PHIL 180: Knowledge and Understanding syllabus (Spring 2014)

• Instructor: Scott Merlino, Ph.D., email: merlino@csus.edu
• Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 11 am to noon, Tuesdays 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm in 3026 Mendocino Hall, Department of Philosophy
• This course meets on Mondays and Wednesdays in 110 Douglass Hall from noon until 1:15 pm.
• No class meeting Monday, 31 March 2014 = Cesar Chavez Birthday Observed (Holiday) Campus Closed

Course Description

PHIL 180. Knowledge and Understanding. Examines the concept of knowledge. Representative topics include: the role of sense perception and memory, the importance of certainty, the justification of belief, philosophical skepticism, the concept of truth and the nature of philosophical inquiry. Emphasis is on contemporary formulations. Prerequisite: 6 units in philosophy or instructor permission. 3 units.

This is the login page for SacCT: www.csus.edu/sacct. If you have questions about SacCT or need technical help, click on "student resources" on that page for further information.

Course materials:

1. The Theory of Knowledge: A Thematic Introduction (1998) by Paul K. Moser, Dwayne H. Mulder, J.D. Trout, appx. $45 (required)
2. Turning Technologies ResponseCard NXT (aka clickers) available from the Bookstore, appx. $55 (required) - register your response device within SacCT using the Turning Technologies Registration Tool link on the "Tools" page
3. Additional required online articles and PDFs already posted in SacCT
4. There is also a Blog for this course, find the link to it in SacCT - see weekly for updates

Schedule

We follow the text closely and cover appx. one chapter of this text in 2 - 3 meetings, with time allowed for extended discussion of supplemental material. Please read the chapter sections and the additional articles before we meet in class. Attend class to see what exactly is required for each subsequent meeting. Also see the Blog page for this course in SacCT for the most recent news - I update it weekly.

Assignments, Grades and Attendance

• Clicker Quizzes: There are at least 25 of these, each is worth 5 points. Quizzes occur during each class period using only the Turning Technologies ResponseCard NXT (clickers) available from the Bookstore. About 25 quizzes will be given. No quiz scores will be dropped but a maximum of 100 points can be counted toward your final grade. Students cannot re-take or make-up any quiz, absolutely, no exceptions - there isn't time for this and there are plenty of points available so that one can miss a quiz or two and still do well in the course.
  
  
• Analysis Papers are a based on a standard used by the Philosophy Department. These are appx. 1500 words in length. Specific instructions for each of the target papers will be described in SacCT. Student papers are based on a standard used by the Philosophy Department - general instructions here. Specific instructions for each of the target papers will be described in SacCT. Each paper also has associated with it a Grading Rubric, which you may view in SacCT. You may only submit your analytical essays digitally via SacCT - no attachments accepted. Your writing in this course must be accurate, precise, and demonstrate an understanding of course material by applying the concepts and skills learned. I use Philosophy Department Grading Standards available here. Late paper submissions are downgraded 5 points for every day late with none being accepted more than 2 days late. Your submission is counted as a day late if it is received anytime within the 24 hour period after the assignment is due.
  

For each paper, I will assign a numerical score which corresponds to a letter-grade on my grade-scale. Notice that scores correspond to letter-grades NOT percentages. Below are number to letter-grade conversion scales, where an A = excellent, B = good, C = satisfactory, D = unsatisfactory, F = Fail.

How do I determine your overall course grade? Grades are NOT based on percentages, instead grades are based on total points accumulated. I add the scores you earn on all of the quizzes and papers, then assign the final letter-grade based on my grading scale (below). For instance, if you earn a total of 129 points, then this corresponds to a C on my grading scale. Therefore, one receives a C for the course. Since my overall grading scale is generous and rounding introduces error, I will not round scores up or down.

• Please keep track of your own grades via SacCT - I can't discuss quizzes or grades via email adequately, so please visit me in my office. If you want to review anything, please see me in-person, during office hours preferably, where we can look at it together and talk.
  
  
• Extra points: Student evaluations of this course are conducted online in the last few weeks of the semester. As an incentive to participation, all students will receive 5 extra points only if 85% of students complete these surveys.

Students cannot re-take or make-up any quiz or paper, absolutely, no exceptions. There isn't time for this and there are plenty of points available so that one can miss a quiz or two and still do well in the course.

Attendance is mandatory. If you miss a meeting, then you will probably miss something important, for instance, most meetings will have an in-class quiz. Visit me in my office or meet with others in the class for what material you missed. Please try not to be late to class, but it is better to come to class late than not to come to class at all.

Laptops, iPads are permissible, but please refrain from using them in ways which distract fellow students. Please, no eating or texting during class meetings, if you distract us, then you will be dismissed.

How does one succeed in this course? I recommend that you read assigned material before the class meets, don't skip class or quizzes, and never hesitate to ask me questions.

Objectives

1. The course aims to introduce students to important philosophical issues, concepts, theories, and controversies in contemporary theory of knowledge and understanding by examining answers to such questions as these: What is knowledge? Of what nature and quality are alleged sources of knowledge? What role does certainty have in knowledge? What are the strengths and weakness of rival theories of justification, e.g., Internalism and Externalism, Foundationalism, Infinitism, Coherentism, Contextualism, Reliabilism, Evidentialism, Fallibilism, and Naturalism? Do any of these theories provide adequate answers to skepticism about knowledge or justification? How are metaphysical criteria for defining truth different than epistemic criteria for recognizing truth? What is the difference between justifying and explaining a belief, event, or theory? What does it mean to say that a belief is defeasible, or that a person is rational? How has epistemology become naturalized? To what extent is epistemology normative? Is it ever irresponsible or wrong to have a specific belief? Do we have a duty to question all that we believe? Traditional Epistemology (TE) seeks necessary and sufficient conditions for knowledge, which requires robust theories about belief, truth and justification. TE begins by assessing the quality of one’s specific beliefs and then decides whether we should accept or reject them. Virtue epistemology disagrees - we should begin with a subject and assess her intellectual virtues and vices. Instead of asking whether someone has knowledge, per se, shouldn't we ask whether someone has "good" or "bad" methods for forming beliefs?
   
   
2. The course engages students in cogent and respectful peer discussion about conceptual, empirical, and practical issues raised in the readings and in class (see 1 above for issues).
   
   
3. The course improves students' analytical skills in both oral and written forms using in-class informal debates and student analyses of published literature in epistemology.
   
   
4. Students accomplish course and student objectives by (a) evaluating peer-reviewed publications using (b) online articles, the text, class lectures and discussions, and ultimately (3) producing expository essays (via daily reading quizzes) and several analytical papers.

Services to CSUS Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide me with your official documentation from SSWD, which is in Lassen Hall 1008, (916) 278-6955. Please discuss accommodation needs with me ASAP during my office hours or by appt. early in the semester so that we may make a plan to help you out.

If you are registered with SSWD and require the use of the Campus Testing Center in 2302 Lassen Hall, then for any in-class quiz, you will need to complete a Testing with Accommodations Instruction Form to give to your instructor.

CSUS Policies and Procedures Regarding Academic Honesty

Review all academic responsibilities, definitions, sanctions and rights described herein. Students may work together on homework but each student must submit their own answers on each of their quizzes. Sharing or copying answers on quizzes is cheating, which is dishonest and violates campus codes of conduct.