Course Information
Course title
English in Philosophical Works 
Semester
109-1 
Designated for
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS  DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY  
Instructor
CHRISTIAN HELMUT WENZEL 
Curriculum Number
Phl2059 
Curriculum Identity Number
104E45600 
Class
 
Credits
3.0 
Full/Half
Yr.
Half 
Required/
Elective
Required 
Time
Monday 3,4,5(10:20~13:10) 
Remarks
The upper limit of the number of students: 40. 
 
Course introduction video
 
Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning
Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning
Course Syllabus
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Course Description

Bertand Russell (1872-1970) was one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century and an excellent writer. He wrote on philosophy of mathematics as well as on political and social issues. His book The Problems of Philosophy is a short and introductory book to problems of philosophy of knowledge, mainly from British empiricist points of view. It appeared in 1912 and became a bestseller. It is still in print today. On about 160 pages, Russell discusses the nature of appearance and reality, matter, idealism, induction, a priori knowledge, universals, intuition, truth and falsehood, opinion, and the limits and value of philosophy in general. As the book consists of 15 short chapters of about ten pages each, we will more or less follow this division, covering about ten pages per week. This course does not only provide a chance to learn something in philosophy but also to learn and enjoy good English. Bertrand Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. 

Course Objective
The course objective is to learn how to read a classical philosophical text in English, how to summarize the main points, and how to discuss them in writing and in speech. 
Course Requirement
Regular attendance and preparation is required.  
Student Workload (expected study time outside of class per week)
 
Office Hours
 
Designated reading
Thomas Nagel, “Mind and Cosmos, Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False,” OUP 2012. “Mortal Questions,” CUP 1979. 
References
The main text we will be using is: Bertrand Russell: The Problems of Philosophy 1912.
There are several other books by Bertrand Russell that we might wish to draw on in order to explain his ideas and their development. These are: The Philosophy of Leibniz (1900), Logic and Knowledge: Essays 1901-1950, Theory of Knowledge: The 1913 Manuscript, and Our Knowledge of the External World (1914). 
Grading
 
No.
Item
%
Explanations for the conditions
1. 
Participation 
30% 
 
2. 
Midterm exam 
30% 
 
3. 
Final exam 
40% 
 
 
Progress
Week
Date
Topic
Week 1
9/14  Introduction to the course 
Week 2
9/21  Introduction from the book 
Week 3
9/28  Antireductionism and the Natural Order (part 1) 
Week 4
10/05  Antireductionism (part 2) 
Week 5
10/12  Consciousness (part 1)  
Week 6
10/19  Consciousness (part 2)  
Week 7
10/26  Consciousness (part 3) 
Week 8
11/02  Review 
Week 9
11/09  Midterm 
Week 10
11/16  Cognition (part 1) 
Week 11
11/23  Cognition (part 2) 
Week 12
11/30  Cognition (part 3) 
Week 13
12/07  Value (part 1) 
Week 14
12/14  Value (part 2) 
Week 15
12/21  Value (part 3) 
Week 16
12/28  Moral Luck (part 1) 
Week 17
1/04  Moral Luck (part 2) 
Week 18
1/11  Final