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. Spring 2023: Check-In Quiz/Tasks by 1/22.

Week 2: Preliminary Discussions on the Three Themes. What Is Real? Read Taylor and Berkeley on Reality. Asynchronous students can watch recorded sessions on Reality. Reading/Study Questions. What Others Said (Starters in Case You Do Not Know What to Say!)

Week 3: Read Descartes, Meditations & Discourse (Discourse comes first). Reading/Study Questions.

Week 4: Meditations. Descartes: Consequences and Responses. Assignment for Paper #1. Topics for Paper #1.

Week 5: Draft of Paper #1 for Workshop. Review for In-Class Writing #1. Paper #1 Due. In-Class Writing #1.

Spring 2023: In-Class #1 by 2/17; Paper #1 by 2/18.

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. Start Different Realities, Different Ethics? Read excerpts from Dancing with a Ghost. Reading/Study Questions.

Week 7: Continue Different Realities, Different Ethics? Read excerpts from Dancing with a Ghost. Reading/Study Questions. Asynchronous students can watch recorded sessions on Ethics. Ethical Theories Worksheet.

Week 8: Continue Ethical Theories Worksheet. Assignment for Paper #2. Topics for Paper #2.

Spring Break Mar. 13-17

Week 9: Review for In-Class Writing #2. Paper #2 Due. 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.

Spring 2023: In-Class #2 by 3/24, Paper #2 by 3/25, and Culture Day #1 by 3/30.

Week 10: Culture Day #1, cont. Expressing Yourself. Life As Expression. Read Sartre, The Words. Reading/Study Questions.

Week 11: Expressing Yourself Through Language, Art, and Music. Asynchronous students watch recordings on Expression. Expression Assignment 1.

Week 12: Expressing Yourself Through Language, Art, and Music. Asynchronous students watch recordings on Expression. Expression Assignment 2.

Week 13: Complete Music As Expression. Expressing Yourself Through Literature. Read LeGuin, The Dispossessed. Reading/Study Questions. Assignment for Paper #3. Topics for Paper #3.

Week 14: Continue Expressing Yourself Through Literature (Le Guin). Assignment for Paper #3. Draft of Paper #3 for Workshop. Take-Home/In-Class Writing #3. Review for Take-Home Writing #3.

Week 15: Paper #3 Due. Culture Day #2—Presentations in Person, via Video/Powerpoint, or Post on MyHeritage. Evaluations. Final Take-Home/In-Class Writing May Be Completed During Scheduled Finals Week Period in Week 16.

Spring 2023: Culture Day #2 by 5/4. Paper #3 by 5/7. All Forum Posts and Reading Responses by 5/10. In-Class/Take-Home #3 by date of scheduled final or 5/10.