Schedule

Date Topic/Readings Assignments
9/4 (Sun) Introduction  
9/6 (Tue) Philosophy and Argumentation (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Irving Copi and Carl Cohen, “Propositions and Arguments”.		 Quiz #1.
9/8 (Thu) Philosophy and Argumentation (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Plato, Apology.		 Quiz #2.
9/11 (Sun) Proving the Existence of God (Unit #1) (Lecture Guide)
Discussion on proving the existence of God.		 Extra credit #1 (podcast) and extra credit #2 (podcast) due.
9/13 (Tue) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Saint Anselm, “The Ontological Argument”.
William Rowe, “The Ontological Argument”.		 Quiz #3.
9/15 (Thu) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Discussion on deductive arguments.		  
9/18 (Sun) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, “Five Ways to Prove that God Exists”.
Michael Martin, “The Cosmological Argument”.

Quiz #4, and
Topic for analytical summary handed out (rubric) (guidelines).
9/20 (Tue) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Discussion on paper topic and non-deductive arguments.		 Extra credit #3 (podcast) due.
9/22 (Thu) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.		 Quiz #6, and
Extra credit #4 (podcast) due.
9/25 (Sun) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
William Paley, “The Argument from Design”.		 Quiz #7.
9/26 (Mon)   Analytical summary due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.
9/27 (Tue) Class Cancelled: Sheikha Mozah's Visit to NU-Q.

 

Topic for position paper handed out (rubric) (guidelines).
9/29 (Thu) Proving the Existence of God (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Stephen Jay Gould, “The Panda's Thumb” and “Senseless Signs of History”.

Quiz #5,
Quiz #8, and
Extra credit #5 (video) due.
10/2 (Sun) The Nature of Morality (Unit #2) (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Ruth Benedict, “Anthropology and the Abnormal”.
James Rachels, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”.		 Quiz #9.
10/3 (Mon)   First rough draft of position paper due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.
10/4 (Tue) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
David Hume, “Morality as Based on Sentiment”.
James Rachels, “Subjectivism in Ethics”.		 Quiz #10.
10/6 (Thu) In-class peer review of position papers. Peer review letters due.
10/9 (Sun) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Plato, Euthyphro.		 Quiz #11. Second rough draft of position paper must be reviewed by the Academic Resource Center this week. Be sure to book your appointment early!
10/11 (Tue) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Discussion on the foundation of morality.		 Extra credit #6 (podcast) due.
10/13 (Thu) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Ayn Rand, “Value Yourself”.
James Rachels, “Ethical Egoism”.		 Quiz #12.
10/16 (Sun) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Jeremy Bentham, “The Principle of Utility”.
Robert Nozick, “The Experience Machine”.		 Quiz #13.
10/18 (Tue) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism.
E. F. Carritt, “Criticisms of Utilitiarianism”.		 Quiz #14.
10/19 (Wed)   Position paper due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.
10/20 (Thu) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Discussion on utilitarianism.		 Extra credit #7 (podcast) due.
10/23 (Sun) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.		 Quiz #15.
10/25 (Tue) The Nature of Morality (Lecture Guide)
Reading Questions.
Onora O'Neill, “Kantian Approaches to Some Famine Problems”.

Quiz #16, and
Topic for analytical essay #1 handed out (rubric) (guidelines).
10/27 (Thu) The Nature of Morality
Discussion on paper topic and unit wrap up.
10/30 (Sun) Reason and Religious Faith (Unit #3)
Reading Questions.
Richard Swinburn, “Why God Allows Evil”.		 Quiz #17.
10/31 (Mon)   Rough draft of analytical essay #1 due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.
11/1 (Tue) Reason and Religious Faith
Reading Questions.
J. L. Mackie, “Evil and Omnipotence”.		 Quiz #18.
11/3 (Thu) In-class peer review of analytical essay #1. Peer review letters due.
11/6, 8 Eid Al-Adha Break  
11/10 (Thu) Reason and Religious Faith
Reading Questions.
Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling.		 Quiz #19, and
Extra credit #8 (podcast) due.
11/13 (Sun) Reason and Religious Faith
Reading Questions.
Friedrich Nietzsche, “The Death of God”.		 Quiz #20.
11/14 (Mon)   Analytical essay #1 due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.
11/15 (Tue) Reason and Religious Faith
Unit wrap up.
11/17 (Thu) Art and Æsthetic Judgment (Unit 4)
Reading Questions.
Plato, Republic.		 Quiz #21.
11/20 (Sun) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Reading Questions.
Aristotle, Poetics.		 Quiz #22.
11/22 (Tue) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Reading Questions.
David Hume, “Of the Standards of Taste”.		 Quiz #23, and
Topic for analytical essay #2 handed out (rubric) (guidelines).
11/24 (Thu) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Discussion on paper topic and the æsthetic experience.		 Extra credit #9 and extra credit #10 (podcast) due.
11/27 (Sun) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Reading Questions.
Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason.		 Quiz #24.
11/28 (Mon)   First rough draft of analytical essay #2 due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.
11/29 (Tue) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Reading Questions.
Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation.		 Quiz #25.
12/1 (Thu) In-class peer review of analytical essay #2. Peer review letters due.
12/4 (Sun) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Reading Questions.
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy.

Quiz #26, and
Extra credit #11 (podcast) due.

 Second rough draft of analytical essay #2 must be reviewed by the Academic Resource Center this week. Be sure to book your appointment early!
12/6 (Tue)

Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Reading Questions.
Leo Tolstoy, What is Art?
Leo Tolstoy, “More from What is Art?”

 Quiz #27.
12/8 (Thu) Art and Æsthetic Judgment
Unit wrap up.		 Quiz #28.
12/11 (Sun) What Philosophy Is (and Isn't)
Reading Questions.
Harry Frankfurt, On Bullshit.		 Quiz #29.
12/13 (Tue) What Philosophy Is (and Isn't)
Reading Questions.
Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave”.
Voltaire, “The Good Brahmin”.

Quiz #30, and
Extra credit #12 (podcast) due.
12/15 (Thu)

 

 Analytical essay #2 due by 12:00pm (noon) via TurnItIn.