SYL
LAB
US
Welcome! Step 1: Forget whatever you thought was going to happen in a Philosophy course. This will be different, I promise. We are going to explore life's big questions -- Who am I? What do I want? What do I need? What is love? What is justice? What is fair? What is virtue? -- and we’ll study some classic philosophers’ answers to those questions, but our focus will be on our own big questions (and our own big answers). Most uniquely perhaps, you’ll be exploring these questions with the people in your life -- family, friends, strangers, lovers, enemies...Philosophy will deepen your bonds with these people, and those bonds in turn will deepen your appreciation of philosophy. You’ll read and write, yes, but you’ll also play, experiment, make movies, eavesdrop on humanity, write letters you never send, and, well, you’ll see...
ASSIGNMENTS
You will complete a total of 15 assignments. Some assignments will be games -- just read the instructions and (usually) go play with someone. Others will be conversations: go find someone to have a deep talk with. Some will just be observations. Some will be readings. Some will be writings. And after each assignment, you'll produce something -- maybe a video recording, maybe an audio recording, maybe a reflection. Each assignment will be worth either 5, 10 or 15 points. Note that you'll do the "The And" exercises five times. The final paper due at the end of the course will be worth 15 points. All assignments should be submitted through Blackboard. Here's the breakdown:
1. The AND I 5 points
2. Life's Soundtrack 5 points
3. Plato's Cave 10 points
4. Lars and the Real Girl 5 points
5. The AND II 5 points
6. The Gravity Show 5 points
7. Descartes 10 points
8. The Power of Now 5 points
9. The AND III 5 points
10. The Roots of the Environmental Crisis 10 points
11. Telepathy 5 points
12. The AND IV 5 points
13. Writing the UnSaid 10 points
14. Final paper 15 points
Total = 100 points
WHEN ARE ASSIGNMENTS DUE?
WEEK 1: The AND I, Life's Soundtrack, Plato's Cave, Lars and the Real Girl DUE Friday 7/19
WEEK 2: The AND II, The Gravity Show, Descartes, The Power of Now DUE Friday 7/26
WEEK 3: The AND III, The Roots of the Environmental Crisis, Telepathy DUE Friday 8/2
WEEK 4: The AND IV, Writing the UnSaid, Final Reflection DUE Friday 8/9
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES TIED TO PROGRAM OR CORE OUTCOMES.
Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to:
1) Reflect philosophically on perennial philosophical questions
such as the nature and meaning of existence, free will
and determinism, the existence of God, the functions
of religion and science, appearance vs. reality,
the meaning of life, happiness, and
enlightenment.
2) Define, understand, and explain
central philosophical theories,
ideas, and problems, in the
domains of Metaphysics,
Epistemology, Ethics, A
esthetics, and Politics.
3) Explicate, elucidate, and evaluate, both orally and in writing, the primal philosophical themes, issues, and arguments, found in the seminal writings of selected philosophers.
4) Think critically about their own, and their culture’s basic beliefs and presuppositions.
5) Think, speak and write in terms of abstract and complex ideas, arguments and theories.
attitude
try your best, when going through this course, to go as deep as you possibly can. then go deeper. in the process, reflect on what it meant that you just "went deeper" -- what do the words "deep" (or "deeper," or "deepest" (if there is such a thing...) mean to you? the deeper you go, the better your chances of figuring that out.
Try to avoid, the best you can, taking a"get 'er done" attitude. don't worry about just getting these assignment done so you can get on with your life. have you ever noticed that pretty much everything we do we do with a "get 'er done" mentality? get school done. get work done. we're all hurrying to get things done. sometimes i feel like we're hurrying to get life itself done already. take this class as an opportunity to get out of that mode. you're deepening your relationships in this class, and as a bonus, you're creating artifacts of memoranda -- recordings of deep conversations with loved ones that you'll be able to look back on in ten or twenty (or fifty) years, perhaps when some of these people will be gone. don't rush this. you'll thank me later when you have all this to listen to. you're also making, in these reflections, a kind of photograph of your own mind that you'll be able to look back on in the future.
grades.
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most assignments are worth 5 points. For those that are worth more, double or triple these values (e.g. For an assignment worth 10 points, a 5 becomes a 10, a 4 becomes an 8, etc.).
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Here's a rough rubric:
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5: Your reflection demonstrates that you took the assignment seriously. This could mean a few things. You made connections between your concrete personal life and abstract principles and ideas. Beyond this, the process sparked new ideas. Perhaps you made connections between this assignment and other assignments in the class, or topics you’ve learned in other classes. It was not written with the spirit of trying to get a good grade or to “get ‘er done,” but rather in that of a genuine inquiry into, and curiosity about, the subject matter. You considered alternative points of view. Perhaps your reflection takes us on a journey from not understanding to understanding, or perhaps it takes us on one from certainty about your beliefs to curiosity, mystery, and lack of certainty. Perhaps you change your mind part way through upon giving due consideration to opposing points of view. Perhaps a new question emerges. Perhaps an entirely different approach. Perhaps a proposal for a new assignment…
4: Your reflection demonstrates that you followed the instructions and worked hard on the assignment. You understood what was at stake and what it meant to your personal life.
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3: Your reflection demonstrates that you basically followed the instructions, but it’s not clear that you really understood what the point of it was, how it connects to your personal life, or to the overall trajectory of the course. It’s written in the spirit of “get ‘er done,” not in that of genuine inquiry into the mysteries of existence. You did it, moved on, and didn’t look back. It’s “fine.”
2: Your reflection demonstrates that you did not follow the material or the instructions for assignment. It’s likely too short, but it might have met the length-requirement with words that ring hollow, hurried, and incurious. You “got ‘er done.”
1: You submitted something vaguely connected to the intent of the assignment.
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e-mail me at kburak@northampton.edu if you're ever not sure what to do
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