| Syllabus
Metaphysics: Causation Walter Edelberg Philosophy 403 Spring 2002 |
| Timetable Information: |
Tuesdays and Thursdays
11:00-12:15 |
| Office Hours: |
Tuesdays and Thursdays
10:00-11:00 and by appointment |
| Contact Information: | edelberg@uic.edu (312) 413-1213 |
| Website Address: | http://www.uic.edu/classes/phil/phil403 |
| Prerequisites: |
Phil 203 or 226 or 426 or consent of the instructor. A course in symbolic logic such as Phil 102 or 210 is strongly recommended. |
| Availability of Readings: |
Required Readings: See the course Schedule for a list of required readings. Some of the selections are available online. These are marked with an [O] on the Schedule, and can be easily accessed from links included there. One or two short readings will be distributed as handouts. These are marked with an [H] on the Schedule. Several readings have been placed on two-hour reserve for photocopying at Daley Library on the east campus. These are marked with an [R] on the Schedule. (When using items on Reserve, please photocopy them for later reading. This will maintain easy access for everyone, and will provide you to with a copy to bring to class discussions.) Four or five of the readings are included in an anthology ordered for the course (Jaegwon Kim and Ernest Sosa, editors, Metaphysics: An Anthology, Blackwell Publishers, 1999). These are marked [KS] on the Schedule. This is a superb anthology on contemporary metaphysics in the Anglo-American tradition. Yet it is not necessary to purchase this text for the course. All of the articles we will read from Kim and Sosa will be on Reserve at Daley Library. Optional Readings: See Further Readings for a list of selected recommendations. Items marked [R] are on two-hour Reserve at Daley Library. Bibliographic Information: The Schedule and Further Readings generally specify author and title only. For complete information, see Bibliographic Information. |
| Course Requirements: | There will be one paper between 3,000 and 3,500 words. In standard double-spaced formatting, that would be about 10 to 12 pages. There will also be a final examination. The paper and the final exam each count one third of the course grade. The remaining third of the grade will be based on preparedness, class participation, and (possibly) some homework exercises. |
| Course Policies | See Course Policies. |
| Computer Skills: | Basic facility with an internet browser and e-mail are necessary for the course. |
| Philosophy 403 Listserv: |
I have set up a listserv for the course, so that students can discuss class material more conveniently by e-mail. When you send an e-mail message to the PHIL403 listserv, it is automatically sent to everyone in the class (who is subscribed to the listserv). The PHIL403 listserv also allows me to contact you with announcements such as clarifications of assignments, class cancellations, and so on. Subscription to the listserv is voluntary, and very easy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, see Philosophy 403 Listserv. |
| Abode Acrobat Reader: | Some online documents are available both in HTML and PDF format. A key difference is that PDF files are formatted with pagination and other controls, which make them especially well-suited for printing. You can view and print an HTML file with any internet browser. To view and print a PDF file, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is a free download. (All computers in the UIC public computer labs have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.) If you can't view a PDF file with Adobe Acrobat Reader, chances are you are working with an outdated version. This can be fixed by downloading Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 from the link above. |