Schedule A Sundays 9:00-11:45 June6, 20 July 11, 18, 25 and August 1.

Office Hours: 8:00-10:00 Thursdays Home Phone:(410)821-5928

Website: http://www.research.umbc.edu/~rwilso4

Course Content:

This course will provide an analysis of a variety of schools of contemporary Philosophy. We shall examine a variety of schools of contemporary Philosophy including logical positivism, linguistic analysis, existentialism and Phenomenology with the goal of reaching an understanding the central features of each of these schools of thought. In addition to coming to understand a number of contemporary philosophical schools of thought, students will examine applications and consequences of holding the philosophical views that we examine. It is hoped that these views will have an impact on how we view contemporary Philosophy and on how we interpret our experience.

At the beginning of each class meting there will be a quiz. There will be a 25-30 question quiz on each Philosopher we read as well as on some general background themes. I will attempt to place practice quizzes on my website before the actual in class quizzes. Neither technology failures nor my failure to post practice quizzes on my website will prevent the in class quizzes from taking place. Students are responsible for all the

readings listed on the syllabus. Students should be prepared for a quiz or quizzes on the Philosophers covered during the previous class. It is the students responsibility to keep up on all readings assigned on the syllabus.

Learning Objectives:

1. To gain an understanding of the major theories of contemporary Philosophy.
2. To learn how to reflect Philosophically.
3. To gain insight into the nature of Philosophical argumentation.
4. To learn how to understand and evaluate the Philosophical positions of the Philosophers we study.

Grading:

1. 4 Quizzes 30%

2. 1 Final Exam 30%

3. 1 5-7 page paper 30%

4. Participation 10%

Required Texts:

1. The Twentieth Century to Quine and Derrida. W. T. Jones and Robert J. Fogelin. 3d ed. Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1997.

2. Twentieth-Century Philosophy. Forrest E. Baird and Walter Kaufmann. Prentice Hall,1997.

Reading Schedule:

June 6 Jones and Fogelin Chapters 1,3 and 4.

June 20 Jones and Fogelin Chapters 4, and 5.

July 11 Jones and Fogelin Chapters 6, and 8.

July 18 Jones and Fogelin Chapters 9.

July 25 Jones and Fogelin Chapters 10.

August 1 Final Exam.