Dr. Evan Westra
ewestra@yorku.ca

This course will cover a wide range of classic and contemporary topics in Western philosophy, including:

• debates about the existence of God and the rationality of faith
• whether or not free will is possible
• the relation between your mind and your body
• Philosophical debates about animal minds
• the nature of the self and personal identity
• skepticism and the nature of knowledge
• how online echo chambers and bubbles affect what we can know
• the relationship between knowledge and social identity
• whether there are objective facts about right and wrong
• major ethical theories
• the ethics of eating meat
• Is it wrong to enjoy the art of immoral artists?

As students explore these philosophical topics, they will also work with their instructors and TAs to develop broadly applicable writing skills that they will be able to use in their other courses and in their work.

Technical requirements for taking the course: In addition to stable, higher-speed Internet connection, students will need a computer with webcam and microphone, and/or a smart device with these features.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.]

Times and locations: 11:30am-12:30pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays on Zoom.

In the Fall semester, lectures will be delivered remotely via Zoom. Tutorials 1 and 2 will be online, and tutorials 3 and 4 will take place in person, location TBD.

In the Winter semester, lectures will take place in person, unless this is prohibited by updated University public health policy.

Virtual office hours: 4pm-5pm Wednesdays and Thursdays, unless otherwise indicated. Students may book Zoom office hours appointments online at https://calendly.com/ewestra/office-hours.

Philosophy: Asking Questions—Seeking Answers, Stich & Donaldson.

New York: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780199329960

https://global.oup.com/ushe/product/philosophy-9780199329960

• Weekly tutorial activities: 20%.
• Two in-class, non-cumulative exams: 20% (one per term, 10% each)
• Four 1000-word essays: 60% (two per term, 15% each)
• Optional extra credit projects: 5%

For up to 5% extra credit, students may produce a creative video- or audio-based project that explain a philosophical topic covered during the course. Projects should be no more than 10-minutes in length, and should be aimed at an audience of their . Extra credit projects may be completed in groups of up to five students, or by individual students (though groups are encouraged).

This course will be taking place synchronously: both online and in-person meetings will be taking place live and at fixed times. Students are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials in real-time. Recordings of lectures will be made available to students who are located abroad and are unable to participate in real-time.

Each week, the lectures will introduce new material and provide background and context for the readings, which students should complete in time for the following week’s tutorials. This means that students should complete each week’s readings after they have attended the lectures, but before the following week’s tutorials.

Tutorials will focus on small group activities in which students will test and apply their comprehension of the material. These activities will count for a cumulative 20% of the course grade over the course of the year. All tutorial activities will be open-book and open note, and free discussion among students will be encouraged.

There will be one exam each term, held during the last week of the semester. Each exam will consist in short-answer and multiple choice questions, and will be administered via eClass. Exams will be open book and open note, and will be available for 24-hours. Exams will be designed to be completed in one hour, but students will have up to two hours to do so.

Students must also complete two 1000-word essays per term. There will be both lectures and tutorials specifically devoted to preparing students for these writing assignments.

• Students will learn to analyze other people’s arguments and to construct arguments of their own
• Students will learn about a wide range of classic and contemporary debates and puzzles in Western philosophy from a diverse set of authors
• Students will practice core writing skills, including
  • Note-taking
  • Paraphrasing, quoting, and explaining other people’s ideas
  • Formulating a thesis statement
  • Writing a paper outline
  • Writing with examples and analogies
  • Keeping the reader’s perspective in mind

Course policies

Grading:  Assignments and tests* will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g.  A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.)

(For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar - http://calendars.registrar.yorku.ca/2010-2011/academic/index.htm

Assignment Submission: Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time.  Accordingly, assignments for this course must be received on the due date specified for the assignment.  Assignments are to be handed in via EClass submission portals.

Missed Tests:  Students with a documented reason for missing a course test, such as illness, compassionate grounds, etc., which is confirmed by supporting documentation (e.g., doctor’s letter) may request accommodation from the Course Instructor. Further extensions or accommodation will require students to submit a formal petition to the Faculty.

Course recordings: The recordings for this course should be used for educational purposes only and as a means for enhancing accessibility. Students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the recordings outside of the class (these acts can violate not only copyright laws but also FIPPA). All recordings will be destroyed after the end of classes.