PHI 101_19504_51_Introduction to Philosophy

3 Credit Hours
Department of Cognitive Science _Philosophy Program
Fall 2024-2025, Sections 51

Class Location and Meeting Time: C1_1019_MW

12:30 am - 1:45 pm

Instructor Information
Professor Abduljaleel K. Alwali

Office location, and contact information (e-mail, phone)

Academic Helpdesk,2059, C1, Female Campus
[email protected]

Office hours
Academic Helpdesk,2059, C1, Female Campus
MW 1:45 -3:30 pm, and by appointment at other time.

Course Description

This course aims to read, discuss, and critically examine problems and issues in the history of
philosophy that will lay the foundation for any future work in philosophy. Students will establish a
basic understanding of what philosophy really is.
Students will also improve and support their critical and analytical thinking skills, which they can
apply to any subject, inquiry, or problem.
This course offers a taste of the main areas of philosophy including metaphysics, epistemology, logic,
ethics and aesthetics through examining some key figures and ideas in the history of philosophy.

Pre and/ or Co- requisite(s)

N/A

Textbook
 1. Bertrand Russell, Problems of Philosophy (available as a free download online at:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5827/5827-h/5827-h.htm).
2. Philip Pecorino, Introduction to Philosophy, online resource at:

http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/CONTENTS.htm.

Course Learning Outcomes(CLOs) Upon successful completion

of this course, students will be able to:

1. CLO-1.Recognize the main philosophical theories of key figures in the history of philosophy.
(Bloom's Taxonomy-Knowledge)
2. CLO-2: Analyze topics in core areas of philosophy.
(Bloom's Taxonomy-Comprehension)

3. CLO-3: Critically evaluate theories and arguments in core areas of philosophy. (Bloom's
Taxonomy-Evaluate

4. CLO-4. Formulate cogent arguments in defense of particular philosophical theories. (Bloom’s

Taxonomy-Create)

These Course Learning Outcomes map to the following General Education Learning Outcomes for the
Humanities/Fine Arts Cluster:

PLO-1 Identify and explain key concepts PLO-2 Use associated key concepts
and issues in History, Philosophy, and issues to reflect meaningfully on
Communications, Language, Literature or the human experience.
Religion.

CLO-1 X X

CLO-2 X X

CLO-3 X X

CLO-4 X X

CLO-5 X X

Instructional Material & Learning Resources

1. Online resources as required – e.g. articles from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at:

http://plato.stanford.edu/
 and from The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/
2. Videos and podcasts on philosophical topics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiyGnaBnIqk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMOjvjMVOw
3. Other readings posted on blackboard from various sources.

4. https://www.biography.com/people/aristotle-9188415#science

Course Teaching & Learning Methods

1. Lecture
2. Group Discussions
3. Reports
4. PowerPoints and Internet

Course Polices

A. Report Presentation Requirements

1. Selective reading for report presentation will be suggested by the teacher at beginning

of the semester. Please see attached Project’s list.

2. All suggested readings should be presented and discussed by all groups and teacher

throughout the semester.

3. Evaluation will be determined in part on individual contributions to the group project.

Any student arriving late or absent the day of the presentation will not get the task points since
she/he didn’t participate with her/his group. Coordinator will be asked to explain how the
group work is shared.

4. Individuals will be evaluated on how well she /he arrive at rational arguments, outline,

method, quality, resources, and respond to questions.

B. Academic Dishonesty

1. Plagiarism is the use of presentation of another’s words or creative as one’s own. Please
consult the university policies regarding standards for proper use of quotations and citations, as
you will be expected to conform to these standards.

2. Cheating will not be tolerated. The incidence of cheating will be reported to the

university, which usually entails suspension or expulsion from the university.

C. Classroom’s Attendance
 1. You will be dropped from the course when you have missed 15% of the course.

2. Use cell phone is prohibited in the classroom.

3. Excuse from the class for any reason will be accepted only through Advising Unite

Course Evaluation and Grading:

In addition to the exams the students will be evaluated for both in –and out- of class
assignments and homework, class participation, group projects and research papers by the
grade distributions listed below.
Assessment Methods Weight% Due Date

Mid-term Exam 30% 2nd class of week 7

Final Exam 30% Week 16

Quizzes 30% Quiz 1(2nd class of week 4)
Quiz2(1st class of week 12)

Project 10%

Total 100

Grading Scale

Performance Grade Score Quality Points

Excellent A 100-90 4.00

Excellent- A- 89-87 3.70

Very Good + B+ 86-84 3.30

Very Good B 83-80 3.00

Very Good- B- 79-77 2.70

Good + C+ 74-76 2.30

Good C 73-70 2.00

Good- C- 69-67 1.70

Pass + D+ 66-64 1.30

 Pass D 60-63 1.00

Fail F 0-59 0.00

Failure FA 0.0 0.00

Rubrics:
• Rubrics will be provided to students for grading their direct assessment works such as essays,
research papers or reports, student portfolios, oral presentations, performances, problemsolving
activities, and group activities. See Appendix.

Feedback:%
• Feedback on progress in the course will be regularly provided to students to give them
opportunities to improve their performance.

Course Outline
Week Topics CLOs Course Activities/ Assessment Tools
Teaching & Learning Methods (e.g., assignments, quizzes, etc.)

1 What is 3 Course Syllabus

Philosophy ? Introduction to the course

Readings and requirements

Philip Pecorino, Introduction to

Philosophy, Chapter 1.
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialSc
iences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/
CONTENTS.htm.

2-3 History of 1 and 2 Pre-Socrates , Thales and Natural

Philosophy, The Philosophy
Ancient Greek
Cohen S. Marc and Patricia Curd,
Readings in Ancient Greek
Philosophy: From Thales to
Aristotle
4-5 Socrates 1 and 2 Socrates Quiz 1 (2nd class of week 4)
Guthrie W.K.C
A History of Greek Philosophy:
Socrates Vol 3 Part2 (FifthCentury
Enlightenment)
6-7 Plato’s Cave. 1 and 2 Plato’s Cave Mid-Term (2nd class of week 7)

Wright, J.H., 1906. The origin of

Plato's cave. Harvard Studies in
Classical Philology, 17,
pp.131142.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3103
13?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_con
tents

8-9 Aristotle’s 1 , 2 and Aristotle’s Logic and Golden Mean

Logic and 5 Guthrie W. K. C.
Golden Mean
A History of Greek Philosophy:
Volume 6, Aristotle: An
Encounter

10 Islamic 1 and 2 Nature and Origins of Islamic

Philosophy Philosophy
Fakhry, Majid, A History of
Islamic Philosophy, Columbia
University, U.S.A.
11 AlKindi 1 and 2 AlKindi
Astronomy and Astronomy and Music Theory
Music Theory
Reading, Rasail al-Kindi al-
Falsafiyah , (Al Kindi’s letters)
12-13 Political 3 , 1 and Political Philosophy of Al Farabi Quiz 2 (1st class of week 12)
Philosophy of Al 2 ,Perfect State
Farabi ,Perfect Reading, Al-Farabi, On the
Perfect State (Oxford: Clarendon
State
Press)
 14-15 Moral 3,1 and Moral Relativism at 20th Century
Relativism at
2
20th Century, Gowans, Chris. "Moral relativism."
cultural (2004).
anthropologists https://seop.illc.uva.nl/entries/mor
Franz Boas al-relativism/
(1858 - 1942),
Ruth Benedict
(1887 - 1948)
and
Margaret Mead
(1901 - 1978).
16 Review Review, prepare for Final Exam Prepare for Final Exam

References and further reading

Burnet. J (2005) Early Greek Philosophy (London: Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN-10:
1402197535.

Burnet. J and Lam .M (2011) Greek Philosophy: from Thales to Plato , eBook.

Blackson .T. A. ( 2011) Ancient Greek Philosophy: From the Presocratics to the Hellenistic Philosophers

Black Anthony. ( 2001) The History of Islamic Political Thought: From the Prophet to the Present ,
New York: Routledge.

Cohen .M, Patricia .C and Reeve C.D.C. (2011) Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales
to Aristotle

Descartes, R., & Cress, D. A. (1998). Discourse on method. Hackett Publishing.

Driver, J., (2009) The history of utilitarianism.

Fukuyama , Francis. (1992) The End of History and the Last Man, Free Press,. ISBN 0-02-910975-2

Fakhry, Majid.(1983) A History of Islamic Philosophy, Columbia University, U.S.A.

Al-Farabi. (1985) On the Perfect State ,Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Guthrie W. K. C. ( 1990).A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 6, Aristotle: An Encounter: Aristotle -

an Encounter Vol 6

Guthrie W.K.C (2008) A History of Greek Philosophy: Socrates Vol 3 Part 2(Fifth-Century
Enlightenment)
 Griffith. T, Griffith .H, Alexander. B and Logan. C(2007) Ancient Greek Philosophy: An Introduction

Huntington, Samuel.(1996) The Clash of Civilizations, Simon &Schuster, , ISBN 0684844419

Ibn Khaldun. (1969) The Muqaddimah, An Introduction to History, Princeton: Princeton University
Press.

Waterfield .R ( 2009) The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists (Oxford World's Classics)

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a central importance to education at UAEU. Students have the responsibility to
know and observe the requirements of the UAEU Code of Academic Honesty available:
https://www.uaeu.ac.ae/en/catalog/plagiarism_and_academic_integrity.shtml
and the penalties resulting from violation of this code. This code forbids cheating, multiple submission
of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty.
Cheating in any form and on any academic work results in serious penalties that include dissmissal from
the university.

Students with Special Needs

Students with special needs are encouraged to discuss their needs with the course instructor. You need
to contact the Special Needs Services Center at +971 3 7134264 or email
([email protected]). All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office:
http://www.uaeu.ac.ae/en/student_services/special_needs/

Student Support Services

If you need more support please go to the Student Academic Success Program:
http://www.uaeu.ac.ae/en/university_college/sasp/.
This program provides students with academic support services such as Independent Learning Centers
(ILCs), Tutorials, Writing & Speaking Centers. All students are encouraged to use these Centers.

Appendix:
Grading of Student Presentations

When grading your assignments, I will complete a copy of the following sheet. In order to get an
“A”, the answer to all 8 main questions in bold must be “yes” to get a grade of “B”, answers to
questions 1–6 must be “yes.” In order to get a “C”, the answers to 1–5 must be “yes.” That is, if a
student fails to have a specific answer to the question/thesis or fails to show adequate
understanding of the material or fails to provide argumentation for the answer, the student will not
achieve a grade higher than “C–.”
Criteria Evaluation of
Presentation
1. Does the student have a thesis?
That is, does the student have a clearly stated answer to the question
asked?
––How clear is the thesis?
––How specific is the thesis?
––Does the student center her presentation on proving her thesis?
2. Does the student show understanding of the question?

3. Does the student show understanding of the basic issues

involved?
––Are any major issues ignored?
––Are any issues completely misunderstood?
4. Does the student show understanding of the arguments presented
in class and in the text?

5. Does the student provide argumentation for her

answer?

6. Is the argumentation for her answer good?

––Is the argument on the face rational (commits no fallacies)?
––Does the student defend (with argumentation) all questionable premises?
––Does the student consider possible objections to her premises or
conclusions?
7. Is the line of argumentation clear? ––Is
the main argument clouded by rhetorical or
inflammatory remarks?
––Are the important issues raised and discussed? ––Are unimportant
issues discussed too much?

8. Does the student show original thought above and beyond what was
in the text and in class?
––How good is the original thought?
––Are any statements made obviously false?
––Is the argument prima facie rational?
––Is the original thought relevant to the question?