 % = 0.7 E
= Below 60% = 0.0 |
W, FN and I Grade Policy:
§
W
Grade: Students who are
failing to master the concepts of the course or who show lapsed activity in the
course can elect to withdraw from the course. Check "Important
Date" in the Syllabus for the withdrawal date.
§
FN
Grade: This grade is
"failure for nonattendance." Students who fail to remain active in
the course and who do not withdraw will receive the FN grade. Students who fail
to remain active in the course after the withdrawal date will receive the FN
grade.
Student Information Questionnaire and Agreement:
You are required to complete the Student
Questionnaire. This form must be
submitted to the instructor via the Homework Folder/Student Drop Box by the
second day of the course term. If you fail to submit this form, you will be
assigned a FN grade. However, this will
be counted as an attempt by the state of
§
I
Grade: This grade of
"incomplete" is given at the discretion of the instructor when the student
has completed at least 90% of the course with an overall course grade of at
least a C average. The student must have a valid medical excuse and
consult with the instructor before an I grade will be assigned. The
instructor will assign the student a time limit to complete the course at which
time the earned grade will replace the I grade. Failure to complete the
course within the time limit will result in an automatic F.
For Technical Support:
Refer to Blackboard
User Manuel or contact the FCC-J Helpdesk at:
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E-mail: |
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Phone: |
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Toll Free Phone: |
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I have also
created a forum entitled “Course Format Questions Forum.” Please
use that forum for Format/Course Requirements Questions only. I will expect you to have read through the
course documents before you ask your question.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful
completion of this course, the student should be able to:
·
Define and discuss
contemporary issues and their relation to underlying principles and
philosophical systems.
·
Analyze relevant
philosophical problems and develop resolutions.
·
Present logical and
consistent arguments in support of philosophical positions
·
Discuss issues related
to the boundaries of philosophical speculation.
·
Examine the
differences between scientific/technological world views and the more classical
understandings of human nature.
·
Acquaint the student
with some of the major themes in the history of philosophy.
Course Prerequisites: Satisfactory score on reading and writing placement tests
Employer Tuition Remissions:
Students
receiving course tuition reimbursement from employers must submit a written
request to the facilitator for any letters verifying attendance and/or earned
credits.
Required Text:
Philosophy:
A Text with readings
(Ninth Edition), Author: Manuel Velasquez
Video
CD Series: “The Examined Life” ISBN: 1-58370-027-7
The department requires that
students purchase a video series which is correlated with the textbook. Some assignments using the video series will
be required.
- Supplemental
Materials: Internet Access and PC/Mac.
Class Policies:
A)
Special Attendance Guidelines:
The student
is expected to attend the course via uploading significant contributions to the
Discussion Board. Students are also
expected to read each week’s lecture, relevant text pages and complete all
other necessary assignments as noted in the weekly agendas.
The
college has established an attendance standard for all online courses. A student participant must ‘attend’ by way of posting to the discussion forums at
least four times a week. This is measured by the
facilitator/instructor recording the date of each entry you make to the system
- whether it is a response to one of the assignments, a comment on the work of
another, a question to the group or to your instructor.
An absence
does not excuse the student from the responsibility of participation, assigned
work, and/or exam. Students may be
dropped for poor attendance after two consecutive weeks of absences is
accumulated. It is virtually impossible
to earn a decent grade in this course without the minimal of the 4-day
attendance each week.
·
Attendance will be documented only on the basis of the
posted entries on the Discussion Board.
I will have no record of your attendance unless you post
on a daily basis (at least 4 days per week).
On Roll Call:
Since, I
do not receive a computer printout that informs me when a student logs onto the
system. I have no way of knowing
whether a student has signed onto the system if that student does not submit an
entry in the Discussion Board area. In
order to meet the criteria of 4 out of 7 days contact, I am required to use the
dates recorded by the system at the heading of each of your discussion
postings. This will be the method of
taking attendance. For specifics on
postings, please see the document entitled: “Online Course Pointers”.
Student Academic Dishonesty Procedure: Students are bound by the FCCJ Honor Code.
Students found cheating on tests or examinations will receive an F grade for
the course and procedures for expulsion from the college may also be
initiated. Cheating includes (among other things) copying another
individual's work (or allowing someone to copy your work), using unauthorized
references (cheat sheets or programmed information) on a test or examination,
or allowing another individual to take a test or examination for you.
B)
Plagiarism/Cheating:
q
Plagiarism is to take
and use another’s words or ideas as one’s own
Plagiarism
of any material is a serious offense, not to mention illegal and may result in
failure of the course. Outside sources
may be used if properly referenced as such. Cheating will not be tolerated.
Fortier Class Policy -
If plagiarism is detected in a student's
work, that student will not receive credit for that assignment. If plagiarism
occurs a second time, the student will be assigned an‘E/F’
or ‘0’ for the course.
If any instance of plagiarism is
suspected, that paper (without any of its name identifying characteristics)
will be submitted to a third party for plagiarism analysis. Please refer to the FCCJ handbook for
particulars on further instances and sanctions involving plagiarism.
Academic
dishonesty could involve any of the following:
1. Having
a tutor or friend complete a portion of your assignments.
2. Having
a reviewer make extensive revisions to assignments.
3. Copying
work submitted by another student to a public class meeting.
4. Using
information from online information services without proper citation
5. Having
someone assist you in answering examination questions or cases, or having
someone see/review/critique your answers prior to submitting those answers to
the classes.
N.B.
This list is not all-inclusive. Please check with me ahead of time if you have
any questions regarding academic integrity. I will post specific guidelines on
referencing methods and paper requirements in the Major Papers information
under Course Documents.
- Papers will be returned without a grade if sources are not
referenced properly.
C)
Assignments are due on the day of the seminar specified (by the END OF THE
Class Discussion:
Class
discussion seminars will be accomplished through the use of the Discussion
Board. Students can 'attend' these
discussions at times convenient to them rather than having to be at a specific
place at a specific time. The only time when a specific time might be required
is during a chat. At this point, these
chats will remain optional. Students who
attend these chats will be awarded bonus points at the end of the term. Oftentimes, especially when I am not present
for some of the group chats, I will archive the chats, review them throughout
the term and transmit my feedback in form of postings to various areas, drop
box and/or privately to particular students.
Class Discussion/Participation:
Class
discussion/participation is required to keep the class interesting and to
maximize your learning. Students are required to actively participate in
discussions. Students are also
encouraged to bring personal experiences to the class forum. However, in the true spirit of philosophical
reflection, discussion will be directed toward the objective and philosophically
relevant. Students are encouraged to
bring into the course any material from current events that are relevant to the
subject matter. Attendance will be
recorded solely on the basis of your postings to the Discussion Board Forums.
Techniques to Facilitate Class
Discussion:
You are
encouraged to dialogue with other students regarding the subject matter. In fact, we will discuss the particulars of a
standard in philosophy, the Socratic Dialectic.
Some appropriate contribution to this dialogue might include life, work,
politics and/or social experiences. You are expected to show your understanding
of the readings and their relevance to the subject matter.
It is very
wise for you to keep regular contact with the Discussion Board, Course Materials
and Announcements areas. A key part of
your grade depends in large part on your involvement in the discussion. Please keep your comments focused, to the
point, be polite, and reference the name of the person whose comments you are
referring to if you are commenting on the inputs of others.
Instructor Feedback:
How are
you doing? That's a good question. Here are my tasks as the instructor:
1) Weekly,
I will send some directional comments to the forum indicating important points,
etc. In this comment paragraph, I will mention any major concerns or strong
points the class needs to consider. After
the midterm exam, I will send an academic progress report to each
student. Your grade will be assessed on
a point basis. Throughout the course,
after I grade items, you will be able to view your points for major
assignments. I will calculate attendance
points only at the midterm – not on a week by week basis. In other words, your attendance/participation
points will be indicated shortly after the midterm exam and after the final
exam.
2) Often,
I will enter comments into the discussion as I review student contributions.
These may include questions, clarifications and/or re-emphasis on important
material.
3) At
least two to three times per week, I will provide feedback to the
class/individual in a more personalized manner on related topics and lecture
material.
4) If
anyone is having a specific problem, I will send a private message. Usually this is done to reflect marginal
attendance, missing assignments or lack of dialogue with others. Detailed explanation of grading weights will
be outlined below.
Transmission Format:
Please
submit your all files either in Word or Rich Text Format (.rtf). If you do not have Word 97 or 2000, you can
save your work in the Rich Text Format.
Any word processing program can save your work as a Rich Text Format
document. I DO NOT HAVE ANY PROGRAMS THAT READ .
It is wise
to save a backup copy of your submissions including all your postings. If I do not receive your work, you will then
have backups to verify your timely fulfillment of course requirements.
During the
first week, I will post a questionnaire/agreement to you. Each student must complete the
questionnaire/agreement and send it back to me.
The purpose of the questionnaire/agreement is not only to make certain
you understand the requirements but also to obtain information about your
academic experiences and help resolve any technical issues.
Assignments:
It is
crucial to label all assignments. When
you submit assignments either via the Homework Folder (student drop box), the
forums or e-mail, you must spell out the assignment title and specific topic in
the subject bar. In the Discussion
Board, make certain you are responding to the appropriate forum by noting its
particular topic. It is very difficult
to sort through all the messages at the end of the week to find your
assignments for grading if they are not labeled correctly or uploaded to the
proper forum. As stated in large type
above, you must repeat the subject bar data in the body of the e-mail.
The
Assignment Grade is compiled with the Participation Grade. Specifically, it includes the following
components:
1)
Discussion
Questions/Quotes –
I will post them in lectures or the
agenda and you will upload them to the Discussion Board (DB)
2)
Reading Questions – I will
post in the Assignments area and you will send answers back via the
Homework Folder (Student Drop Box).
3)
Critiques of Other
Student Responses – You will read them in the DB and upload your responses
to the DB.
Course Grading Weights:
Exam
I 20 points
Paper 1 10 points
Paper 2 20 points
Assignments
(+11)
Forums (+24) 35 points (participation total)
Final Essays 15 points
Summarized Course Requirement
Options:
Midterm
Exam (online)
1)
Philosophers Dialogue (3-4 pp.) OR Ethics Interview Paper (3-4 pp.)
2)
Argument Paper (4-5 pp.)
Assignments/Participation
Final
Essays
The
numbers above correspond to papers 1 and 2.
The first paper is either a Philosopher’s Dialogue or an Ethics
Interview Paper. The second paper is an
argument type of paper. You may find a
list of philosophy topic questions for this argument paper in the Major Papers
folder under the Weekly Packets.
Bonus: Movie Review on Philosophical
Theme (specific details TBA)
I will
post bonus paper guidelines and suggestions in the Major Papers folder under
the Course Materials area.
·
Due Dates for All Student Papers/Exams: TBA
Rationale: In common with the arts and religion, philosophy is a human endeavor to determine the nature of man, mankind's role in the world, the structures of reality, a person's proper relation to others, and a person's ultimate destiny. Additionally, the belief systems generated by philosophers have at times pervasively influenced the social instructions and the self-images of generations. A familiarity with these processes is an important ingredient in a general education.
Intent: The course intends to familiarize the student with the processes described above by introducing him to philosophical treatises in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of religion, etc. Another intent is to make more effective the student's thinking about such issues.
Topics of the Course (Subject to
Change)
1)
Philosophy
Aims/Divisions
Historical
Framework
Terms
2)
Metaphysics/Science of Being
Metaphysical
Claims
Dualism/Monism
Free Will
vs. Determinism
3) Use of
Logic; Opinion vs. Knowledge
Major
Fallacies
Argument
Construction/Critique
Formation
of Beliefs
4)
Persons: minds plus bodies or simply bodies
Existence
and Nature of the Soul; Immortality of the Soul;
Plato
& Aristotle on Soul
5) Theism;
Relation between Theology & Philosophy
Problem of
Evil
6)
Epistemology: David Hume and Immanuel
Kant
7) Ethics
or Moral Philosophy: Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Mill
Conventional
or Natural; Objectivism versus Subjectivism
Moral
Relativism
8)
Aesthetics; Themes in Eastern Philosophy
9)
Question of Human Destiny; Meaning of Life and the Human
Condition;
Social Justice Issues
Please check the websites area for information on the FCC-J Online
Program. There are some very helpful
hyperlinks to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and
other information.
Philip
Fortier, M.A.
Adjunct
Instructor, Philosophy
“Philosophy, a luxury to the man in prosperity
and a refuge to the man in adversity"
--
Aristotle
“Two
things fill the mind with increasing awe: the starry heavens above and the
moral law within”
--
Immanuel Kant
“Those with Lamps will pass them on”
--
Plato
Copyright 1997 - 2005 - Philip M. Fortier, M.A.