Schedule of Lecture Topics, Readings, and Dates for Papers and Examinations

Note: if a reading is listed for a particular date, that's the date on which you must have the reading done!

Week Topic, (Reading)

Week #1

Aug. 24  Course introduction, syllabus distribution, discussion of Starting Gate Survey and Diagnostic Testing and Class Presentations.

Aug. 26 How to read in philosophy, the St. John’s Method. (READINGS: How to Read a Book, Chapters 5 and 18 by M. Adler–Available under Course Content on the CU Learn site) (Diagnostic Exercises 1, 2 and 3 due on CU Learn on Saturday, August 28)

Week #2

Aug. 31 Techniques in active reading continued (discussion of Adler Chapters--bring printout of readings to class or have them available on your laptop or handheld). Mini-lecture on inference indicators. (No new readings) (Diagnostic Exercises 4 and 5 due on CU Learn).

Sept. 2  Descartes, Meditations (Synopsis and Meditation 1) (Available for download under Course Content on the CU Learn Site--bring printout of readings to class or have them available on your laptop, iPAD, etc.).

Week #3

Sept. 7  Continue Descartes' Meditations (Meditation 1 & 2); Mini-lecture on validity detection.

Sept. 9 Continue Descartes' Meditations (Meditations 1 & 2); Mini-lecture on analyzing the structure of a complex argument: extracting argument from text.

Week #4

Sept. 14 Continue Descartes' Meditations (Meditation 3 thru the end of the fourth paragraph); Mini-lecture on the technique of counterexamples.

Sept. 16 Moore's Defense of Common Sense (Writing Exercise 1, Part 1 due on CU Learn by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 17 [tomorrow]).