PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy

An introduction to world philosophy, which begins with the Western tradition and includes Asian and traditional African worldviews, as well as the voices of women philosophers and the peoples of the Americas. Focus is on major theories of reality (metaphysics), knowledge (epistemology), value (axiology), and logic.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

1. Define philosophy, its purpose and methods; describe the three major branches of philosophy – metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.
2. Compare and contrast worldviews underlying Western, Asian, and traditional African Philosophy, describing these cultures and their values, views on human nature, aesthetics, and/or ethics of self and others.
3. Analyze the roles of Western, Asian, and traditional African Philosophy in shaping our understanding of the nature of reality, personhood, the route to knowledge, political ideals, and human rights and justice, as well as their interconnectedness from ethical perspectives.
4. Analyze the structures of common forms of deductive reasoning; determine validity/invalidity of arguments.
5. Analyze the philosophical issues underlying global social problems, and place one’s core beliefs within the worldviews expressed in Western, Asian, and traditional African philosophical traditions.

Course Objectives

1. Define philosophy, its purpose and methods; describe the three major branches of philosophy – metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Three unit tests

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT1
2. Compare and contrast worldviews underlying Western, Asian, and traditional African Philosophy, describing these cultures and their values, views on human nature, aesthetics, and/or ethics of self and others.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Exam, requiring analysis of these worldviews and applications of them to scenarios

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Ethics Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT2

   Ethics Goals

   • ET1
3. Analyze the roles of Western, Asian, and traditional African Philosophy in shaping our understanding of the nature of reality, personhood, the route to knowledge, political ideals, and human rights and justice, as well as their interconnectedness from ethical perspectives.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Exam

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric
   • Final exam

   Critical Thinking

   • CT3

   Global Competency

   • GC4

   Ethics Goals

   • ET3
4. Analyze the structures of common forms of deductive reasoning; determine validity/invalidity of arguments.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Three unit tests, analytic paper

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT3
5. Analyze the philosophical issues underlying global social problems, and place one’s core beliefs within the worldviews expressed in Western, Asian, and traditional African philosophical traditions.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final exam

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT4

   Ethics Goals

   • ET2