Theory of knowledge

Philosophy 422/522

Spring 2008, TTH 1:15-2:35, HU-112

http://www.fecundity.com/courses

Professor:   P.D. Magnus

Campus phone: 2-4251

Office: HU-258

Office hours: Tu 2:45-3:45, F 11:00-12:00, and by appt.

Requirements

Three take-home exams   @ 25%

1st exam: Due Tuesday, February 26

2nd exam: Due Tuesday, April 8

3rd exam: Due Tuesday, May 13

One paper   25%

8-12 pages (approx. 3000 words)

Undergraduates will have the option to choose from assigned paper topics. Graduate students will be responsible for deciding on their own paper topic.

due at the final meeting of class:

Tuesday May 6

Participation:   Participation in class discussion is required. Exemplary participation in class discussion will add to your grade, up to two-thirds of a letter grade.

Late papers:   Assignments will be considered late if they are not ready to hand in at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Each day late will result in a loss of one letter grade.

Academic honesty:   Students are encouraged to discuss issues from the course with each other and with others outside of class, but they are responsible for their own ideas. Cheating on exams will not be tolerated. Papers should include citations to any works cited or consulted, as well as acknowledgments of helpful interactions.

Absences:   Students who will need to miss deadlines for religious observance, away games, or for other scheduled reasons should discuss these issues with the professor at the beginning of the term. If an emergency arises, the student should contact the professor as soon as possible. Make-up exams will be given only for documented, excused absences.

Topics

The course text will be The Oxford Handbook of Epistemology, edited by Paul Moser.

ISBN 978-0-19-513005-8

We will proceed through the chapters in the numbered order. We will probably not have time to cover all of these topics, and so we may skip some chapters.