Introduction To Philosophy

PHIL1034
Ethics and Politics, East and West: An Introduction to Philosophy
Time: Tue 10:3012:20 Location: KB223 Dr. Chris Fraser January April 2013
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PHIL1034 Basic Information

Instructor: Chris Fraser, Department of Philosophy - Ofce: 1006 Shaw Tower; ofce hours by appointment - Email: fraser@hku.hk - Web: www.cjfraser.net Tutors: Tim Li (timkwl@hku.hk), Frank Chong (zhedao@gmail.com) Discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/phil1034_2013/ Course download page: http://cjfraser.net/course/2013-phil1034-coursematerials/ (password: PHIL1034HKU2013) - Lecture notes and readings - Assignments and tutorial questions All readings available online
Course Objectives
Introduce eld of philosophy - Major subelds - Selected philosophical issues - Methods and techniques Basic training in norms of philosophical discourse - Logic and critical thinking - Interpretation and evaluation of others views - Spoken and written expression Compare Chinese and Western traditions - Introduce selected important philosophers from each - Compare similarities and differences in issues and solutions Broaden horizons, critical thinking - Stimulate thinking about issues - Consider range of viewpoints - Critical, fair evaluation
Student Outcomes
Comprehension - Describe major elds of philosophy and central concepts in philosophical method - Describe central issues in ethical and political philosophy and major approaches to these issues from the Chinese and Western philosophical traditions - Critically examine a range of positions on and approaches to these issues and identify their strengths and weaknesses Skills - Demonstrate interpretive, analytical, and argumentative skills in oral presentation and writing by discussing these issues and theories in written assignments and tutorials Values - Demonstrate appreciation of the complexity of basic questions in ethical and political philosophy and their relation to individual and social life
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Course Plan
Seven main topics 1. Introduction: What is philosophy? 2. Basic concepts and methods 3. Why be moral? 4. The good life 5. Right and wrong 6. Political authority 7. The individual and the state In each unit, we will... Compare the ideas of selected Chinese and Western philosophers - Time for only a small selection Evaluate these ideas and think about your own views Examine how our topics are interrelated
Course Structure
13 weeks of class - Introduction: 3 weeks - 5 major topics ! 2 weeks each - Questions and discussion in lecture welcome - Do assigned reading before each lecture ! Lectures overlap partly but not completely with reading 5 tutorials (begin in week 5) - Important: Do reading, prepare assigned questions before tutorial - Tutorials focus on discussing assigned questions (each student assigned a question)
Course Structure (cont.)

Course discussion forum - Discuss course content with classmates, tutor, and professor - Raise questions about points you nd unclear If you dont understand something, ask about it - Do yourself and other students a favor - Homework and exam questions may be challenging, but you are welcome to ask detailed questions about them
Assignments and Weighting

Three components: 1. 3 x 500-word homework assignments (60%) (about one week for each) 2. Tutorial participation (30%: 10% attendance, 20% participation) - 5 tutorials - Prepare to discuss assigned questions 3. Online discussion via Google Groups (10%: 2 marks x 5 contributions, one per unit)
Grading
Aim of assignments, tutorials: Explain issues clearly, state arguments cogently, identify strengths/ weaknesses, express well-justied view of your own when appropriate Assignments marked on scale of 010: 910: Strong grasp of issues, texts; clear, persuasive argument; plus especially effective explanation, creative formulation, extra insight, consideration of objections, etc. 88.5: Strong grasp of issues and texts with clear, persuasive argument 77.5: Largely accurate understanding of issues and texts 66.5: Shows familiarity with lecture and reading material, but missing some important points
45.5: Unclear whether really understood assignment, lecture, or reading <4 : No sign of having understood the question or done the reading
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Late Papers
Assignments: Deduct 1 point for each day late
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Format for Homework Papers

500 words (11.5 pages) (no cover page) A4 paper size, 1-inch margins on all sides 12-point regular Times New Roman font Double-spaced lines (2.0 line spacing) - No extra space or line between paragraphs Indent rst line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches No footnotes or citations (not a research paper) Include name, student ID, course name, assignment # (in top right corner) Submit printed copy to PHIL1034 box in Philosophy Ofce(see Ms. Li) - 1013 Run Run Shaw Tower - Include name, student ID, and assignment #
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Plagiarism
You are encouraged to discuss assignments with others and to read widely about related topics. But your papers must be your work, expressed in your own words. Plagiarism (!") is presenting others work as if it were yours. Why is plagiarism wrong? - Its unjust (#$%) to use others work without giving them credit. Doing so is theft of intellectual property. - Its a form of fraud (&') to try to get the benets of a course or a degree by deception, rather than by fullling the requirements. - Its disrespectful (#()) to teachers, classmates, other members of the university, who trust you to follow the rules. - It violates your integrity (#*+) to represent yourself as having achieved something you have not.
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Plagiarism (cont.)
Plagiarism defeats the aims of university education. - Ability to think critically and originally - Ability to express ideas clearly, precisely, and creatively
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Avoiding Plagiarism
If you use other peoples work, give them credit. - Cite your source using proper citation format - Book, article, webpage, interview, conversation What counts as using other peoples work? - Using others exact words or changing them only slightly - Using their original or creative ideas or research results For information on proper citation format, see these web resources: - http://www3.hku.hk/philodep/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Citation - http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocMLAWorksCited_Book.html - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/15/
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Avoiding Plagiarism (cont.)

This course: One-page assignments, not research papers - No need for citations - But do not borrow phrasing directly from lecture notes, readings, classmates, websites, etc. - Formulate arguments in your own words or use your own examples
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Questions?
Organization? Objectives? Assignments? Grading? Other organizational issues? - Tutorial arrangements: Sign up next week of the course
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Syllabus
Detailed syllabus, with readings etc.
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PHIL1034

Ethics and Politics, East and West: An Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL1034 Basic Information

Course Structure (cont.)

Assignments and Weighting

Format for Homework Papers

Avoiding Plagiarism (cont.)

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