Philosophy 690
Explanation in the Special Sciences
 

Instructor: Dr. Charles Wallis	Office Phone: 985-5344
Office: MHB 908
Wallis' Office Hours: MW 4-5pm

Website: http://csulb.edu/~cwallis/690/690.html

Articles will be available electronically through the links in this syllabus page.

Password for electronic reserve materials: wallis

Username for electronic reserve materials: wallis

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The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. 

II XXX 1-2

March 29th-April 2th: Spring Recess (Classes Not In Session) 

March 31st Cesar Chavez Day  (no class missed)

Week 13:	Mental Representation
	Readings: Fodor, Cummins MMR1, Cummins MMR2, Cummins MMR3, Cummins MMR4, Cummins RTA1, Cummins RTA2, (Bill) Ramsey 1, (Bill) Ramsey 2, (Bill) Ramsey 3, (Bill) Ramsey 4, (Bill) Ramsey 5
	Doings: Friday 4/21/2010 Second Governor Schwarzenegger "I don't give a @^%! about you" day off  No Class!!

Week 15:	Alternative Computing
	Readings: Eliasmith, Van Gelder, Piccinini
	Doings: Friday 5/6/2010 Third Governor Schwarzenegger "I don't give a @^%! about you" day off  No Class Missed!!

Goals

I have four basic goals for this course: (1) Students learn to formulate their own views on various philosophic questions.  (2) Students learn to develop their views through: (a) research into the philosophic and scientific literature, and (b) understanding as well as explicating the relationships between their own views and the positions/information in the academic literature.  (3) Students learn to read and evaluate scholarly journal articles from the philosophical and psychological literature.  I emphasize development of the following abilities; the ability to extract arguments from a text, evaluate those arguments by challenging either their assumptions or logical form, the ability to identify a thesis and relate the elements of a paper to the development of that thesis, and the ability to place a book or article a larger historical and/or disciplinary context. (4) Students gain significant insight into the historical development, intellectual movements, particular theories, investigative methodologies of philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, as well as interactions between philosophy and science--especially cognitive science--in addressing fundamental questions. (5) Students should show a grasp of the practical implications and real-world instances of philosophical questions and theories, including a sense of the potential impact of such theories. (6) Students improve their writing abilities, particularly with respect to their ability to write concise, highly organized, and self-contained expositions of theories, arguments, empirical findings, as well as the interrelationships between theories, arguments, and empirical findings.

Course Requirements

Course grades will be based upon attendance/participation, research assignments, and a term paper.  Attendance/participation counts for 10% of your grade.  Research assignments count for 20% of your grade.  Term paper counts for 70% of your grade.

Cheating and Plagiarism

The CSULB Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism will be followed strictly. (See 2009-10 Catalog) Students who have any questions or uncertainty whatsoever about this policy are responsible for meeting individually with the instructor to discuss the policy. All tests and papers are submitted to Turnitin for evaluation.  Students discovered cheating or plagiarizing on any exam, quiz, or other course element will be FAILED for the COURSE and will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs for possible probation, suspension, or expulsion.

Withdrawals

I follow the university policy on withdrawals.  I have no disinclination towards signing withdrawal forms up until the last date allowed by the university policy.   

Disabilities

I am happy to accommodate any students with disabilities.  It is the student's responsibility to inform me of their disability and need for accommodation.  The office of Disabled Student Services (5-5061) serves as an information source and evaluates students’ needs.  DSS often proctors tests for students with disabilities.

Make-up exams

Make-up exams will be permitted only for serious illness and mandatory University policies. A physicians' note will be required for illness. If you will need to take a make-up exam, you must send an e-mail no later than 9:00 a.m. the day of the exam. 

Web Resources

This web site contains the syllabus, lecture slides from lectures already given, links, and test questions.  Lecture slides and links are not required course material, nor are they an adequate substitute for class attendance. They are posted solely to further aid students in their studies.  However, students often comment upon the usefulness of this material and I strongly encourage students to visit the site at least once.

Need some help with your writing? Try the Style and Writing Tips page.
 
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