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Philosophy&Human Nature |
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Philosophy&Human Nature |
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The Western philosophical tradition is thought to have gotten underway with Socrates' immortalized claim that the unexamined life is not worth living. Ernst Cassirer argues that in this claim Socrates introduces a fundamental philosophical question that is to preoccupy subsequent philosophers: what does it mean to be a human being? What is the nature of man? It is this fundamental philosophical question that is at the center of this course. We shall seek to try and understand our nature as human beings by considering the historical and contemporary approaches comparing human beings to their nearest relatives: animals and machines. Through a close and careful reading of philosophical, scientific, and literary texts, we shall attempt to better understand our own nature as human beings. Our goals include:
Note: You must bring your readings to class. This includes all textbook readings as well as online readings. Not having enough credit to print is an unacceptable excuse for failure to bring your readings.
| Daily Micro Essays | 100 points |
| 4 Essay Exams @ 100 points each | 400 points |
| Class Participation | 100 points |
| 2 Extra-curricular events @ 10 points each | 20 points |
| Total Available Points | 620 points |
You should immediately purchase a small package of 4x6 index cards (no smaller). With each new reading assignment, prior to that reading being discussed in class, I will ask you to write a brief, "micro" essay, usually analyzing some aspect of that day's reading assignment. Sometimes I will simply ask you to record your philosophical reactions to the reading. These micro essays serve a number of purposes: they motivate you to complete the reading and come to class, help to focus your reading, provide a study guide for your midterm and final, and stimulate class discussion. You should be prepared to share your micro essays with other members of the class during our class discussions. Your essays should be approximately150 words in length. Each day I will collect your card, review your essay to determine that you have adequately completed the assignment, record your having completed it, and return them to you the following class day. At the end of the semester I will award up to 100 points for these micro essays, deducting five points for each one you failed to turn in.
Four times during the semester, you will be asked to write a series of essays assessing, reflecting, and expanding on the issues and materials discussed in class. These essays will presuppose your understanding of the material we have covered in class and will ask you to analyze arguments and philosophical theories and construct arguments of your own on issues relevant to the material discussed in class. The essays must be typed, double-spaced, and employ appropriate college-level writing skills. Late essays will be accepted up to one week past the due date but will be penalized ten points for each day late. More information regarding essay exams will be given in class on the appropriate days.
Please note that I do not accept electronic submissions of assigned work. You are responsible for insuring that I receive a hardcopy of your work by the assigned deadline.
The following is meant only as a rough guide as to how your
participation grade will be determined:
| 90-100 |
Participates voluntarily and frequently. Shows a good grasp of the
material and good preparation.
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80 - 89 |
Participates voluntarily with less frequency but still makes an
important contribution to the class discussion.
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70 - 79 |
Participates voluntarily but shows a lesser grasp of the material or
little preparation.
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60 - 69 |
Participates only when asked to do so.
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59 or less |
Does not participate or is frequently absent.
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As part of the regular course requirements, you will be expected to occasionally participate in events outside of the regular class hours. You may be asked to watch videos on your own time and attend evening events. Additionally, as part of the English and Humanities Department's efforts to encourage student participation in college cultural activities, I will ask that you attend two events during the semester. More information concerning this will be provided in class. Following your attendance, you should write a brief 250 word reflective analysis of the event you attended. This must be turned in within one week of the date of the event. You will receive 10 points for each of the two events you attend and write-up.
While I won't be taking roll in class each day, your micro essays will provide me with a record of your attendance. Attending class is a key factor in college success. Not only does regular attendance help you succeed, it also helps the class work well and succeed. As my class participation guidelines make clear, a classroom is a community of learners in which we are all engaged in mastering material. It's far easier to do that when everyone attends regularly. When you fail to attend class, you lose points for your missed micro essays and your class participation grade suffers. Additionally, if you miss the equivalent of one's week's classes, your final grade may be lowered by one-half grade (.5). If you miss the equivalent of two weeks' classes, your final grade may be lowered by one full grade. If you miss any class, please be responsible for getting class notes, assignments, etc. from another student in class. It may help to have available telephone numbers or e-mail addresses of one or two classmates.
You are expected to have an active York College e-mail address and to check it regularly during the semester. I will send e-mail only to your ycp.edu address. If you wish to use other addresses, such as private internet service provided addresses, you should set up your YCP address so that it automatically forwards your mail to that address.
You should explore the following links so that you better understand the standards that we will adhere to in this course.
It is your responsibility to remain apprised of all assignments and any changes in the syllabus or grading policies. I reserve the right to make changes to class policies and the syllabus as I deem necessary. I expect that you will be in class daily, having prepared your work and ready to discuss the material.
You should obtain the names and contact information from several of your fellow classmates so that you have someone to contact if you must miss class. You should not depend on either e-mailing or phoning me to learn what you missed in class or find out your assignment for the following class.
You should strictly observe the
following policies:
I have prepared some material to help you in reading and writing philosophy. If you are having difficulty with your class readings or writing assignments, you might wish to review the following material. I have also prepared a page of philosophy links and meta-sites where you can easily find more information on any of the philosophers and topics we discuss in class.
