Course Syllabus

You can download a complete PDF of the syllabus here. Here and below is the revised schedule for the last few weeks of class:

Instructor:            Mia Wood

Contact:              Office: FO 2906; Phone: 818-710-2200; Email: woodmc@piercecollege.edu; nom de Skype: MiaWoodPierceCollege; Faculty Web Page

Office Hours:          Tuesday: 10:00-11:00 AM and 2:20-3:30 PM; Wednesday: 12:30-3:30 PM; Thursday: 10:00-11:00 AM; also by arrangement in person and via Skype. I generally use Skype, but can also use other video conferencing programs.

Course Website:     Canvas, at http://online.piercecollege.edu

Required Text:       All required readings are found on our Canvas site. I will introduce you to how we will use Canvas for our course, or you can watch our course introduction video.

Course Description:

This course involves a study of major Greek thinkers from Thales through Aristotle. Among the areas of interest to us will be what I will call the ancient Greek mind. What I mean by this is that the ancient Greeks (circa 625 – 384, B.C.E.) generally shared a teleological worldview about the origin and nature of the universe, the nature of knowledge, ethics, politics, and so on, that has both deeply influenced every facet of life that you and I take for granted. At the same time, however, despite what it made possible for subsequent thinkers, that worldview was also largely upended by them. This upending occurred in the form of the so-called scientific revolution begun by people like Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, and Descartes.

Within this context, we will study the chronological transition from mythos to logos, which arguably defines the concept, “philosophy,” as well as significant concepts that form the core of the ancient Greek mind. These concepts include telos, arête, techne, eudaimonia, episteme, nous, logos, sophos, kosmos, dikaiosune, and psyche. The course is, however, mainly structured topically, e.g., the Socratic method, reason and perception, Plato’s Forms, and Aristotle’s four causes.

Course Objectives:

1. Study how philosophy has influenced the development of Western thought and civilization.
2. Study the insights of Ancient Greeks and how they are relevant today, especially to the development of the scientific method and world view of the west.
3. Develop insight in students just how the study of philosophy is relevant to them.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Having a syllabus and a discussion about the course should be sufficient to alert you to the types of skill, conceptual knowledge, and intellectual dispositions you should develop and master. In the event that the syllabus and class discussions about these standards are not sufficient, here are the two departmentally approved Student Learning Outcomes for Philosophy 12 at Pierce College:

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to compare, contrast, analyze and evaluate the views of the most influential Western philosophers and philosophical movements from a particular historical period — as found in primary or secondary sources — using rigorous philosophical methods.
2. Students will embody the qualities of an open-minded but critical thinker in the examination or formation of their philosophy.

Class Time: We will spend our class time engaged in various activities: presentation and discussion of course materials (concepts, lines of reasoning, and skills); individual and group practice with specific exercises or activities aimed at clarifying concepts through careful analysis or developing skills; exam review; and examinations. Since we rely heavily on our readings for almost all of our work, be sure to have handy access to them during our class meetings. Either bring your printed readings with you, or have ready access to your e-copies.

Writing Assignments (WA): We will work individually and in small groups on various writing assignments aimed at, e.g., sharpening your understanding of a particular philosophical problem, a philosopher’s approach or solution to that problem, or an analysis of the text. You will then have a window outside of class to polish and submit your work to Canvas. Instructions to be provided.

We will write each week, but note that not all assignments will be collected for review and grading. Instead, some will serve as practice and preparation for those assignments that are scored (e.g., exams). Sometimes, an assignment serves as a warm-up for a specific discussion. So, it is important that you attend every class session.

I will post scoring rubrics on Canvas. You will use these not only to help you create some of your assignments, but also to understand your scores.

Quizzes: You will complete quizzes on Canvas. They are intended to evaluate your understanding of the material. To that end, they are generally true/false and multiple choice. The window for completing each quiz (both how many days you have and how long you have once you begin the quiz) is fairly large. This means you should have ample time to complete each quiz. All the quizzes are timed, and you’ll be able to access feedback once the quiz is closed.

Exams: There will be three short answer and essay assessments covering concepts from lectures and readings. Each will be completed in class. Typically, essays run to about 600 words.

You will also have an opportunity to write a practice exam before Exam 1, which I will read and on which I will comment. This will prepare you for the sort of exam you’ll write for a score. Be sure to consult the essay questions in the relevant part(s) of the text for samples — and I may take one of the questions for an exam, so consider preparing in advance!

Grades: Exams, in-class assignments, and quizzes constitute your grade.

• Three exams constitute 80% of your total score; the first two exams count 25% toward your final score; your third exam counts 30% toward your final score.
• Writing assignments count 10% toward your final score.
• 10 reading quizzes constitute 10% of your total score; each quiz counts 1% toward your final score.

Score Breakdown: 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; 59% and below = F

Helpful Stuff:

1. Spring 2018 Semester Calendar

2. Class Policies: Please review the current catalog’s Scholastic Policies
3. Additional Class Resources: Internet and related technology is leveraged to enhance your learning experience by way of video lectures and tutorials and links to class-related resources. These links and resources are posted on Canvas.
4. Additional Assistance: Anyone with a learning disability (e.g., dyslexia, test-taking anxiety, etc.) should see me at once about any special accommodations that need to be made. You deserve to have your learning needs accommodated! The Center for Academic Success and Special Services are both terrific resources for anyone on campus!
5. Academic Freedom: Both students and faculty have a constitutionally protected right of freedom of expression, which deserves to be protected. For a fuller discussion, see me.
6. Three Attempts Policy: Familiarize yourself with the current statewide policy regarding how many times you may attempt a class before you are ‘locked out’ of further attempts in the LACCD. See the Pierce College Schedule of Classes, the Counseling Center, or me for more info.
7. If you need help paying for books and other college expenses, call the Financial Aid Office at (818) 719-6428 or see them in the College Services Building http://www.piercecollege.edu/offices/financial_aid.
8. Pierce College offers a wide range of support services. If you don’t see what you’re looking for on the page to which this link takes you (https://www.piercecollege.edu/pierce_students.asp), please see me. I want to chat with you about what we need to do to make your time at Pierce College, and in our class, a success.