Dr. Bill Myers, PS 112D, 226-4868, bmyers@bsc.edu

Homepage: http://csunx2.bsc.edu/~bmyers/BillsPage.htm

Classrooms: M-TH 10-12 in Philip Science 305; MW 1-4 in the Library Auditorium (with two exceptions, as noted below in the schedule)

On the most general level, this course is an introduction to philosophy, utilizing both film and traditional texts. It consists of an interim and a spring semester, both of which must be completed to get credit for the course. The interim course will introduce various philosophical problems as they are illustrated through the medium of film. The subsequent spring course will focus on developing those problems and placing them into their historical contexts. We will be making connections between the visual and imaginative features of film, and the traditional ideas of the history of philosophy. One of the intended outcomes of this course (in addition to the simple introduction to philosophy) is that we will become more media and visually literate. This kind of course and the thinking that it fosters requires us to say much more than "I like that" or "I don't like that." We are taking works of film and plumbing their depths to a greater degree than most of us have done. There is the added bonus that visual representations often make the normally and sometimes abstract problems of philosophy more real. That is, the narrative structure of the movies embodies the problems into real stories. Hopefully, we will then see that philosophy is not simply abstract mind-games, but it deals with real life problems. This course is designated as 1-Y.

Meditations on First Philosophy, by Rene Descartes

The Republic, by Plato

Utilitarianism, by John Stuart Mill

Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, by Immanuel Kant

No Exit and Three Other Plays, by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Existentialism From Dostoevsky to Sartre, edited by Walter Kaufmann

EVALUATION:

Response papers: 30%

Final paper: 40%

Argument summaries: 10%

Participation and attendance: 20%

You will be required to write three (3) short papers. You will do no more than one per week. The papers will serve as a basis for class discussion. The papers should be about 3 pages long, word-processed and double-spaced. The focus of your paper should be on relating the philosophical readings with the issues raised in the movies. A tight, focussed paper is preferred. (Click here for a handout on writing philosophical essays.)

Your long paper should be 8-10 pages in length. In this paper, you are to explore in depth either one of our movies and the relevant philosophical issues raised in it or you may explore some issue that is raised in two or more of the movies. I will provide some further guidelines once the semester begins. See my web page for a handout on writing philosophy papers.

For each class period where we have a reading assignment, you are to bring with you to class a short summary of what you take to be the author's main point or argument. These need to be only about a page long. If there are two readings for the class, you should do a slightly shorter summary of each. These are fairly informal and may be hand written.

I will take attendance at each class period. This is the kind of course that requires attendance at all of the meetings. Absences will affect this part of your grade, and if you miss more than 3 meetings, you will fail the class. It is also important that we start class on time. Habitual tardiness is irresponsible, rude, and disruptive. To discourage it, the student's final course grade will be reduced by one point for each instance of tardiness beyond the first two instances. No excuses will be accepted. You have two—use them judiciously.

All work at Birmingham-Southern College is done under the Honor Code. If you have any doubts or questions about the application of the code to this class, please ask me.

1/3 Introduction and questions

1/7 What is a person? Descartes

Readings: Descartes' Meditation 1 and 2

Afternoon viewing: Blade Runner (Important: For this movie only, we will meet in the auditorium of the Southern Environmental Center.)

1/8 Discussion.

1/9 Discussion continued. Then, Why be just and moral? Reading: Plato's Republic, Book I

Afternoon viewing: Goodfellas (Important: For this movie only, we will meet in Norton Auditorium)

1/10 Discussion. Short paper day 1.

Reading: Plato's Republic, Book II.

1/14 Morality: What makes right actions right?

Readings: Utilitarianism, by John Stuart Mill, Chapters One and Two (pp. 1-25); "The Categorical Imperative," by Immanuel Kant (pp. 7-17 and top 25-37).

Afternoon viewing: Do the Right Thing (Library Auditorium)

1/15 Discussion.

1/16 Issue: Existentialism. Short paper day 2

Reading: "The Humanism of Existentialism" (Kaufmann, 345-369)

Afternoon viewing: Crimes and Misdemeanors (Library Auditorium)

1/17 Discussion.

1/21 School holiday

1/22 Issue: Existentialism

Readings: Jean Paul Sartre, "No Exit"

Afternoon viewing: Being There (Southern Environmental Center)

1/23 Discussion.

1/24 Discussion or library. Short paper day 4. Turn papers in at my office by noon.

1/31 Long papers due in my office by noon.

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