Course Schedule (subject to change as needed):

Week 1: Introduction to Course. What Is Philosophy? The Role of the Philosopher. Branches of Philosophy. Connections Between Philosophy and Culture. Cultural Divergences: How the Questions One Asks Influence the Answers One Gets. The Three Themes: Reality, Reason, and Expression. List of Threaded Discussion Questions for MyHeritage Posts.

Week 2: Preliminary Discussions on the Three Themes. What Is Real? Read Taylor and Berkeley on Reality. Watch Reality Videos in Online Media. Reading/Study Questions. What Others Said (Starters in Case You Do Not Know What to Say!)

Week 3: Read Descartes, Meditations & Discourse. Reading/Study Questions

Week 4: Responses to Descartes. Assignment for Paper #1. Draft of Paper #1 for Workshop. Review for In-Class Writing #1.

Week 5: Paper #1 Due. In-Class Writing #1. Being Reasonable—Reason and the Alternatives.

Fall 2019: Paper #1 and In-Class #1 by Sept. 20.

Week 6: Introduction to Ethical Theory—The Right and the Good. Different Realities, Different Ethics? Ethical Issues in Real Life. Read Stace on Ethical Absolutism. Reading/Study Questions.

Week 7: Different Realities, Different Ethics? Read excerpts from Dancing with a Ghost. Reading/Study Questions. Assignment for Paper #2. Draft of Paper #2 for Workshop.

Week 8: Paper #2 Due. Watch Ethics Videos in Online Media. Ethical Theories Worksheet. Review for In-Class Writing #2.

Week 9: In-Class Writing #2. Watch Culture Day Videos in Online Media. Culture Day #1—Presentations in Person, via Video/Powerpoint, or E-mail Written Summary.

Fall 2019: Paper #2 and In-Class #2 by Oct. 18, and Culture Day #1 by Oct. 22.

Week 10: Expressing Yourself. Read Sartre, The Words. Reading/Study Questions.

Weeks 11-12: Expressing Yourself Through Language, Music, and Art. Watch Expression Videos in Online Media. Expression Assignment.

Week 13-14: Expressing Yourself Through Literature. Read LeGuin, The Dispossessed. Reading/Study Questions. Assignment for Paper #3. Draft of Paper #3 for Workshop. Review for In-Class Writing #3.

Week 15: Paper #3 Due. Culture Day #2—Presentations in Person, via Video/Powerpoint, or E-mail Written Summary. Evaluations. In-Class Writing #3. Final In-Class Writing May Be Completed During Scheduled Finals Week Period in Week 16.

Fall 2019: Paper #3 and Culture Day #2 by Nov. 29. All Forum Posts and Reading Responses by Dec. 1. In-Class/Take-Home #3 by Dec. 6.