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. ONLINE STUDENTS: 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.

SP 2018: Paper #1 and In-Class #1 by Feb. 9.

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: ONLINE STUDENTS: Watch Ethics Videos in Online Media. Ethical Theories Worksheet. Review for In-Class Writing #2. Draft of Paper #2 for Workshop.

Spring Break

Week 9: Paper #2 Due. In-Class Writing #2. ONLINE STUDENTS: Watch Culture Day Videos in Online Media. Culture Day #1—Presentations in Person, on Elluminate, via Video/Powerpoint, or Post Written Summary.

SP 2017: Paper #2 and In-Class #2 by Mar. 16, and Culture Day #1 by Mar. 20.

Week 10: Finish Culture Day #1 as needed. Expressing Yourself. Read Sartre, The Words. Reading/Study Questions.

Weeks 11-12: Expressing Yourself Through Language, Music, and Art. ONLINE STUDENTS: 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/Take-Home Writing #3.

Week 15: Paper #3 Due. Culture Day #2—Presentations in Person, on Elluminate, via Video/Powerpoint, or Post Written Summary. Evaluations. In-Class/Take-Home Writing #3.

SP 2017: Paper #3 and Culture Day #2 by Apr. 27. ALL Forums and Reading Responses by Apr. 30 (or day of schedule final). In-Class/Take-Home #3 by May 4 (or day of scheduled final).