Introduction to Philosophy (PHI-201)
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00am-12:20pm, Joyner 203
 


Micheal W. Palmer
Office: 210 Joyner
Phone: 760-8559 (Meredith)
Office Hours: Monday 2:30-3:30, TTh 2:00-3:00
Web resources: http://www.greek-language.com/philosophy
Email: course number + @ + greek-language.com (no spaces) 		Printing this Syllabus
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Table of Contents

Nature of the Course
Goals
Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Attendance, Preparation, and Classroom Etiquette
Exams
Coin-toss Quizzes
Grading
Inclement Weather
Statement of Honor
Course schedule  (greek-language.com/philosophy/schedulefall03.html)


Nature of the Course

PHI-201 is an examination of issues common to human experience, such as the problem of knowledge, theories of values, and the interpretation of science, history, and religion.


Goals

By the end of this class you should be able to

Textbooks and Readings

You will need the following two books for this class:

Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, New York: Berkley Books, 1997.

Donald Palmer, Does the Center Hold? An Introduction to Western Philosophy, 3rd ed. (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002.

Readings from the book by Gaarder will be assigned for every Tuesday. Readings from the book by Donald Palmer must be completed for each Thursday's class session. The pages you are to read are listed in the course schedule.



Course Requirements

You are required to attend class regularly, be prepared for class every day, treat your classmates with respect, take the three exams listed in the course schedule, and take a number of short quizzes on the assigned readings.


A.   Attendance, Preparation for Class, and Classroom Etiquette

1.    Attendance
Failure to attend class regularly will result in very low scores on the exams. Much of the material on the exams will be based on classroom discussions.

You are allowed two weeks worth of excused absences, however, before a penalty for absences will be assessed. An excused absence is one for which you have provided appropriate documentation demonstrating that the absence was outside your control, such as when you are sick or there is a death in your family.

Any absence for which you do not provide appropriate documentation will be considered unexcused. For each unexcused absence 2 points will be deducted from your final semester average.

In the event of an extended medically related absence which will cause you to exceed the maximum number of excused absences, contact the professor for special arrangements. Documentation of the reason for the extended absence will be required. 

2.    Preparation for Class
If in the judgment of the professor you are not adequately prepared for class (you appear not to have completed or understood the assigned readings), the day for which you were unprepared will be treated as an unexcused absence.

Assigned readings are listed in the tentative course schedule. All assigned readings must be completed before the class session for which they are assigned.

3.    Classroom Ettiquette

You will be expected to show appropriate respect for your classmates at all times. Any behavior which, in the view of the professor, could interfere with another student's ability to participate fully in the class may result in your being asked to leave the classroom. In such case you would be counted absent (unexcused).

Please turn off your cell phone when you enter the classroom. Answering a cell phone in class will cost you five (5) points on your semester average (15 points on the semester total). That is half a letter grade. Running out of class to answer a cell phone will be considered the same as asnwering it in class. If you forget to turn off your phone, just hang up immediately if it rings. Do not answer it. An exception to this rule will be made for anyone who provides documentation demonstrating to the satisfaction of the professor that she is under legal obligation to answer the phone immediately.



B.   Exams(3 x 100 = 300 points)

You will take two one-hour exams and a final exam of longer duration. Each exam will have a value of 100 points. The dates for these exams are listed in the tentative course schedule.

The exams will include a variety of objective questions (true/false, multiple choice, matching, and fill-in-the-blank) but will also include written assignments (usually short-answer questions, definitions, and an essay). If you have difficulty with written assignments, you should contact the learning center early to get assistance in preparing for this portion of the exams.

The second exam will not be comprehensive. The final exam may contain a comprehensive section, but if so you will receive information in advance about what that section will contain.

A review guide will be provided for each exam about a week before the exam. That review guide will give you specific quidance on how to prepare for the upcoming exam.


C.   Coin-toss Quizzes (Evaluation of Preparation for Class)

At the beginning of each class meeting I will flip the "philosopher's coin" (a disc black one one side and yellow on the other). If it lands on black, we will take a short quiz on the assigned readings for that day. I will read your responses to the quiz questions to determine the level of your preparation for class.

You will not be allowed to make up any of these quizzes if you are absent at the time they are given. Since the quizzes are used to test preparation for class, making up a quiz could not help your score anyway since you were not in class at all the day it was given.

If you are present when a quiz is given, you must take the quiz. If you do not, I will assume that your refusal to take the quiz means you were unprepared for class.

Grading

You have the possibility of earning up to 350 points this term through three exams (including the final exam). The only extra credit assignments that will be accepted are those discussed above under "Course Requirements." The point value for each exam or other assignment and the number of points needed for each letter grade category are listed below.

A.    Total Points Possible for each Graded Assignment
Assignment
Highest possible value
Exam One 100 points
Exam Two 100 points
Final Exam 100 points
Possible attendance and preparation reduction (minus up to 39 points)
Total Possible Points 300 points


B.    Letter Grade Equivalencies

Your grade will be determined by adding up the total number of points earned on the exams, making any necessary deductions for attendance and preparation, then comparing the result to the list of grade categories outlined below.

Points Earned % of Points Possible Letter Grade
270-300
 90-100% A
240-269
 80-89.9% B
210-239
 70-79.9% C
180-209
 60-69.9% D
Below 180 Below 60% F


Inclement Weather

I will make an effort to meet all classes. In the event of inclement weather, which necessitates the cancellation of all classes, a message will be available on the inclement weather line (832-8878). In case of bad weather, use your best judgment about traveling. You can check the latest changes to the college wide inclement weather policy online.

Statement of Honor

You must take the pledge associated with the Meredith College Statement of Honor in order to participate in this class. All users of this site, whether affiliated with Meredith College or not, are expected to abide by the general guidelines of that same statement of honor. If you do not understand Meredith's honor system, please take the time to examine it now. Click here to read about it it. 

Course Schedule

Click here to see the tentative course schedule.



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