I teach at The University of Alabama. Most students who take Intro here have never before thought about philosophy, and that means I really do get to introduce them to our subject. Since I love philosophy, I think of this as akin to buying them their first ice cream cone.
I’ve taught the class in different ways, including a lecture-based format. The latest version is a bit unconventional. It meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays in a computer lab. On Tuesdays students work through on-line material (which I lifted from a distance-learning class that I developed with my colleague Chase Wrenn) and do a short assignment. On Thursdays they do a group exercise. This usually involves critically analyzing an argument from a passage culled from an influential piece of philosophical writing.
Like every format, this one has costs and benefits. A cost is that it requires a computer lab or the equivalent (for the Tuesday meetings). A benefit is that students tend to engage more actively with the material than they do in a lecture-based class. Another benefit is that, in future semesters, it will be easy to replace group exercises that don’t work that well, or that I tire of, with other exercises.
One of the things I marvel at occurred on Thursdays. Invariably, a class of college students with zero philosophical background collectively arrived at a plausible analysis of the argument at issue, with only minor guidance from me — an analysis that included articulating a clear, reasonably accurate version of the argument and identifying at least some of its main strengths and main weaknesses. If I were to advise philosophy teachers, I’d recommend doing whatever you can to involve the students in such active engagement — in doing philosophy, not just learning about it, from the very beginning.
My favorite elements of the syllabus include the self-pacing, the group activities, and the fact that all course policies are clearly stated. The students felt similarly. At least some appreciated that fact that the exams contained no surprises.
The first trial run was last fall (2018), and it was successful overall, I think. However, I will replace some of the exercises with others in future semesters, mostly to keep my own interest high.
Here is the syllabus.
Introduction To Philosophy PHL 100-011 | Fall 2018 | 3 Credit Hours Lecture Dr. Torin Alter
Contact information
Office Location: 327 Ten Hoor Hall
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:15-2:15 and by appointment
Email: talter@ua.edu
Teaching assistant: Elizabeth Taylor
Email: eetaylor1@crimson.ua.edu
Responses to email will be provided within 36 hours during weekdays
Course Description
This course introduces students to the basic concepts, methods, and problems of philosophy. Students will learn about philosophical approaches to issues such as the existence or nonexistence of God, the relationship between the mind and body, the freedom of the will, and the nature of right and wrong.
The course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays in a computer lab. On Tuesdays, you will spend most of the class working through the on-line material, getting help or having discussions with the instructor or the teaching assistant, doing the drills, taking practice exams, doing in-class assignments, and, when you are ready, taking the exams. The course is self-paced in one sense: you may take the exams when you decide you are ready, either during a Tuesday class period or during the final exam period. On Thursdays, there will be lectures and in-class assignments. Your course grade is a function of your exam scores, your performance on the in-class assignments, and your course involvement (see “Exams and assignments” and “Grading policy” below).
Required texts
A Dialogue on Consciousness (T. Alter & R. Howell), The God Dialogues (T. Alter & R. Howell), Problems from Philosophy 3rdEdition (J. Rachels & S. Rachels)
Student learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Apply fundamental philosophical concepts relating to the course topics.
- Identify the most important philosophical responses to the problems addressed in the course.
- Analyze the most important lines of argument supporting those responses to the problems, as well as the most important criticisms of them.
- Deduce the consequences of philosophical positions. Identify the commitments of major philosophers.
- Demonstrate sensitivity to subtle distinctions and precise language.
Outline of topics
Below is an outline of topics for the module exams. We will discuss related topics in class on Thursdays.
- Module 1: Logic, philosophy, and the legacy of Socrates
- Module 2: Moral and design arguments for the existence of God
- Module 3: The cosmological argument, the problem of evil, and Pascal’s Wager
- Module 4: Death and personal identity
- Module 5: Consciousness and the mind-body problem
- Module 6: Free will
- Module 7: Ethics
- Comprehensive final
Exams and assignments
Exams (75% of course grade):
Each exam (including the comprehensive final) consists of 20 questions that are a mix of true/false, multiple choice, and (possibly) fill-in-the-blank questions. The questions are extremely similar to the questions that appear in the Philosophy Drills, and the best way to prepare for an exam is to practice those Drills and the practice exams. The only difference between the practice exams and the exams is that scores on the exams (not the practice exams) count toward your course grade.
Module exams and the final exam are closed-book, closed-notes, and must be completed under the supervision of a proctor (the instructor or teaching assistant). Philosophy Drills and Practice Exams are not proctored, and it is recommended that you take each practice exam many times before taking the corresponding exam.
Optional: you may retake each exam once (but only once), and the higher of the two grades will count.
In-class assignments (25% of course grade):
- In each class (or in nearly each class), there will be at least one in-class assignment.
- The style and content of the assignments will vary. Usually, the assignments given on Thursdays will involve writing. Somes the assignments given on Tuesdays will not involve writing (instead, they might usually include only true/false or multiple choice questions).
- Each in-class assignment is pass/fail (see “Grading Policy” below).
Summary of course requirements:
- Come to class: arrive on time, remain in class until the end of the period
- Do the reading
- Do the in-class assignments
- Participate in discussions
- Do the philosophy drills and practice exams multiple times (until you’re scoring well on them consistently)
- Take all 7 module exams and the final exam
Grading policy
Exams:
Exams are automatically graded. No partial credit. Exams may be taken on Tuesdays in class and during the final exam period scheduled for this course: 12/12 8am-10:30am.
Contact the instructor for any questions about grading. If, for example, your answer is graded as incorrect because of a small spelling error, I will override that grade, if you bring this to my attention before course grades have been submitted.
In-class assignments:
In-class assignments will be graded within two weeks of submission (usually much sooner). All are pass/fail. For written (essay-style) in-class assignments, passing requires serious effort, engagement with the material, and legible, grammatical, coherent writing. In other cases (e.g., in-class assignments consisting of true/false questions), criteria for passing will be made clear on the assignments themselves. Missing an in-class assignment counts as failing that assignment.
- If you fail no in-class assignments all semester (and pass all of them), then your in-class assignment score is A+ (100).
- If you fail 1-5 in-class assignments all semester (and pass the rest), then your in-class assignment score is A (95).
- If you fail 6-10 in-class assignments all semester (and pass the rest), then your in-class assignment score is B (85).
- If you fail 11-15 in-class assignments all semester (and pass the rest), then your in-class assignment score is C (75).
- If you fail 16-20 in-class assignments all semester (and pass the rest), then your in-class assignment score is D (65).
- If you fail more than 20 in-class assignments all semester, then your in-class assignment score is F (50).
- Although all in-class assignments are pass/fail, doing better on them can help your class involvement grade.
Course involvement:
Good course involvement may raise your course grade by 1/3 of a letter grade (e.g., from a B to a B+). Also, borderline cases are determined by course involvement. For students whose course involvement is good, I will round up; for others, I will round down. Course involvement is a broad category. Examples of relevant factors: good participation in class discussions; doing well on in-class assignments.
Devices
Do not use devices (smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) during class, unless I give you permission. Violating this policy may result in course grade deductions.
Policy on missed exams and coursework
Missed in-class assignments due to unexcused absences may not be made up. Missed in-class assignments due to excused absences may be made up; contact me (the instructor) about this, should the need arise.
Attendance policy
- Attendance is required. You should arrive at exactly 9:30 am and remain in class until exactly 10:45am. If you arrive late or leave early, you might not get credit for that day’s in-class assignment(s).
- The penalty for having an unexcused absence is that you will not get credit for that day’s in-class assignment(s) and that you will not be given an opportunity to make that assignment (or those assignments) up.
- With an appropriate, written excuse, students may have absences excused. Appropriate excuses usually include only unforeseeable, unpreventable problems, such as illness (with a doctor’s note), death in the family (documented by an obituary or the equivalent), and other excuses to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Appropriate excuses usually do not include conflicts, even if the reason you miss class is entirely reasonable.
- All excuses require documentation. Students who think it is likely they will be absent from class should notify the instructor in advance. To receive a medical excuse, students must bring in a letter that includes (i) the name, address, and phone number of the doctor whom they visited, (ii) the sentence ‘In my medical opinion, <your name here> was too ill to come to class on <date of absence> at <time of absence>’ (or the equivalent), (iii) the doctor’s (or nurse practitioner’s) signature (not the receptionist’s or the nurse’s).
Notification of changes
The instructor will make every effort to follow the guidelines of this syllabus as listed; however, the instructor reserves the right to amend this document as the need arises. In such instances, the instructor will notify students in class and/or via email and will endeavor to provide reasonable time for students to adjust to any changes.
Teaching assistant
Students must treat the teaching assistant with the same respect they treat the instructor.
[omitted material, which is not specific to my University of Alabama syllabus: statements on academic misconduct, disability accommodation, weather protocol, pregnant student accommodations, religious observances, UAct statement on respect and civility]
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Torin Alter
Torin Alter writes mostly about consciousness and its relation to nature. Representative publications include “The structure and dynamics argument against materialism” (Nous 50, 2016: 794–815), “Social externalism and the knowledge argument” (Mind 122, 2013: 481-96), and A Dialogue on Consciousness(co-written with Robert J. Howell, Oxford University Press, 2009). Other books: Consciousness in the Physical World, Consciousness and the Mind-Body Problem, The God Dialogues, and Phenomenal Concepts and Phenomenal Knowledge.
