Knowledge and Understanding
Knowledge and Understanding
Philosophy 180, section 1
Professor Matt McCormick
Tuesday, Thursday 9:00-10:15 am, DH 110
Fall 2011
Catalog Description: PHIL180. Knowledge and Understanding. Examines the concept to knowledge. Representative topics include: the role of sense perception and memory, the importance of certainty, the justification of belief, philosophical skepticism, the concept of truth and the nature of philosophical inquiry. Emphasis is on contemporary formulations. Prerequisite: 6 units in philosophy or instructor permission. 3 units
Required Texts: The Theory of Knowledge: Classical and Contemporary Readings. ed. Louis P. Pojman. Toronto: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003. ISBN: 0-534-55822-4
Pojman, Louis. What Can We Know? An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge. Toronto: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001. ISBN: 0-534-52417-6.
The Course:
This course will survey epistemology across several important issues that include:
the nature of knowledge.
the nature of justification
rationality
epistemological duties or the ethics of belief
skepticism
Gettier counterexamples
theories of truth
theories concerning belief
sensory/perceptual states and their relationship to knowledge
foundationalism
coherentism
evidentialism
fallibilism
naturalized theories of knowledge
a priori knowledge
induction and deduction
synthetic and analytic truths
This course has several goals.
1) To introduce students to a number of important historical and contemporary issues and controversies in epistemology.
2) To improve students' writing skills, textual analysis skills, and oral discussion/debate skills.
3) To introduce students to advanced philosophical methods, writing, and tools.
4) To cultivate students' abilities to employ those advanced philosophical methods, and tools.
These goals will be met and assessed with reading assignments, tests, vocabulary assessment, quizzes, paper assignments, class discussions, lectures, and philosophical research.
Assignments: In this course you will write four papers on arguments/articles that we are studying, a reading question set, and one longer research style paper (10-15 pages). The short papers will be argument reconstructions and analyses, and critical responses. All papers will be assessed according to the criteria described in the assignment and the Philosophy Department Writing Guidelines. See more information below.
And there will be a mid-term and final exam that will be made up of short answer questions, quote identification, and several essay questions covering the content of the course. Each test will cover half of the course material. Review sheets for both are linked in the Knowledge and Understanding Schedule.
Course Grade: Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
Course Schedule: A week by week break down of assignments, readings, lectures, and topics.
Course Policies: Office hours, attendance policies, being tardy, late and missed assignments, makeup policy, cheating intellectual property rights, students with disabilities, laptops, and so on.
Google Group Discussions:
All students are required to make regular, constructive, and considered contributions to our discussion board on Google Groups:
Knowledge and Understanding Discussion Board
Getting Started: Create a Google Account:
1. Go to: https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount If you don't already have an account, create one with the link on the lower right. If you use a pseudonym that is not recognizable as your name, email me to tell me what it is and who you are--I won't be able to give credits for posts from a mystery student named "oNixJUmper3"
2. Once you have an account and you are logged in you can join the group at this address:
http://groups.google.com/group/csus-knowledge?hl=en
3. Posting questions, comments, and ideas: Under "Discussions," there will be different threads of conversation with questions and comments from Prof. McCormick and other students. Choose topics and questions that you find interesting and make a post, or ask new questions and start a thread of your own.
Grading: Students who make frequent, reflective, and helpful posts (at least 15 for the semester) will receive a full 10% for this portion of the grade. Lesser contributions will be graded proportionally lower. Contributions will be evaluated on the basis of these criteria:
1. How frequently did the student post?
2. How constructive and thoughtful were the student's contributions?
3. To what extent did the student's posts reflect an engagement in the concepts, issues, and philosophical challenges focused on in the course?
4. To what extent did the student's posts reflect his or her familiarity with the assigned readings for the course?
Rules of Engagement:
A. Be polite and respectful of other views.
B. Don't post or email in anger. Reflect on it and cool off before you hit "Send."
C. Take some time to consider what's correct, helpful, or interesting in other people's posts.
D. Give reasons and arguments for conclusions, don't preach.
E. Be prepared to change your mind if there are good grounds for it.
Research Paper:
There are instructions and a list of possible topics for the research paper here: Knowledge and Understanding Term Paper
You must provide me with a proposal for your research paper by Friday, Nov. 19 at 5:00 either in an office visit or by email.