Philosophy

Bachelors of Science in Life and Health Sciences

PHL 300

BREYER STATE UNIVERSITY

Instructor: Mark Moran, BS, MA

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: This course introduces you to the world of Philosophy. Philosophy is an important study for anyone. It employs critical and logical thinking and helps one to reason his or her existence or why things are the way they are. Philosophy is even a greater asset to the religious studies major for it lays the foundations for reason to accept faith. The traditional notion of Philosophy has always been seen as the "Handmaid of Theology". While the Enlightenment philosophers attempted to divorce this union, philosophers in the mold of Aquinas still use this effective aid in their Theology.

The course itself does not delve into the various philosophers. This is not the purpose of an introductory course. Instead, it looks into important concepts and ideas of Philosophy. We will study the idea of humanity and its relations with the world and unseen forces. In this process, we will come across certain giants in the field, but as stated above, we will refrain from an in-depth analysis of them. Instead, I would rather leave the chance of studying a particular philosopher for a paper topic and not the core readings.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your textbooks have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded five semester hours of credit. Extensions can be granted if needed or necessary.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one (1) required textbook for this course.

Book 1: An Introduction to Philosophy: The Perennial Principles of the Classical Realist Tradition. Daniel J. Sullivan. Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. Rockford, Illinois 61105. ISBN # 0895554690.

You can order this book from the university bookstore.

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EXAMINATIONS: There are two examinations for this course, a mid-term exam and a final exam. The mid-term exam covers the material in the first half of the textbook, Section I to Section III. The mid-term examination must be taken by the end of the fifth week in the course.
The final examination must be taken by the end of the tenth week in the course. The final exam will cover Section IV and Section V.

Both exams are programmed and are located in the classroom for this course. The examinations are "open book" objective type. You will have one (1) day to complete your exam, once you access it from the classroom. To access the exams, you must send me an email and request to have access to the exam. Upon registration, you will receive my email address. I will then program your access in. You will receive an email back from me telling you that you are now authorized to go ahead and to access your exam. To access, you will come into the classroom, click on testing, and click on the exam you are taking. You will need your user ID and password to access the exam. The exam will appear on your screen. Once you access the exam, you have twenty-four hours to submit your answers. The program provides me the exact date and time that you accessed the exam. The program also notifies me of the exact date and time that you submitted your answers. Thus, the program is timing you. When you are ready, go back into the classroom and click in your responses and then click submit. Shortly, you will receive the exam in your email box with your computed score. You will also know what questions, if any, that you missed, and what the correct answer is. I also receive a copy of your exam and your score.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, coach, and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. However, I am also available for conversation by telephone if you would like. Our classroom for this course has a "chat" room. I am also very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat room at your request. From time to time, depending on how many students are enrolled in this course at a particular time, we will have some scheduled group chats. You will receive more detailed information at the time such chat sessions are scheduled. Please keep my email address handy so that you can contact me whenever necessary. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: This course has one written assignment that can be submitted anytime during the ten weeks of the course. The only deadline is that it is submitted by the end of the tenth week. The paper can be submitted either via email or the postal service. Your grade for the paper will be submitted online and also sent to you via email. If you send your paper via the postal service and wish to receive it back, please notify me of this request and arrangements can be done.

The topic of the paper will be on any philosopher throughout history. I would expect his life, works, and major contributions to be included in this paper. Also, I would like you to tie in some of his thoughts with what we studied in this course. Pick an idea and see how this particular philosopher agrees or disagrees. Furthermore, do you disagree or agree with this philosopher? This is your moment to be your own philosopher. I realize this is a broad range of people to choose from, but I am excited about reading about different philosophers and perspectives. If you need any assistance for resources or ideas, please email me.

The paper itself should be 8 to 10 pages, double spaced with 1.5 margins. Please include a Works Cited page and Bibliography of your sources. Thank you and enjoy, I am sure I will enjoy reading them!

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: I hold a MA in Divinity from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. I received my undergraduate degree at Youngstown State University with a Major in History and a dual Minor in Philosophy and Religious Studies. During my time at JCU, I was a graduate assistant and aided many of the professors in teaching and preparing classes on many of issues addressed in this class. Academic achievements include Magna Cum Laude at YSU, a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, and a member of the Phi Alpha Theta Society for scholarship in History. Outside of academics, I am a member of the Sons of Italy and possess the rank of Eagle Scout within the Boy Scouts of America.

I consider the field of Theology to be an important study because it is the study of my faith. As a theologian, I believe scholarship is important. In this light, I am far from a "fundamentalist" for I do not turn my head from modern techniques of study. I, however, am far from a "progressive" or liberal theologian that so easily denounces the faith of the Church and its many unexplainable mysteries. Unlike many theologians, I am first a believer before an analyzer. As the great St. Augustine once stated, one must believe before one can truly understand. I hope the zeal for Theology I have shines through this course and illuminates you not only in mind, but also in spirit.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Understand the importance of Philosophy in everyday life.
2). Understand the basic tenets of the Early Greek Philosophers.
3). Understand the basics of Epistomology.
4). Understand the basics of man's intellectual make up.
5). Understand man's role in society.
6). Understand man's role to God.
7). Understand the basics of being or essence.
8). Understand the differences of God's being and man's being.

ASSIGNMENTS: For specific assignments, please click on the link "Assignments." Under assignments, you will find your extra readings that are supplements to the text. Once again, keep in mind that the supplemental readings will be on the test.

PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a theft of ideas and is not acceptable in any academic atmosphere. Breyer State University nor I will accept any work that is not your own. Please remember that proper citation is required when quoting or expressing someone else's idea that is not considered general knowledge. If it is discovered you have committed this academic crime, I will take it to the board of Breyer State and you will receive an F for the course. Please have pride in yourself and maintain the integrity of this university!

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may address them to admassistant@breyerstate.com. An administrative faculty member will respond to all questions.