Guttman Community College

50 W 40th Street, New York, NY

 

PHIL 103.002S: Introduction to Philosophical and Humanistic Thinking 

Effective: Fall II, 2024        

                           

Instructor Name: Professor Bartholomew J. Slaninka                                                            

Office Hours and Location: TBA

Email: bartholomew.slaninka43@guttman.cuny.edu

Meeting Times/Locations: 12:40pm-2:40pm, Tuesday (room 409B) + Thursday (room 503)

 

Catalog Description:

This course introduces the student to the basic subject matter, questions, and assumptions of study common to Philosophy and the Humanities. Through a preliminary inquiry into how writers, historians, and philosophers represent an idea, such as the construction of knowledge, students will become familiar with how the humanities employ questions of form, effect, affect, and value. Students will draw connections between self and society and reflect on ways personal origins and beliefs affect actions and values. By looking at various dialogues across time, students will begin to see how the philosophical and humanistic thinking fueled and continues to shift socio-political, artistic, cultural and economic conditions. Students will grapple with the intersections of historical and contemporary issues, such as the construction of knowledge in the digital age as they explore the role of Philosophy and Humanistic thinking in the 21st century.

 

Course Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to do the following:

–Describe the general outlook of the Humanities (Philosophy, Literature, History) on human experience;

–Define the basic subject matter of the Humanities and the concepts of form, effect, affect, and value;

–Examine concepts, phenomena and contemporary issues through the lens of the Philosophy and the Humanities more broadly

–Understand the humanities as a “living discipline” through experiential engagement.

–Employ critical reading and writing strategies to develop cogent and substantive arguments

 

Required Texts:

There is no textbook to purchase for this class.  Instead, all readings and videos will be posted to BlackBoard.  I do ask that you have access to these readings during class time.  You can do this by printing out the readings ahead of time, or accessing them on your tablet or laptop.  

 

Required Materials:

Paper + pen/pencil, BlackBoard, Microsoft Word (or Office 365 which you have access to for free through Guttman), a computer, a Guttman email account, and an internet connection.

Course Format: Hybrid

Hybrid courses meet for part of the class time in person and part of the class time online. Hybrid classes at Guttman have a scheduled meeting time of 1.5 hours per week. This is a required meeting for your course. You will be informed if this meeting will be online via Zoom or on campus and are responsible for attending this meeting each week. Additionally, you are responsible for completing all coursework and assignments associated with the course outside of the scheduled meeting time. The college and your professors will respond to health and safety guidelines throughout the semester to make sure you have the most safe and best possible learning experience. It is important that you check your Guttman email every day for announcements and updates about when and where you will meet with your class.

 

Course materials are available via Blackboard (“Bb”) and all class assignments will be submitted through Blackboard. Regular internet access is essential for successful completion of the course. If you have concerns about access to technology or internet, please contact the Office of Student Engagement at Dean.OSE@guttman.cuny.edu so that they can assist you. 

If you need a laptop to complete your coursework, please reach out to IT directly. The link to the student laptop loan resources can be found here:  – Technology and Internet Services Guttman Community College

Assignments and Grade Breakdown

General Remarks on Assignments + Late Policy

There is no underestimating the value of effective communication.  Whether we’re speaking about interpersonal, academic, or professional expression, there are great benefits in honing the creative, aesthetic, and practical dimension of language.  This course will therefore have a focus on writing to better practice these writerly skills.

 

The expectation is that all assignments are due on time.  Late assignments will only be accepted, with penalty, 1 week past their due date.  After one week the grade will become an F.  Each day an assignment is late it will be penalized one third of a letter grade and so if a B+ assignment is handed in one day late it becomes a B and if two days late it becomes a B-.  Please note, the final reflection will only be accepted 1 day past the due date.  Assignments will only be accepted through BlackBoard, please do not email them to me.

BlackBoard Discussion Posts 

Throughout the term we will have several in-class writing assignments.  The aim of these assignments are two-fold.  First, they’re designed to get you thinking philosophically about a topic or question.  Often, one just needs the occasion to put words to an idea and it turns out there is much to be said.  Second, these assignments will be used to promote class discussion.  Discussion post topics will be based on material covered in class and will be due the Monday following their discussion in class.    

 

Paper I & Paper II 

Each paper (3-4 pages) will ask you to present your understanding and analysis of material covered from both class and the assigned readings.  Detailed instructions and a rubric will be posted on Canvas as we approach the due date for each assignment.  There will be opportunities to rewrite both papers for ⅓ of a letter grade higher. 

 

Final Reflection

The final assignment of the course is a final reflection about your experiences in the course.  With the course goal of experience in mind, the final reflection will ask you to reflect on your experiences in the course.  

 

Attendance & Participation 

The success of this class is dependent upon everyone’s active presence.  Active means that you arrive at class having completed the night’s reading assignment and are ready and willing to engage with class discussion.  Present means you are receptive to the ideas of your instructor, peers, and the philosophers we’ll be studying.

 

The texts we’ll be studying require close reading and thus students should take notes as they read.  Effective note taking includes recording your questions, interpretations, and objections to the claims made within the text.  At first glance some ideas we study might seem foreign, coming from philosophers living in a different time in a very different world.  But with focused attention we will illustrate together that these ideas are as relevant today as they were when they were first thought and important for philosophers and nonphilosophers alike. 

 

This class will be asking you to share your ideas.  While it’s not a requirement to speak in class, I would like to know what you’re thinking.  Participation is part of the final grade and is based on submitting assignments.  Turn in all assignments, and turn all of them in on time, and you receive full credit.  

 

25% BlackBoard Discussion Assignments  

25% Paper I

25% Paper II

15% Final Reflection 

10% Attendance and Participation

 ____________________________ 

100% Final Grade

 

Guttman’s grade point scale 

A+ → 97-100 C+ → 77-79.9

A   → 93-96.9 C   → 73-76.9

A-  → 90-92.9 C-  → 70-72.9

B+ → 87-89.9 D+ → 67-69.9

B   → 83-86.9 D   → 60-66.9 (passing)

B-  → 80-82.9 F   → Below 60

General Notes: Course Communication, Email, Etc. 

If you have questions outside of class please don’t hesitate to email me.  I check my email often and all attempts will be made to respond within 24 hours during the week and 48 hours on a weekend/holiday.  I encourage everyone to check their email often (daily in fact!).  I communicate through both email and in-class announcements and so if you’re absent be sure to check in with me about what happened in class.  

 

General Support

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, or needs mental health support and believes this may affect their performance in this course is urged to visit the Guttman Essential Information for Personal Well Being website for support and to email the Dean of Students at  Dean.OSE@guttman.cuny.edu. Please use these resources for support and let your instructor know if we can support in any other ways.

 

COVID Related Policies and Procedures

Course Policy on Illness

If you are not feeling well, do not come to campus.  If you are staying home due to illness, email your professors and they will provide you with accommodations to complete your coursework remotely.

 

If you are COVID positive or think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, do the following:

 

• If you are on campus, go home and call your health provider. 
• Contact Elie Yoesoep, our Campus Coronavirus Liaison and report your status: Elielce.Yoesoep@guttman.cuny.edu 
• Follow the advice of your health professional and Elie about your presence on campus (when you can return to class, if you need to quarantine, isolate, etc.).

All reports of COVID exposure on campus will result in contact tracing and you will be notified if you have been exposed by xxx and given guidance on if you must quarantine and when you can return to campus.

 

Policies and Procedures

All registered students are expected to follow all Guttman and CUNY rules and regulations, in particular the Code of Conduct, Academic Integrity Policy, Sexual Misconduct Policy, and CUNY’s Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Resources during the period of distance learning and online instruction. Any student found to be in violation of these policies can face disciplinary action. 

 

Policy on Academic Honesty

Guttman Community College considers intellectual honesty to be the cornerstone of all academic and scholarly work. GCC views any form of academic dishonesty as a serious matter and requires all instructors to report every case of academic dishonesty to its Academic Integrity Officer, who keeps records of all cases.  All work submitted or posted by students in this course must be their own. Submission of writing or ideas which are not the original work of the student, or which is not adequately referenced, is considered plagiarism. Unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism, so if you have any question about whether or not to acknowledge a source, acknowledge it. If you are still uncertain, ask. Refer to Article II of your Student Grievance Procedures for further details on academic honesty and Guttman’s academic integrity procedures, at [Academic Policies url link]  Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion.

 

Disability Support Services

In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Guttman Community College is committed to ensuring educational parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical and/ or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY located in Room 509-B to secure necessary academic accommodations and adjustments for additional information and assistance please call 646-313-8833 or email accessabilityservices@guttman.cuny.edu.

 

Class Conduct/Netiquette/Viewpoint Tolerance

Some of the issues covered during the seminar may evoke strong emotions. Students, faculty, and staff must be able to disagree respectfully with others on topics that are personally very important to them. Civility is essential to all scholarly discourse.

 

Professionalism will be expected at all times, but most especially with your interactions online. Because the university classroom is a place designed for the free exchange of ideas, we must show respect for one another in all circumstances. Please exhibit patience and courtesy in our exchanges with one another. Thoughtful language and restraint from verbal attacks upon those whose perspectives differ from your own is a minimum requirement. Courtesy and respect is the norm for those who participate in my class.