As well as fulfilling General Education requirements for 3 credits in Philosophy and Religious Studies, PHIL 110 serves as a prerequisite for other offerings in this department.

The course is taught differently by each instructor. Some sample course descriptions follow. Click on the professor's name to go to the description of his course.

Dr. Storm Heter
Dr. Peter Pruim
Dr. Martin Weatherston

This course may also be offered as a Home Study.

PHIL 110 GE: Introduction to Philosophy
Dr. Storm Heter

This course introduces the foundational problems, methods and authors of Western Philosophy. We cover three central areas: Epistemology (the study of knowledge), Metaphysics (the study of existence) and Ethics (the study of moral action). We read works by major philosophers including Aristotle, Locke, Descartes and Kant. Students will learn to identify and construct sound philosophical arguments.

Required Text

James A. Gould, ed. Classical Philosophical Questions, 12^th ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007)

Course Requirements

• Cumulative Final Exam. (100 pts)
• Three quizzes. (30 pts each)
• One four-page Essay. (100 pts)
• Mandatory Attendance.
• Various short assignments.

Policy on Plagiarism

"Plagiarism is the act of using another person's ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source" (Joseph Gibaldi and Walter S. Achtert, Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. [New York: MLA Association, 1988] 21). Punishments for plagiarism include failure for the course and dismissal from the university. I have a zero-tolerance plagiarism policy.

PHIL 110 GE: Introduction to Philosophy
Dr. Peter E. Pruim

Part I: Reality Beyond Space & Time. Can we know about matters which lie "outside" the physical universe? E.g., can we know whether or not God exists? What is the difference between faith, speculation, and theory? How can we use observation to support our theories about reality? What is rationality? Do we have a duty to be rational about what we believe?

Part II: Reality Within Space & Time. What is knowledge? Do our senses give us knowledge? In experience, are we directly acquainted with objects, or are we directly aware only of appearances representing the objects? If the latter is the case, do appearances resemble the world as it really is, or is reality quite different from its appearance?

Part III: Reality Within Ourselves. What is a person? Could something other than a human being be a person? Could a person survive after the body no longer existed? Am I a mind? A brain? What is the relationship between mind and brain? What do we mean by "subjective" and "objective"? Are ethical judgments merely subjective, expressing a person's feelings, or does the universe include objective facts about what is moral?

PHIL 110 GE: Introduction to Philosophy
Dr. Martin Weatherston

We will begin by reading some works by Plato that raise some of these questions. We will then study in more detail some different questions that we find in other branches of philosophy, such as ethics, epistemology and metaphysics.

TEXT:

James A. Gould & Robert Mulvaney, ed., Classic Philosophical Questions, 12^th edition, Prentice Hall.

REQUIREMENTS:

2 tests 40%

1 1250-2000 word essay 30%

1 final exam 30%

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Students are expected to attend all classes. Students who have 4 absences without documented excuses will have 10% deducted from their final grade, and 10% for every 3 absences thereafter.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

East Stroudsburg University demands academic integrity from its students. Any form of academic dishonesty, including (but not limited to) plagiarism or cheating at tests or exams, is a sufficient ground for failure in this course and for further academic discipline.