METAPHILOSOPHY
and RELIGIOUS STUDIES CAPSTONE Spring
2008
Dr. Christine A. James
20448 PHIL
4920 A Metaphilosophy MWF 1:00pm-1:50pm WH 104
20460 REL 4920 A Religious
Studies Capstone MWF 1:00pm-1:50pm WH 104
This
syllabus is available online, and may be updated, at http://teach.valdosta.edu/chjames/MetaPhilRelCapSpring2008.htm
Office: 110 Ashley Hall
Office Hours: MTWTh
2:00pm-3:00pm, in between and after classes and by appointment as needed.
Telephone: 259-7609
Mailbox: Philosophy Department Office
Fax: 259-5011
E-mail address: chjames@valdosta.edu
Course content: A capstone course taught
in a seminar setting, emphasizing individual research projects on selected
themes, presented by students to their peers and to the philosophy and
religious studies faculty. This is a
reading, research and writing intensive course, so it will require you to read,
think about, and write about a considerable amount of material. The most
important aspect of the course is that it involves independent research leading
up to a publishable quality research paper and a set of presentations during
the semester. The class does not involve
lecture, rather we will engage in seminar style critique of everyone’s oral and
written work as you would in a graduate program.
Requirements: Class participation; a listing of journals
you will research; summary précis of three articles you will use; a written
report of secondary literature cited in those articles; a long presentation in
class; a short presentation to the faculty; attendance at all presentations;
and the final paper.
Recommended Texts:
Sample
articles from Dialogue, by undergraduates, from the Phi Sigma Tau honor society.
Listing
of academic journals to which our library provides full text access. Secondary
source material from academic journal articles is always a good idea in any
paper. Here are two links where you can
begin to look for interesting journal articles:
http://books.valdosta.edu/gal1.html (click on “Full Text Journal Title List”) and
UPDATED: The direct link for the
database (Academic Search Complete)
http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbac (Click on Academic Search Complete to open
the first page with the search box.)
Imag(in)ing
Otherness: Filmic Visions of Living Together, by S. Brent Plate (Editor), David Jasper
(Editor),
Getting
What You Came For
by Robert Peters, Noonday Press, 0374524777, a text which includes chapters on
writing major research papers, and on how to succeed in graduate school.
Philosophy
Made Simple by
Richard H. Popkin, Avrum
Stroll, Paperback: 336 pages, Publisher: Made Simple; 2nd Rev edition (July 1, 1993), ISBN: 0385425333, or History of Philosophy (Harper Collins College
Outline Series), or The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy by Robert
Audi (Editor), 0521637228
The
University Gets Religion: Religious Studies in American Higher Education by D. G. Hart,
The
Craft of Religious Studies by Jon R. Stone (Editor), Palgrave Macmillan,
0312238878
Be sure to
do the reading before the class for which it is assigned. Please bring the
relevant book(s) and/or article(s) with you to class, along with a designated
notebook and some pens.
In
addition, Philosophy and Religious Studies faculty encourage you to use Andrea
A. Lunsford, St. Martin’s Handbook, 5th ed. (required in ENGL 1101 and
1102). These books are available for purchase at the VSU Bookstore. The
How grades will be
calculated:
A = 100 - 90% Class participation, attendance = 20%
B = 89 - 80% 2 Research Assignments at 10% each =
20%
C = 79 - 70% 2 Presentations at 20% each = 40%
D = 69 - 60% 1 Final Paper Presentation with
PPT = 20%
F = 59 - 0% Total = 100%
Please
note that I am not obligated to accept late work or to allow “make up” work
after the date an assignment or exam or paper is completed by the other members
of the class.
I
also make no promises about extra credit items, although I will routinely
announce events on campus that can result in some extra credit points for you.
Exams and Papers: The papers should be no less than five pages long, double spaced, in a
standard 12 point font like Times/ Times New Roman. Expect to use the text and cite it with a
consistent citation scheme (refer to the
http://teach.valdosta.edu/chjames/papers4800.htm
Attendance Policy: I do care that you attend
class regularly. As you know, VSU policy
is that missing 20% of class meetings results in an automatic grade of
“F”. Faculty can also institute added
attendance policies in their syllabi. Our class will have a 10% rule for
absences. You can miss up to 10% of the
class meetings with no grade penalty.
10% of our 30 class meetings is 3.
On absence number 4, your final grade for the course will be reduced by
one whole letter grade; on absence number 5, your final grade for the course
will be reduced by two whole letter grades; on absence number 6, you will
automatically fail the course. Be
considerate of your fellow students – don’t be late, and don’t leave your cell
phones and pagers on. Note that if you
are regularly late to class, or leave class early, I will begin to count each
as an absence. Please note that this
policy makes no distinction between excused and unexcused absences.
Special
Needs:
Students requiring classroom accommodations or
modification because of a documented disability should discuss this need with
me at the beginning of the semester. If
you are such a student, but you are not registered with the Access Office, you
should contact them too. Students
requesting classroom accommodations or modifications because of a documented
disability must contact the Access Office for Students with Disabilities
located in room 1115 Nevins Hall. The phone numbers
are 229-245-2498 (voice) and 229-219-1348 (tty).
LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the semester,
1. You will be able to understand the distinctions among the various sub-fields of philosophy and religious studies, including epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics as comprising basic branches of the discipline.
2. You will be able to recognize how philosophical inquiry and religious studies scholarship applies to ‘real-world’ circumstances and to individual reflection on the meaning of life.
3. You will become conversant with
the history of philosophy and religious studies as academic disciplines.
4. You will be able to recognize and define different world views, adopting a reasonably viable one and justifying it in a philosophically informed way that emphasizes critical reasoning and argument.
5. You will be able to demonstrate the ability to discuss, in both oral and written discourse, the philosophical and religious issues explored in the course.
6. You will be familiar with what academic philosophy and religious studies is, and you will understand how it can be applied to daily life as well as specific careers.
Members of the faculty in Philosophy and Religious
Studies have verified that these outcomes are in line with the outcomes of the
course as it is taught at peer institutions in the State System of Georgia.
Participate!
Once you
arrive at class, make an effort to get involved in the conversation. Don’t
hesitate to ask questions if you need clarification or would like more
information: if you are confused, it is likely that others are too! The
participation percentage you receive will depend on a variety of factors,
including (but not limited to) the frequency and helpfulness of your
contributions to class discussions and the care you take when peer editing.
Pop
Reading Quizzes:
If I
notice that there are many students who are not participating, I may
periodically administer reading quizzes in class. These will not be announced
in advance. No “make-up” quizzes will be given, and a missed quiz will result
in a grade of zero. These quizzes are a
solid reward for attending class, participating, and keeping up with the
readings.
Online Discussions:
(Special Thank You to
Richard Amesbury and other faculty members who teach using WebCT
Vista, and the eCore staff!)
During
certain weeks of the semester, you also will be expected to participate
regularly in on-line discussions using WebCT Vista.
Use this opportunity to comment on the week’s readings, ask questions, raise
objections, and respond to what others have written or said in class.
To use
To log in
to Vista and the course “shell,” go to the VSU homepage and click on the words WebCT Vista in the upper right-hand corner. Your
username and password are the same as for your BlazeNet
e-mail account. For instructions on getting started, go to: http://www.valdosta.edu/vista and the
help pages at http://www.valdosta.edu/vista/guides/start/index.shtml
When
posting in an online bulletin board, like those in the Discussion area of WebCT Vista, you must (1) post at least one original
message of your own, (2) read all the messages posted by others, and (3)
respond substantively to at least one
message from another student. Your postings are due the same day as the
readings are listed in the schedule below (i.e., no later than
Your first
message on a given topic should be about 200 words in length. That is roughly
the length of two medium-sized paragraphs (e.g., this one and the next). Your
second (response) posting can be about half that length, but it should be substantive (i.e., involving serious
content). Try not to simply repeat what others have said already. Additional
postings can be as long or as short as you desire. Be sure to give the first
message an interesting title in the “Subject” line. This will help alert the
rest of us as to what it will be about.
When you
are ready to respond to someone else, do so by opening their message and
hitting the “Reply” button. This will create a “thread” that others can add on
to. Keep in mind that although it is fine to disagree with what someone else
has said, it is important to do so in a way that is polite and constructive. If
someone says something that makes you angry, pause and take a breath before
firing off a reply! You can preview your message before you send it, but once
you have hit “Post,” your message will no longer be editable.
Academic
Honesty:
Members
of the
E-Mail:
VSU
policy mandates that all official communication by e-mail take place through
VSU e-mail accounts or through the WebCT Vista Mail
tool. Please check your VSU
(@valdosta.edu) e-mail account regularly.
Note: This
syllabus is not a legal contract; the content of this course is subject to
revision by the professor.
|
|
Schedule
|
|
1/7 |
Introduction
to the class What is Philosophy and Religious
Studies? Do Philosophy and Religious
Studies majors get jobs related to that major? Here are two pages to answer that: http://teach.valdosta.edu/chjames/Philosophymajorjobs.htm |
|
1/9 |
Discuss
the sections of Getting What You Came For on literature reviews |
|
1/11 |
Review
papers from previous Capstones and Phi Sigma Tau
Dialogue |
|
1/14 |
Papers
by other undergraduates, Phi Sigma Tau Dialogue |
|
1/16 |
“ |
|
1/18 |
Individual reports on favorite
undergraduate paper (provide synopsis for every class member.) Note
the argument of the author. How
do they discuss positions other than their own? What
sources were used? Consider
the journal articles they found. What
search terms might have helped them to find these articles? |
|
1/21 |
No
class, Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
|
1/23 |
Due today: Journals (Please note that an
academic journal is not a “journal” you might write in a class – it’s like a
magazine, with multiple volumes, ie., the Journal
of Philosophy, Lingua Franca, etc.)
Listing of three academic journals from the links above that you
believe you will use for your general topic.
On one side of a sheet of paper, provide a short summary of the
journal’s emphasis and whether you agree or disagree with the journal’s
perspective. Bring in copies for all
the other members of the class. Note,
this is about the journal itself, in multiple volumes, not the particular
article in the journal you want to use.
The presentation of articles will begin on 1/28. Students
1. James Holland, 2. Katie Kirk, 3. Hutch Zimmerman, 4. Kevin Sprague, 5.
Sims Turner, 6. Thomas Stewart, 8. Jackie Murray, 9. Justin Patten, 10. Will
Weaver |
|
1/25 |
Journals
–second set of students 11.
Chris Parker, 12. Richard MacLaughlin, 13. Emily
Phillips, 14. Dorothy Watkins, 15. Javier Sauve,
16., 17, 18, 19 |
|
1/28 |
Due today: Articles Remember, articles are
the items that appear in each issue of a journal. You need to find three articles that you
can use for your research paper. On
this day, the first six students will provide the whole class with a summary
précis of three articles that they believe they can use. All total, this should only take two sides
of a sheet of paper, or two pages.
Consider the secondary sources cited at the end of the journal
articles you have chosen, because locating your own opinion within the
academic debate is most important for your long paper. Discuss potential debates between the authors, and where
you see your own work located in that debate.
Bring in copies for all the other members of the class. FOR
GENERAL PAPER TIPS, CHECK THIS HANDOUT PAGE: http://teach.valdosta.edu/chjames/papers4920.htm
Former
student Shaun Galloway suggests this page for help with writing précis: http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/eduvalues/precis.htm Will
Weaver presenting on journals. 1. James
Holland, 2. Katie Kirk, 3. Hutch Zimmerman |
|
1/30 |
4.
Kevin Sprague, 5. Sims Turner, 6. Thomas Stewart |
|
2/1 |
8.
Jackie Murray, 9. Justin Patten |
|
2/4 |
10. Will Weaver, 11. Chris Parker, 12. Richard MacLaughlin |
|
2/6 |
13. Emily Phillips, 14. Dorothy
Watkins, 15. Javier Sauve, |
|
2/8 |
16.,
17, 18, 19 |
|
2/11 |
Today, the first student will read
their long paper in front of the
class. The paper should be read in
approximately 20 minutes, and should be approximately 18 pages long. On these long paper reading dates, you must
also provide the every member of the class and Dr. James with a photocopy of
your entire long paper, so that we can make pencil comments and notes for
you. ******You can also choose to
invite faculty members to these longer in-class presentations. If you would like to have faculty present
at the longer presentation, I recommend that you have all powerpoints,
handouts and everything including the paper itself completed well before your
long presentation date.****** 1.
James Holland Note
Please: Whether your long paper reading date is early or late, please
consider 2/14 to be a due date for Rough Drafts of your long paper to be
given to Dr. James, if you want her assistance with your draft before you
present it in its final form. |
|
2/13 |
2. Katie Kirk |
|
2/15 |
3.
Hutch Zimmerman |
|
2/18 |
4.
Kevin Sprague |
|
2/20 |
5.
Sims Turner |
|
2/22 |
6.
Thomas Stewart |
|
2/25 |
Extra
day for Hutch and anyone else who might like to go. |
|
2/27 |
Video
day on research and presentation skills. |
|
2/29 |
9.
Justin Patten |
|
3/3 |
10.
Will Weaver |
|
3/5 |
11.
Chris Parker |
|
3/7 |
12.
Richard MacLaughlin |
|
3/10-14 |
Spring Break Week, No Classes |
|
3/17 |
13.
Emily Phillips |
|
3/19 |
14. Dorothy Watkins |
|
3/21 |
15.
Javier Sauve |
|
3/24 |
Practice reading of short
versions with powerpoints begins (we may begin
this process earlier if there are no other long presentations dates needed,
waiting until after drop/add to schedule.)
Getting ready for the faculty presentations! 1
James |
|
3/26 |
2
Katie Kirk |
|
3/28 |
3
Katie Kirk |
|
3/31 |
4
Kevin Sprague |
|
4/2 |
5
Sims Turner |
|
4/4 |
6
Thomas Stewart |
|
4/7 |
9
Justin Patten |
|
4/9 |
10
Will Weaver |
|
|
All
students are encouraged to attend the Council on Undergraduate Research
Symposium in the Bailey Bio Chem Building
Auditorium, night of 4/10 and all day 4/11. Schedule to be given out in
class. |
|
4/11 |
NO CLASS
TODAY, Dr. James has a trip to interview Presidential Candidates. Rescheduling 11 Chris
Parker. |
|
4/14 |
12
Richard MacLaughlin |
|
4/16 |
13 Emily
Phillips |
|
4/18 |
15 Javier
Sauve |
|
4/21 |
Extra
days if needed, last minute help with papers |
|
4/23 |
“ |
|
4/25 |
“ |
|
4/28 and 4/29 |
On
these dates we will have our formal Metaphilosophy
and Religious Studies Capstone Colloquium, where you will present the
shortened version of your long paper (15 minutes length, with powerpoint) in West Hall 104. Attendance
is required for all sessions. |
If you are not sure about
how the final exam times are assigned for your other courses, use this link,
and check the Final Exam Schedule on the Registration website:
Tips for doing well in
Philosophy classes, adapted from a handout by Robert Scott
1. Read text with a pencil, underline the
important ideas and key concepts. Write down technical ideas, key terms, key
distinctions between two terms, definitions, diagrams, etc. to help you
remember them.
2. Write questions or reactions you have to the
text in the margin of the book. Ask
about these questions in class, and keep them in mind, since they may provide
good points to make about that author in papers you will write for class.
3. Read ahead to see the ultimate objectives of
the chapter and of the individual readings.
Keep in mind the overall picture of the chapters given in the
introductory sections to each chapter in the book.
4. Work with the new terminology frequently, and
try to apply it to situations outside of class.
I would recommend flash cards to help you memorize the meanings of new
terms quickly.
5. For longer readings, be sure to review the
reading as a whole after you have read it section-by-section. What was the main question the author wanted
to address? What were the answers? What concepts were used to make the points?
6. When confronted with a difficult reading or
question, break it down into parts, and into individual ideas. This will at least help to clarify the
question, even if it might not give the answer.
And for philosophy, clarifying the question is really half the battle!
7. Ponder an unsolved problem and return to it
every so often to see if it will give.
Inspiration may happen at an unexpected time, and the subconscious mind
does work on problems even when we aren't consciously aware of it.
8. Begin work on all the class tasks early, and
spread out your work over time so as to maximize your chances for comprehending
the readings accurately, memorizing the information, and grappling with the
questions for papers.
9. If you do need to meet with an instructor
outside of class, be sure to have your questions for the instructor planned out
ahead of time, to make the meeting as productive as possible.
10. Always think about the philosophical issues
for yourself, rather than waiting to be told what to think or believe.
11. Study for all exams on a daily basis, for at
least a week before the exam date. You will need to know who said what, from memory.
12. Try to anticipate the questions that will be
asked on an examination beforehand.
Questions may come from the readings or from lectures and class
discussions, but in either case, certain terms and concepts will be emphasized
more than others.
13. Listen carefully to different points of view,
and actively respond (when you read, when you are in class, and when you write
your philosophy papers)!
14. Philosophy involves skills, like learning to
appreciate a good debate, learning to imagine the world differently than we
assume it to be, and appreciating the world with a sense of wonder.
Richard
Amesbury’s tips about writing in Philosophy and Religious Studies:
(1) A really great website for students about how to write
academic papers is maintained by the Dartmouth Writing Program:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/toc.shtml
In addition to lots of helpful general information, it has
special pages on "Writing the Religion Paper" and "Writing the
Philosophy Paper."
(2) A great website that explains the importance of
critically evaluating web resources -- always a problem area for students – is
maintained by Robert Harris:
http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
(3) A third thing I'm planning to do this semester is to
require students to own a copy of the
Dr. Richard Amesbury