November 29 / Final Exam Room Change.

The Final Exam Will be on Friday, December 7, 10:30 - 12:30, in 219 Taft Hall.

October 25 / Third Paper Assignment.

The third paper assignment was distributed today. It is available from the home page. The due date is November 8.

October 8 / Schedule Change.

We are omitting the readings under the section "Parts and Wholes". The Schedule has been revised to reflect the change.

September 7 / Reading Assignment

Please read sections 3.6 and 3.7 of EM (ie., the rest of Chapter 3, "Material Minds") for Tuesday, September 11. Please read WTA, Chapter 16, David Lewis, "An Argument for the Identity Theory" for Thursday, September 13.

September 1 / Schedule Change

EM, Chapter 2, "Idealism" will be covered on September 4. The Schedule has been adjusted to reflect the change.

August 30 / Classroom Change

Beginning Tuesday, September 4, Philosophy 203 will meet in 219 Taft Hall.  Click here for a printable map showing the new location. (Doubleclick on the blue question marks on the map.)  Although the hallways in Taft Hall are pretty dingy, the new room is larger, with windows on two sides, and the ventilation is better.  I hope everyone is more comfortable in the new room.  We all tend to navigate campus on autopilot, so you might want to set yourself a note or other reminder.

August 29 / Study Guides now available in two online formats

Until further notice, Study Guides will generally be available both as HTML files — which can be opened with an ordinary web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer — and as PDF files — which can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader.  PDF files print better.  The HTML files will maintained as a backup system, in case you run into technical problems opening the PDF files.

August 28 / First paper assignment

The first paper assignment was distributed today in class. It is due in one week. The paper assignment and supporting documents are available online.

August 28 / All assignments required

As noted in the Course Policies, all assignments must be completed to pass the course.

August 27 / Study Guides are required reading

Study Guides are to be considered as part of the assigned reading. Material explained in the study guides may appear on the final examination.

August 23 / Correction to reading assignment

George Berkeley's "The First Dialogue" is in chapter 12 of The Way Things Are, not in chapter 10.  (This has been corrected in version B of the Course Schedule. Click here to print an updated copy of the schedule.)

August 22 / Course Schedule update

WTA, Ch. 12, George Berkeley, "The First Dialogue" should be read for Tuesday, August 28.
EM, Ch. 2, "Idealism" should be read for Thursday, August 30.

August 21 / Corrections to Syllabus

Additions are indicated in red below. Click here to print an updated copy of the syllabus.

Papers.  There will be four papers on assigned topics.  The first of these will be 1-2 pages in length, and will count for 5% of the course grade.  Each of the remaining three papers will be 5-6 pages in length and will count for 23% of the course grade. Final Examination.  The final exam will consist of short answer and essay questions, and will count for 26% of the course grade.