Quick Start Guide

PHILOSOPHY 3310 Atheism & Philosophy                                                                             

Spring 2014

TTh 2:40-4:05, JUB 202

Dr. Phil Oliver, phil.oliver@mtsu.edu - 898-2050 - 898-2907 (Philosophy Dept.) 

OFFICE HOURS: MW 1-2, TTh 4-5 & by appointment, James Union Building 307-B (but check the message board on my door on "nice" days, to see where to find me outside).

TEXTS: Grayling, The Good Book: A Humanist Bible (GB); Flanagan, The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (RHP); Rosenberg, The Atheist's Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life Without Illusions (AGR); Hitchens, Mortality (M); Sagan, The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God (VSE)

After we meet the first time, go home and read my post "Introductions" at our blogsite-http://athphil.blogspot.com/; then add yours, in the comments section there. Read your classmates' intros, read the syllabus (so you can ask any questions you have about it next time), read the "Daily Participation Scorecards" page (linked in the upper right margin), and begin reading Grayling's Good Book (GB 1-24). Try to identify at least one fact about the text you consider worth knowing, and one question for discussion. Try to find a link worth sharing. Be prepared to discuss the reading on Tuesday.

On our second day (Jan. 21) I'll answer your questions; then we’ll split into three discussion groups, which will meet regularly. (Read those intros carefully, to see whose team you might or might not wish to belong to.) Each group will select at least three "authors" to take turns posting brief summaries of group discussions promptly after (or during) each class. All non-authors should always then reply before next class with relevant comments, questions (at least one factual and one discussion question), and links to relevant books, articles, websites, videos, social media discussions etc. That's how you "circle the bases" and score participation runs. 

The more "runs" you score, the higher your participation grade. Four "bases" get you a run. Score as many runs as you can, but remember: you have to get on 1st base before you can circle the bases and score your first run. The only way to get on 1st base is by showing up to class. You get to 2d if you posted a relevant factual question about the day's assigned reading, to 3d if you posted a discussion question, and home to score your first run of the day if you posted a relevant link (to a book, article, website, video, social media discussion etc.)

Each additional comment, question, or link (scored with a + sign on the scorecard) earns you another base. Each additional four bases earns you another run.

If you ever have to miss a class, you won't score any runs that day. But if you post comments, questions, & links in absentia, you can still earn bases and mark them on your scorecard when you come back to class.

If one of your posted factual questions (FQ) gets used on a daily quiz, you get a Quiz Run (QR). You can also get a QR by acing the daily quiz.

More on all this will come in class, but suffice for now to say: Participation is crucial to success in this class.

QUIZZES: We'll have short quizzes at the beginning of each class on the day's assigned reading, ideally based on factual questions posted before class by you and your classmates. 

EXAMS: We'll have three exams, based on the quiz questions.

REPORTS: Everyone will participate in a midterm group report presentation, and a solo final report (5-page essay/blog post(s) + presentation)... UNLESS you satisfy conditions for a bonus incentive.

BONUS INCENTIVES: If you keep a "clean" scorecard throughout the semester (by missing no more than two classes, for any reason, and scoring at least one run in every class) or score the most runs or accumulate the most Total Bases in the class, you're exempt from a final report. 

If you keep the cleanest scorecard or score the most runs or accumulate the most Total Bases in your group, you're exempt from either the written OR the oral presentation component of the final report (your choice).

IMPORTANT DATES:

JAN 16 - CLASSES BEGIN

Feb 13 - Exam #1
Feb 20 - midterm report presentation signups

Feb 27 - midterm report presentations begin

Mar 6 - midterm report presentations conclude; midterm essays/posts due from non-presenters

Mar 10-15 – Spg Break 

APR 1 - EXAM #2

Apr 15 – final report presentation signups 

Apr 22 - final report presentations begin

Apr 29 - last class; final essays/posts due from non-presenters

*EXAM #3 

2:40 - 4:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

JAN

Th 16- Introductions. First homework assignment: introduce yourself by replying to "Introductions" on our blog site at http://bioethjpo.blogspot.com/ & read classmates' introductions. If you wish, comment in your introduction on any or all of these questions: 

What problems of "meaning" do you and your fellow humans encounter? Do you think they're harder problems for atheists, humanists, secularists and other god-deniers? Do atheists (etc.) miss out on something valuable? (As Steve Martin and his bluegrass band sing, "Atheists Ain't Got No Hymns"...) Is "reality" an objective phenomenon? What is "religious experience"? What is "scientific experience"? Are either, or both, legitimate and respectable instances of human experience? Can an atheist live a good life AND die a good death?

T 21- Form discussion groups, select blog authors; Genesis, Wisdom (GB 1-24)

The rest of our syllabus is online, linked in the right margin of our blogsite. Note that it is subject to revision. Always check the "NEXT" section (also in the right margin of our blogsite) for the latest impending assignments, announcements, changes of plan etc.

See you, I hope, at Happy Hour!