PHIL 89 Philosophical Methods

Meetings

Hybrid: we are in the classroom Wednesdays 11-11:50am, Mendocino 3009. Attendance here is mandatory. The scheduled Monday meetings will be replaced by a "Philosophy in the Wild" assignment or activity outside of class. 

Instructor

Kyle Swan | Department of Philosophy | California State University, Sacramento | Mendocino Hall 3030 | 6000 J Street | Sacramento, CA 95819-6033 |  Primary contact: Canvas messaging app

Office hours

I will be available for office hours on Mondays 11-12 and Wednesdays 12-2 in Mendocino 3030.

Reasonable Accommodation

If your circumstances require accommodation or assistance in meeting the expectations of this course, please let me know as soon as possible. You may need to provide documentation to the University office of SSWD (in accordance with the University policy outlined here: https://www.csus.edu/student-affairs/centers-programs/services-students-disabilities/).

Course Description

An introduction to philosophical methods and basic concepts to prepare students for coursework in the major. The survey of topics will emphasize developing skills in reading philosophical texts, writing philosophical analyses and having philosophical discussions. (2 units) 

Objectives and outcomes

The purpose of this 2 unit seminar is to help transition students new to philosophy into the major and introduce them to the skills and concepts they will need for higher-level coursework in philosophy. Students completing this seminar will be able to: 

1. Identify basic concepts and distinctions. Students will learn the difference between normative issues and empirical ones, between epistemological questions and metaphysical ones, between a definition and an analysis, between an argument and an explanation, between truth and validity, etc.
2. Identify basic disciplinary boundaries. Students will learn what makes a question or topic philosophical. They will become familiar with the contours of the different sub-disciplines in philosophy and the historical context for these divisions. They will become familiar with resources relevant for investigating philosophical topics and questions.
3. Analyze a philosophical essay. Students will be able to reconstruct and summarize the reasoning in a philosophical piece of writing. They will be able to develop and explain relevant objections and defenses. They will be able to reach a plausible conclusion regarding the merits of the target piece. They will be able to present their analysis in clear, grammatical, college-level English.

Course Requirements

Grading

Your final grade is determined by how many total points you earn, with these grade thresholds: 93 points=A, 90 points=A-, 88 points=B+, 83 points=B, 80 points=B-, 78 points=C+, 73 points=C, 70 points=C-, 68 points=D+, 63 points=D, 60 points=D-, and F = all scores less than 60 points.

There are these ways of earning points:

1. Be an active and thoughtful participant (25 possible points)

Someone who earns all these points would:

• Prepare for class discussions;
• Demonstrate understanding of the readings;
• Offer original and thoughtful ideas and perspectives;
• Pose good questions

I will assess this in a variety of ways in class and in the wild throughout the semester. I may ask for a summary and/or response related to the assigned reading or some other activity or “thought question” that requires you to engage with the assigned material. These aren’t always announced ahead of time. You’re either in class to earn the points, or you aren’t; however, some of these assignments are done "in the wild." 

2. Summarize and analyze arguments (4x10 points = 40 possible points)

These are in-class writing assignments that will force you to practice writing the components of an analytical essay. This is a standard assignment in many Philosophy department courses. It is described here: https://www.csus.edu/college/arts-letters/philosophy/_internal/g5-how-to-analyze-a-philosophical-essay.pdfLinks to an external site.

The main components of an essay analyzing an assigned piece of philosophical writing is summary and critique. Present and elaborate the argument, explaining how it is supposed to work in the “Summary” section. Evaluate its success, developing an argument that undermines or defends it, in the “Critique” section. Try to think of the summary section as setting out the key argument you are targeting in your thesis. It’s the argument you will analyze or evaluate in the “Critique” section of the essay. The summary should be focused on only that which is relevant to your analysis and evaluation.

You should avoid writing poor, surface-level, generic summaries. The most common way of writing a poor summary is to simply restate a number of things in the assigned reading. But you shouldn’t simply provide a listing of things in the reading; rather, you need to identify the key idea in it and explain the argument(s) for that idea. Focus. Go for depth of explanation, rather than breadth of coverage. I recommend the method of successive elaboration (described here).

3. Attend and analyze at least two colloquia  (2x10 points = 20 possible points)

These are relatively short analyses of campus philosophy-related colloquium presentations, lectures and events. Aim for 1 page. They must be written in the department's analytical essay format (above). They are due within one week after the colloquium for which it is written. Students are responsible for monitoring philosophy department announcements of colloquiums. 

4. Take the exit exam (15 possible points)

This will ask you a set of short essay questions and provide you with a text to summarize and critique. The exam takes place during the University scheduled final exam period for this class.

Text

There is no text to purchase. All required readings are pieces available as links or .pdf documents in Canvas. Find them, and the course schedule, in the Modules section. I recommend that you print the assigned readings and bring them to class. You will be able to use them (and nothing else) for many of the assignments under 1 and 2 above that you will write in class.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty as adumbrated in the academic honesty policy statement (link below) will be dealt with by immediate failure in the course and referral to the Office of Student Affairs for disciplinary action. Familiarize yourselves with the University's Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures.

Students with Special Needs

Sacramento State is committed to ensuring an accessible learning environment where course or instructional content are usable by all students and faculty. If you believe that you require disability-related academic adjustments for this class (including pregnancy-related disabilities), please immediately contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) to discuss eligibility. A current accommodation letter from SSWD is required before any modifications, above and beyond what is otherwise available for all other students in this class will be provided. Please be advised that disability-related academic adjustments are not retroactive. SSWD is located on the first floor of Lassen Hall 1008. Phone is 916-278-6955 and e-mail is sswd@csus.edu. For a complete listing of services and current business hours visit https://www.csus.edu/student-affairs/centers- programs/services-students-disabilities/

Students who have special learning or testing needs must notify the instructor with the appropriate documentation by the end of the second week of the semester. 

Student resources

Do not hesitate to contact either of the following resources if you are experiencing serious distress.

• Student Health and Counseling Services
• Peer and Academic Resource Center