Course Overview: Philosophical questions confront us daily. We may have stereotypes about what a philosopher is or looks like. We may think that philosophy is only discussed in dark, boring classrooms on a university campus. In this class, we will discover that this need not be the case. (University classrooms need not be dark or boring. And philosophy need not be confined to the university in any case.) To that end, we will be reading a number of science fiction stories that will serve as a basis for introducing some of the questions with which philosophy struggles. Some of the topics we will cover include ethics, time travel, personhood and identity, knowledge, and God. This course also seeks to teach you to write philosophy papers, so there will be plenty of opportunity to do so.

Reading Assignments and Texts: The only text for the course is a course packet available in the bookstore. It contains copies of all the stories we will be reading, so you will need it right away. You should read the assignments before coming to class. Discussions, in-class assignments, and the rare Ð I hope Ð lecture will be based on these readings. Look at the study questions I will provide you before reading a story. Try to think about them as you read and begin to compose answers, at least in your own mind. You will find it helpful, I suspect, to read the story more than once.

Evaluation: Your grade will be made up of five papers together with in-class writing assignments. You will be expected to have rough drafts of papers written a week before the paper is due. We will be going over drafts in class on the day indicated, so you should come prepared with the drafts. If you do not have the draft, it will count against the final paper grade. Papers that are turned in late will have their grade penalized according to how late they are. You will be expected to turn in all the previous papers together with the 5th paper so that I can evaluate your progress, so save your graded papers.

Policies:

(1) You are responsible for all assignments to be handed in. Late assignments will be penalized. Excuses such as you handed in the paper to my mailbox, slid it under my door, or gave it to a friend to hand in are unacceptable. I will take such papers, but if the paper never showed up for whatever reason, it will count as late. You should be in class to hand in all assignments; otherwise you take the risk of not getting credit for your work.

(2) I will not allow any late assignments to be handed in or allow make-up writing assignments unless there is some good reason (it should be a true emergency Ð not a family vacation or birth of a niece or nephew). In any event, written documentation will be required. You should get in touch with me right away if such a situation arises.

(3) The final drafts of all the papers are to be typed and double-spaced. Margins of an inch on the top and bottom and an inch and a quarter on the left and right sides of the page are standard. Twelve point fonts are also standard. You should proofread your papers. If there are more than three typos or spelling errors per page, I will return the paper to you, and it must be handed in, cleaned up, at the next class meeting. Such papers will count as a day late. Papers are due at the beginning of class, so be sure to check your printer to make sure you have enough ink well before the paper is due.

(4) You are expected to be in class and have done the reading for the day. It is simple courtesy to be in class on time and in your seat. If you have to be late for some reason, please enter the room and take your seat quietly, so as not to disturb the class. PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELLPHONES AND PAGERS. Finally, do not stand up and walk out in the middle of the class period. This is distracting and rude to the other students and me. If you must leave early for some reason, please talk to me before class and sit near the door.

Schedule: These dates are tentative. I may have to make changes to these dates as the semester goes on. I will make any necessary changes in class. Readings for each day should be done before class that day.

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Last updated: August 12, 2004

URL: http://web.mnstate.edu/mouch/105/105syll.html