Course : PHIL101 Title : Introduction to Philosophy
Length of Course : 8
Prerequisites : N/A Credit Hours : 3
Description
Course Description: This course is intended to equip the student with a baseline understanding of issues
and concepts that compose the Western philosophic enterprise, and to serve as a point of departure for their
further studies in Philosophy.
Course Scope:
The course evaluates the main problems of philosophy and the traditional approaches used to resolve those
problems. These philosophical problems are approached historically and conceptually – noting both their
place in the history of ideas and their philosophical contributions to the field at large. Students are
encouraged to examine their own views in light of the traditional approaches. Although students are never
required to agree with any position expressed in this class, they are required to demonstrate a sufficient
understanding of the ideas presented in the course content.
Objectives
After successfully completing this course students will be able to:
1. Identify historical beginnings of philosophy and contemporary positions concerning the nature of
knowledge and reality;
2. Examine the relevance of language and logic to problems of knowledge and reality;
3. Distinguish the basic concepts of moral and political philosophy;
4. Evaluate arguments for and against the existence of God
5. Evaluate various approaches to the mind-body problem;
6. Evaluate various approaches to the problem of free will.
Outline
Week 1: Introducing Philosophy: What is Philosophy?
Topic(s)
Introducing Philosophy: What is Philosophy?
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Identify the main branches of philosophy.
• Identify the historical beginnings of philosophy.
• Distinguish philosophy from other ways of making sense of the world.
• Demonstrate an understanding of what makes a question philosophical and what “philosophizing” entails.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 1 Lessons
Assignment(s)
Week 1 Forum
Quiz # 1
Week 2: Socrates and Ancient Greek Philosophy
Topic(s)
Socrates and Ancient Greek Philosophy
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Identify the Pre-Socratic influences on Socrates and Plato
• Identify the historical and philosophical importance of Ancient Greek philosophy and the philosopher,
Socrates
• Understand what is meant by the “Socratic Method” of philosophizing
• Evaluate Socrates’ defense of philosophizing and his definition of wisdom
• Understand Socrates’ and Plato’s epistemology, metaphysics and the role of philosophical dialogue.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 2 Lessons
Assignment(s)
Week 2 Forum
Quiz # 2
Week 3: Part 1: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Topic(s)
Part 1: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Identify the ways in which the question “what is real?” is a metaphysical question and how it poses an
epistemological problem
• Examine Plato’s and Descartes metaphysics and epistemology
• Analyze the historical context of Descartes’ skepticism and his formulation of rationalism
• Examine the metaphysical implications concerning dualism and the mind-body problems that follow from
rationalism
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 3 Lessons
Assignment(s)
Week 3 Forums
Quiz # 3
Week 4: Part 2: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Topic(s)
Part 2: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Examine empiricism and some of its main philosophical proponents in history.
• Identify Locke’s theory of knowledge.
• Identify Kant’s constructivist approach to the problem of knowledge.
• Examine the relationship between empiricism, constructivism, and the limits of knowledge and how these
relate to science.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 4 Lessons
Assignments
Week 4 Forum
Philosophical Essay Part 1
Quiz # 4
Week 5: Philosophy of Religion: The Question of God
Topic(s)
Philosophy of Religion: The Question of God.
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Examine the definitions of atheism, agnosticism, and theism.
• Identify the philosophical arguments for the existence of God: Ontological, Cosmological, Teleological.
• Identify the philosophical issues associated with the conception of God and the problem omniscience and
free will, and the problem of suffering and evil.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 5 Lessons
Assignments
Week 5 Forum
Quiz # 5
Week 6: Part 1: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Topic(s)
Part 1: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Learning Objectives
Objectives
• Examine the historical development of ethics.
• Distinguish between moral relativism and moral objectivism.
• Identify and evaluate the Divine Command theory of morality.
• Identify and evaluate secular perspectives on morality without the God.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 6 Lessons
Assignments
Week 6 Forums
Quiz # 6
Week 7: Part 2: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Topic(s)
Part 2: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Learning Objectives
Objectives
• Identify Utilitarian moral reasoning and the problems that arise from its application.
• Examine and evaluate Kantian ethics and the implications that arise from its application.
• Compare and contrast consequentialistic with non-consequentialistic moral theories
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 7 Lessons
Assignments
Week 7 Forums
Philosophical Essay Part 2
Quiz # 7
Week 8: Social and Political Philosophy
Topic(s)
Social and Political Philosophy
Learning Objectives
Objectives
• Identify the historical development of Social and Political Philosophy and its connections to and differences
from moral philosophy
• Examine the various formulations of Social Contract Theory
• Identify the assumptions about human nature in formulations of the Social Contract Theory
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 8 Lessons
Assignments
Week 8 Forum
Quiz # 8
Evaluation
Grading:
Name Grade %
Forums 50.00 %
Week 1 Forum – Introduction 5.56 %
Week 1 Forum 5.56 %
Week 2 Forum 5.56 %
Week 3 Forum 5.56 %
Week 4 Forum 5.56 %
Week 5 Forum 5.56 %
Week 6 Forum 5.56 %
Week 7 Forum 5.56 %
Week 8 Forum 5.56 %
Quizzes 15.00 %
Week 1 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 2 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 3 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 4 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 5 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 6 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 7 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 8 Quiz 1.88 %
Philosophical Essay 35.00 %
Week 4 – Philosophical Essay Part 1 8.75 %
Week 7 – Philosophical Essay Part 2 26.25 %
Materials
Book Title: Introduction to Philosophy-E-book link provided inside the classroom
Author: Pecorino
Publication Info: Open Web Sources
ISBN: PHIL101-NTMO
The readings for this course are a composition of web-based sources and public domain texts. The Course
Outline in the syllabus has links for all course readings and videos. PowerPoint lecture notes and Podcasts
can be found under the COURSE MATERIALS tab for the corresponding week.
Course Guidelines
Citation and Reference Style
Students will follow MLA format as the sole citation and reference style used in written assignments
submitted as part of coursework to the Humanities Department.
Please note that no formal citation style is graded on forum assignments in the School of Arts &
Humanities—only attribution of sources (please see details regarding forum communication below).
Tutoring
Tutor.com offers online homework help and learning resources by connecting students to certified
tutors for one-on-one help. AMU and APU students are eligible for 10 free hours of tutoring provided by
APUS. Tutors are available 24/7 unless otherwise noted. Tutor.com also has a SkillCenter Resource
Library offering educational resources, worksheets, videos, websites and career help. Accessing these
resources does not count against tutoring hours and is also available 24/7. Please visit the APUS
Library and search for ‘Tutor’ to create an account.
Late Assignments
School of Arts & Humanities Late Policy
Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the
course according to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals, I
understand you must manage competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to
complete an assignment, please contact me before the due date so we can discuss the situation and
determine an acceptable resolution.
Work posted or submitted after the assignment due date will be reduced by 10% of the potential total
score possible for each day late up to a total of five days, including forum posts/replies, quizzes, and
assignments. Beginning on the sixth day late through the end of the course, late work, including
forum posts/replies, quizzes, and assignments, will be accepted with a grade reduction of 50%
of the potential total score earned.
Turn It In
Assignments are automatically submitted to Turnitin.com within the course. Turnitin.com will analyze an
assignment submission and report a similarity score. Your assignment submission is automatically
processed through the assignments area of the course when you submit your work.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic Dishonesty incorporates more than plagiarism, which is using the work of others without
citation. Academic dishonesty includes any use of content purchased or retrieved from web services
such as CourseHero.com or Scribd. Additionally, allowing your work to be placed on such web
services is academic dishonesty, as it is enabling the dishonesty of others. The copy and pasting of
content from any web page, without citation as a direct quote, is academic dishonesty. When in doubt,
do not copy/paste, and always cite.
Submission Guidelines
Some assignments may have very specific requirements for formatting (such as font, margins, etc) and
submission file type (such as .docx, .pdf, etc). See the assignment instructions for details. In general,
standard file types such as those associated with Microsoft Office are preferred, unless otherwise
specified.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the all submitted work can be accessed and opened by the
instructor.
Disclaimer Statement
Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of a particular group or class.
Communicating on the Forum
Forums are the heart of the interaction in this course. The more engaged and lively the exchanges, the
more interesting and fun the course will be. Only substantive comments will receive credit. Although
there is a final posting day/time after which the instructor will grade and provide feedback, it is not
sufficient to wait until the last day to contribute your comments/questions on the forum. The purpose of
the forums is to actively participate in an on-going discussion about the assigned content.
“Substantive” means comments that contribute something new and important to the discussion. Thus a
message that simply says “I agree” is not substantive. A substantive comment contributes a new idea
or perspective, a good follow-up question to a point made, offers a response to a question, provides an
example or illustration of a key point, points out an inconsistency in an argument, etc.
As a class, if we run into conflicting view points, we must respect each individual’s own opinion. Hateful
and hurtful comments towards other individuals, students, groups, peoples, and/or societies will not be
tolerated.
Students must post a response to the weekly forums prompt and post the required number of replies to
other students – refer to the grading rubric and/or forum instructions for specific expectations on
number of replies and word count requirements.
The main response to the forum is due mid-week – refer to the grading rubric and/or forum instructions
for specific expectations. Late main response posts to a forum may not be accepted without prior
instructor approval.
Replies must be posted in the week due and replies after the end of the each week may not be graded.
Quizzes and Exams
Quizzes and exams may consist of true/false, multiple choice, and short essay questions. Each
quiz/exam is accessible only once. Once a quiz/exam is accessed, you will not be able to access it
again if you disconnect. Therefore, allocate time to complete your quiz. Weekly quizzes must be
submitted by midnight Eastern Time, Day 7 of the assigned week. Late quizzes or exams will not be
accepted without prior instructor approval.
University Policies
Student Handbook
Drop/Withdrawal policy
Extension Requests
Academic Probation
Appeals
Disability Accommodations
The mission of American Public University System is to provide high quality higher education with emphasis
on educating the nation’s military and public service communities by offering respected, relevant, accessible,
affordable, and student-focused online programs that prepare students for service and leadership in a
diverse, global society.
STUDENT WARNING: This course syllabus is from a previous semester archive and
serves only as a preparatory reference. Please use this syllabus as a reference only until
the professor opens the classroom and you have access to the updated course syllabus.
Please do NOT purchase any books or start any work based on this syllabus; this syllabus
may NOT be the one that your individual instructor uses for a course that has not yet
started. If you need to verify course textbooks, please refer to the online course
description through your student portal. This syllabus is proprietary material of APUS.PHIL101
STUDENT WARNING: This course syllabus is from a previous semester archive and
serves only as a preparatory reference. Please use this syllabus as a reference only until
the professor opens the classroom and you have access to the updated course syllabus.
Please do NOT purchase any books or start any work based on this syllabus; this syllabus
may NOT be the one that your individual instructor uses for a course that has not yet
started. If you need to verify course textbooks, please refer to the online course
description through your student portal. This syllabus is proprietary material of APUS.
Course Summary
Course : PHIL101 Title : Introduction to Philosophy
Length of Course : 8
Prerequisites : N/A Credit Hours : 3
Description
Course Description: This course is intended to equip the student with a baseline understanding of issues
and concepts that compose the Western philosophic enterprise, and to serve as a point of departure for their
further studies in Philosophy.
Course Scope:
The course evaluates the main problems of philosophy and the traditional approaches used to resolve those
problems. These philosophical problems are approached historically and conceptually – noting both their
place in the history of ideas and their philosophical contributions to the field at large. Students are
encouraged to examine their own views in light of the traditional approaches. Although students are never
required to agree with any position expressed in this class, they are required to demonstrate a sufficient
understanding of the ideas presented in the course content.
Objectives
After successfully completing this course students will be able to:
1. Identify historical beginnings of philosophy and contemporary positions concerning the nature of
knowledge and reality;
2. Examine the relevance of language and logic to problems of knowledge and reality;
3. Distinguish the basic concepts of moral and political philosophy;
4. Evaluate arguments for and against the existence of God
5. Evaluate various approaches to the mind-body problem;
6. Evaluate various approaches to the problem of free will.
Outline
Week 1: Introducing Philosophy: What is Philosophy?
Topic(s)
Introducing Philosophy: What is Philosophy?
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Identify the main branches of philosophy.
• Identify the historical beginnings of philosophy.
• Distinguish philosophy from other ways of making sense of the world.
• Demonstrate an understanding of what makes a question philosophical and what “philosophizing” entails.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 1 Lessons
Assignment(s)
Week 1 Forum
Quiz # 1
Week 2: Socrates and Ancient Greek Philosophy
Topic(s)
Socrates and Ancient Greek Philosophy
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Identify the Pre-Socratic influences on Socrates and Plato
• Identify the historical and philosophical importance of Ancient Greek philosophy and the philosopher,
Socrates
• Understand what is meant by the “Socratic Method” of philosophizing
• Evaluate Socrates’ defense of philosophizing and his definition of wisdom
• Understand Socrates’ and Plato’s epistemology, metaphysics and the role of philosophical dialogue.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 2 Lessons
Assignment(s)
Week 2 Forum
Quiz # 2
Week 3: Part 1: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Topic(s)
Part 1: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Identify the ways in which the question “what is real?” is a metaphysical question and how it poses an
epistemological problem
• Examine Plato’s and Descartes metaphysics and epistemology
• Analyze the historical context of Descartes’ skepticism and his formulation of rationalism
• Examine the metaphysical implications concerning dualism and the mind-body problems that follow from
rationalism
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 3 Lessons
Assignment(s)
Week 3 Forums
Quiz # 3
Week 4: Part 2: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Topic(s)
Part 2: Metaphysics and Epistemology: What is real and how do we know?
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Examine empiricism and some of its main philosophical proponents in history.
• Identify Locke’s theory of knowledge.
• Identify Kant’s constructivist approach to the problem of knowledge.
• Examine the relationship between empiricism, constructivism, and the limits of knowledge and how these
relate to science.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 4 Lessons
Assignments
Week 4 Forum
Philosophical Essay Part 1
Quiz # 4
Week 5: Philosophy of Religion: The Question of God
Topic(s)
Philosophy of Religion: The Question of God.
Learning Objectives
Objectives:
• Examine the definitions of atheism, agnosticism, and theism.
• Identify the philosophical arguments for the existence of God: Ontological, Cosmological, Teleological.
• Identify the philosophical issues associated with the conception of God and the problem omniscience and
free will, and the problem of suffering and evil.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 5 Lessons
Assignments
Week 5 Forum
Quiz # 5
Week 6: Part 1: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Topic(s)
Part 1: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Learning Objectives
Objectives
• Examine the historical development of ethics.
• Distinguish between moral relativism and moral objectivism.
• Identify and evaluate the Divine Command theory of morality.
• Identify and evaluate secular perspectives on morality without the God.
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 6 Lessons
Assignments
Week 6 Forums
Quiz # 6
Week 7: Part 2: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Topic(s)
Part 2: Ethics and Moral Philosophy: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Learning Objectives
Objectives
• Identify Utilitarian moral reasoning and the problems that arise from its application.
• Examine and evaluate Kantian ethics and the implications that arise from its application.
• Compare and contrast consequentialistic with non-consequentialistic moral theories
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 7 Lessons
Assignments
Week 7 Forums
Philosophical Essay Part 2
Quiz # 7
Week 8: Social and Political Philosophy
Topic(s)
Social and Political Philosophy
Learning Objectives
Objectives
• Identify the historical development of Social and Political Philosophy and its connections to and differences
from moral philosophy
• Examine the various formulations of Social Contract Theory
• Identify the assumptions about human nature in formulations of the Social Contract Theory
Readings and Resources
See the Readings and Resources in the Week 8 Lessons
Assignments
Week 8 Forum
Quiz # 8
Evaluation
Grading:
Name Grade %
Forums 50.00 %
Week 1 Forum – Introduction 5.56 %
Week 1 Forum 5.56 %
Week 2 Forum 5.56 %
Week 3 Forum 5.56 %
Week 4 Forum 5.56 %
Week 5 Forum 5.56 %
Week 6 Forum 5.56 %
Week 7 Forum 5.56 %
Week 8 Forum 5.56 %
Quizzes 15.00 %
Week 1 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 2 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 3 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 4 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 5 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 6 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 7 Quiz 1.88 %
Week 8 Quiz 1.88 %
Philosophical Essay 35.00 %
Week 4 – Philosophical Essay Part 1 8.75 %
Week 7 – Philosophical Essay Part 2 26.25 %
Materials
Book Title: Introduction to Philosophy-E-book link provided inside the classroom
Author: Pecorino
Publication Info: Open Web Sources
ISBN: PHIL101-NTMO
The readings for this course are a composition of web-based sources and public domain texts. The Course
Outline in the syllabus has links for all course readings and videos. PowerPoint lecture notes and Podcasts
can be found under the COURSE MATERIALS tab for the corresponding week.
Course Guidelines
Citation and Reference Style
Students will follow MLA format as the sole citation and reference style used in written assignments
submitted as part of coursework to the Humanities Department.
Please note that no formal citation style is graded on forum assignments in the School of Arts &
Humanities—only attribution of sources (please see details regarding forum communication below).
Tutoring
Tutor.com offers online homework help and learning resources by connecting students to certified
tutors for one-on-one help. AMU and APU students are eligible for 10 free hours of tutoring provided by
APUS. Tutors are available 24/7 unless otherwise noted. Tutor.com also has a SkillCenter Resource
Library offering educational resources, worksheets, videos, websites and career help. Accessing these
resources does not count against tutoring hours and is also available 24/7. Please visit the APUS
Library and search for ‘Tutor’ to create an account.
Late Assignments
School of Arts & Humanities Late Policy
Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the
course according to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals, I
understand you must manage competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to
complete an assignment, please contact me before the due date so we can discuss the situation and
determine an acceptable resolution.
Work posted or submitted after the assignment due date will be reduced by 10% of the potential total
score possible for each day late up to a total of five days, including forum posts/replies, quizzes, and
assignments. Beginning on the sixth day late through the end of the course, late work, including
forum posts/replies, quizzes, and assignments, will be accepted with a grade reduction of 50%
of the potential total score earned.
Turn It In
Assignments are automatically submitted to Turnitin.com within the course. Turnitin.com will analyze an
assignment submission and report a similarity score. Your assignment submission is automatically
processed through the assignments area of the course when you submit your work.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic Dishonesty incorporates more than plagiarism, which is using the work of others without
citation. Academic dishonesty includes any use of content purchased or retrieved from web services
such as CourseHero.com or Scribd. Additionally, allowing your work to be placed on such web
services is academic dishonesty, as it is enabling the dishonesty of others. The copy and pasting of
content from any web page, without citation as a direct quote, is academic dishonesty. When in doubt,
do not copy/paste, and always cite.
Submission Guidelines
Some assignments may have very specific requirements for formatting (such as font, margins, etc) and
submission file type (such as .docx, .pdf, etc). See the assignment instructions for details. In general,
standard file types such as those associated with Microsoft Office are preferred, unless otherwise
specified.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the all submitted work can be accessed and opened by the
instructor.
Disclaimer Statement
Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of a particular group or class.
Communicating on the Forum
Forums are the heart of the interaction in this course. The more engaged and lively the exchanges, the
more interesting and fun the course will be. Only substantive comments will receive credit. Although
there is a final posting day/time after which the instructor will grade and provide feedback, it is not
sufficient to wait until the last day to contribute your comments/questions on the forum. The purpose of
the forums is to actively participate in an on-going discussion about the assigned content.
“Substantive” means comments that contribute something new and important to the discussion. Thus a
message that simply says “I agree” is not substantive. A substantive comment contributes a new idea
or perspective, a good follow-up question to a point made, offers a response to a question, provides an
example or illustration of a key point, points out an inconsistency in an argument, etc.
As a class, if we run into conflicting view points, we must respect each individual’s own opinion. Hateful
and hurtful comments towards other individuals, students, groups, peoples, and/or societies will not be
tolerated.
Students must post a response to the weekly forums prompt and post the required number of replies to
other students – refer to the grading rubric and/or forum instructions for specific expectations on
number of replies and word count requirements.
The main response to the forum is due mid-week – refer to the grading rubric and/or forum instructions
for specific expectations. Late main response posts to a forum may not be accepted without prior
instructor approval.
Replies must be posted in the week due and replies after the end of the each week may not be graded.
Quizzes and Exams
Quizzes and exams may consist of true/false, multiple choice, and short essay questions. Each
quiz/exam is accessible only once. Once a quiz/exam is accessed, you will not be able to access it
again if you disconnect. Therefore, allocate time to complete your quiz. Weekly quizzes must be
submitted by midnight Eastern Time, Day 7 of the assigned week. Late quizzes or exams will not be
accepted without prior instructor approval.
University Policies
Student Handbook
Drop/Withdrawal policy
Extension Requests
Academic Probation
Appeals
Disability Accommodations
The mission of American Public University System is to provide high quality higher education with emphasis
on educating the nation’s military and public service communities by offering respected, relevant, accessible,
affordable, and student-focused online programs that prepare students for service and leadership in a
diverse, global society.
STUDENT WARNING: This course syllabus is from a previous semester archive and
serves only as a preparatory reference. Please use this syllabus as a reference only until
the professor opens the classroom and you have access to the updated course syllabus.
Please do NOT purchase any books or start any work based on this syllabus; this syllabus
may NOT be the one that your individual instructor uses for a course that has not yet
started. If you need to verify course textbooks, please refer to the online course
description through your student portal. This syllabus is proprietary material of APUS.