I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Introduction to Philosophy

2. Course Prefix & Number:
PHIL 2410

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This is a first course in philosophy, explaining what it means to be a philosopher and to think philosophically about questions having no very immediate answer. Possible topics include the nature of reality, idealism, the difference between a prior and empirical knowledge, values, social philosophy, and the value of philosophy from any answers it might provide.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

SCSU, Phil 251 History of Western Philosophy I, and/or Phil 252 History of Philosophy II, 3 credits
Bemidji State, Phil 1100 Introduction to Philosophy, 3 credits
Moorhead State University, Phil 101 Introduction to Western Philosophy, 3 credits

III. Course Purpose

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 2 – Critical Thinking
• Goal 6 – Humanities and Fine Arts

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Formulate accurate responses to discussion questions on issues derived from the reading assignments for students based on an accurate understanding of the principles of informal logic and the relevant philosophical underpinning.
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Understand and accurately reconstruct the manner in which various philosophical theorists attempt to resolve controversial philosophical issues.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Respond critically to works in the arts and humanities. MnTC Goal 6
• Understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within an historical and social context. MnTC Goal 6
• Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities. MnTC Goal 6
• Engage in the creative process or interpretation of various viewpoints. MnTC Goal 6
• Demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities. MnTC Goal 6
• Gather factual information and apply it to a given problem in a manner that is relevant, clear, comprehensive, and conscious of possible bias in the information selected. MnTC Goal 2
• Imagine and seek out a variety of possible goals, assumptions, interpretations, or perspectives which can give alternative meanings or solutions to given situations or problems. MnTC Goal 2
• Analyze the logical connections among the facts, goals, and implicit assumptions relevant to a problem or claim; generate and evaluate implications that follow from them. MnTC Goal 2
• Recognize and articulate the value assumptions which underlie and affect decisions, interpretations, analyses, and evaluations made by ourselves and others. MnTC Goal 2

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

There is wide latitude in the topics and subtopics an instructor may choose to cover in an introductory course in philosophy. One approach might include covering some of the major topics in the history of philosophy, other courses may proceed chronologically, covering the major philosophers throughout the history of Western philosophy, others may choose to focus on various philosophers’ writings on a topic in philosophy, still other courses may broaden their approach to include history of world philosophies. All courses will likely provide an introduction to philosophy similar to what is shown below, and all will include reading, reflection, and critical analysis of primary and secondary works by philosophers throughout the history of philosophy. 

1. 1. Introduction to philosophy
• What is philosophy
• What is rationality
• Who are the major players
2. Option 1: Philosophy by Field (Topical approach to core areas of philosophy)
• Morality,
• Aesthetics,
• Logic,
• Epistemology,
• Metaphysics,
• Social and political philosophy,
• Philosophy of the mind, and
• Philosophy of language.
3. Option 2: Chronological History of Philosophy
• Ancient philosophers,
• Presocratic Greek philosophers,
• Classical Greek philosophers,
• Ancient Eastern philosophers,
• Medieval philosophers, and
• Modern philosophers.
4. 4. Option 3: Core Philosophers
• Empiricist philosophers,
• Rationalist philosophers,
• German idealists,
• Utilitarian philosophers,
• Existentialist philosophers,
• Deconstructionist philosophers,
• Phenomenologists,
• Structuralist philosophers,
• Analytic philosophers,
• Pragmatist philosophers,
• Logical positivists.
5. Option 4: History of World Philosophies
• South Asian Philosophies,
• Chinese Philosophies,
• Korean Philosophies,
• Japanese Philosophies,
• Philosophies of Greece, Rome and the Near East,
• Religious Philosophies,
• European Philosophies,
• North American Philosophies,
• Latin American Philosophies, and
• African Philosophies.