SYLLABUS FOR GREAT PHILISOPHICAL IDEAS

Instructor: Mr. Mark Allman

E-mail: mallman@worldnet.att.net

Home Phone: (773) 508-4908

Office Hours:. Monday, Wednesday 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Course Time: Monday, Wednesday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

This course is both an historical treatment of philosophers and an analysis of their original literature. Students will read about the life and times of the leading ancient and contemporary philosophers and will analyze the major philosophical problems raised by these philosophers and their solution to them.

Textbooks:

Albert B. Hakim. Historical Introduction to Philosophy. Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Prentice Hall, 1997.

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances.

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as written in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fourth Edition. A copy is available from the Calumet College of St. Joseph bookstore. This text outlines how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD withdrawals.

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).

Class attendance is essential to this course since a large portion of each student’s final grade is derived from intelligent class discussion. Students are expected to notify the instructor of absences prior to class they will miss (either in person, by email or by phone) and verification will be expected. Recognizing that other responsibilities and unforeseen circumstances might require a student to miss class, each student is allowed one unexcused absence during the term.

This course is comprised of readings, class lectures, student presentations and group discussion. On the first day of class, each student will be assigned one or more presentation dates and will be responsible for presenting a lecture on a larger reading assignment given to the student by the instructor. In addition, students will be given discussion questions for the following class. Students are expected to come to class having read the material and with notes on the discussion questions.

Through an historical review of philosophy from ancient to contemporary times, students in this course will develop a knowledge of the principles, methods and principal conclusions of philosophy. Through presentations and class discussions, students will develop their public speaking abilities and (hopefully) learn the art of philosophical debate.

Exams (Quizzes) 30% of grade

Class participation/collaboration/attendance/assignments 40% of grade

Class presentation(s) 30% of grade

A: 96-100 A-: 91-95 B+: 87-90 B: 84-86 B-: 81-83 C+: 77-80

C: 74-76 C-: 71-73 D+: 67-70 D: 64-66 D-: 61-63 F: 60 and under

As noted above, 40% of the final grade is based on class participation. At the end of each class students will be given discussion questions (based on the readings) for the following class. Students are expected to come to class with notes on these questions and intelligently participate in the class discussion. Unannounced quizzes will be given during the course from which students will be permitted to use their discussion question notes.

M June 5 Introduction

W June 7 "The Value of Philosophy" (784)

M June 12 The Spirit of Greek Philosophy (1)

W June 14 Plato (53-74, 86-92)

M June 19 Aristotle (96)

W June 21 The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy (177) St. Augustine (181-205)

M June 26 St. Anselm (219-226)

St. Thomas Aquinas (244-272)

W June 28 St. Thomas Aquinas (272-281)

William of Ockham (286-299)

M July 3 The Spirit of Modern Philosophy (311)

Descartes (317)

W July 5 Locke (437-470)

Hume (495-514)

M July 10 (no class) Hobbes (414)

Locke (470-476)

W July 12 (no class) Kant (523)

Mill (567)

M July 17 The Spirit of Contemporary Phil. (595)

Marx (640)

W July 19 Sartre (742-761)

Wittgenstein (804-807)